Let me start with a little behind-the-scenes. When no one volunteers to write about a team here at Club Fantasy, either Josh Hudson or I jump in and write the article. Well, Josh is an Eagles fan, so here I am covering the Giants. All in all, this offense definitely has some interesting pieces, and perhaps none more interesting than their running back, Cam Skattebo.
Fantasy football managers quickly fell in love with Skattebo and his electric energy and style of play last season. Before suffering a brutal ankle injury, he was producing like a top-10 fantasy running back and looked every bit like a future fantasy star. Now, we have to decide if the rewards outweigh the risks heading into 2026. I have thoughts…
Cam Skattebo Is Risky For Fantasy Managers
Red Flag #1: The Injury Risk
Skattebo’s rookie season was cut short by a gruesome ankle injury. His foot was facing the wrong way. Not good. It turns out, there were broken leg bones and torn ligaments to go along with the ankle dislocation. So in my non-professional opinion, his leg was f***ed. It seems he’ll be ready for the season, but until I see the Week 1 starting lineup for myself, count me as a skeptic. Let’s assume he recovers from this and doesn’t injure his other leg by overcompensating, a common occurrence in the NFL. What about his running style makes you think he is going to play 16 or 17 games?
The frustrating part is that none of this is a talent issue. When healthy, Skattebo looked like one of the most exciting young running backs in football. He was the RB9 through eight games of the season. That’s what makes the injury concerns so difficult to ignore.
Now, in all honesty, Skattebo doesn’t have an extensive history of injuries. He did miss one game at Arizona State due to a shoulder injury, but I could not confirm whether his running style had anything to do with it. But what I can say for sure is that defenses in the NFL hit a whole lot harder than they do in the PAC12 or wherever the hell ASU plays these days. The resounding opinion among those who watched Skattebo last season was that he had better stop leading with his head, or he would be in trouble.
So we have a guy who has already sustained a major leg injury and appears to be a huge risk for head injury. And I am supposed to depend on him as my RB2 every week?
Red Flag #2: An Uncertain Offense
Do you trust Matt Nagy?
I thought about just putting that question and moving on. Instead, I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t trust the new offense in NY. Nagy is coming off a three-year stint as the OC in Kansas City. Outside of the fact that the Giants’ talent level does not compare to the Chiefs, there is also the frustrating career of Isiah Pacheco, who might remind you of a certain other back. Pacheco is 5-foot-10, 216 pounds. He is also a HARD runner. He looks like he is angry at the ground. Basically, he’s Cam Skattebo.
In three seasons with Nagy, Pacheco’s best year was 935 yards and seven rushing TDs. He was propped up by 44 catches that year, but I think those might head another way in New York. For the next two seasons, Pacheco battled injuries and managed just 772 rushing yards, two TDs, and 31 receptions. Combined. In two years. Skattebo might be more talented than Pacheco, but the Kansas City back is certainly a cautionary tale.
As far as the receptions, Nagy tends to have a type. Before he returned to Kansas City, he was in Chicago, where he fed Tarik Cohen targets at the expense of David Montgomery in 2019. In fact, Nagy was also the coach for all those frustrating years of Montgomery in Chicago. (I’m just saying, there’s a pattern.) Last year, once the Chiefs drafted Brashard Smith, a converted receiver-turned-running back, Nagy’s offense targeted him 35 times, 10 more than Pacheco. In New York, he’ll have Tyrone Tracy, another receiver-turned-running back. There is no guarantee Skattebo sees close to the four targets per game he saw last year.
On top of the offensive questions, you have injury concerns at two other key spots. Jaxson Dart took Skattebo’s play style far too much to heart, and you never want to see a QB leading with his head when it comes to running the football. Then throw in that Malik Nabers, the best player on this team, had to have a second surgery to clean up his meniscus, and you have an offense that could be spending more time on the recovery table than the field in 2026.
Be sure to check our fantasy football preview of Cam Skattebo and the 2026 Giants!
Red Flag #3: The Derrick Henry Comparison
Setting aside that this is Matt Nagy’s offense, the presence of John Harbaugh has drawn a ridiculous and unfair comparison for Skattebo: The King himself, Derrick Henry. Yes, both run hard and…yeah, that’s about it. There is only one Derrick Henry, and just because Harbaugh will be coaching Skattebo doesn’t mean he will magically become the new King.
Let’s start with the obvious: 6-foot-2, 252 pounds is A LOT different than 5-foot-11, 215 pounds. Henry is HUGE and durable. In ten seasons, he’s played 153 games, missing nine games in only one season, and that was six years into his career. In his first five seasons, he missed a whopping two games. Skattebo suffered a season-ending injury as a rookie and missed the final nine games.
The problem with the Harbaugh connection is that Derrick Henry was already one of one long before he arrived in Baltimore. Harbaugh had nothing to do with what made him special, and he doesn’t have some leftover Secret Stuff to turn Skattebo into Henry. Now, I am not saying Skattebo has to be Henry to be good. I am not quite that cynical, but let’s not assume the Giants running game is going to emulate the Ravens’, either. Different teams. Different offenses. Very different players.
Red Flag #4: ADP Assumes Everything Goes Right
Cam Skattebo is going off boards as the RB19 in Underdog drafts, as of this writing. On one hand, it’s easy to understand why. Before his injury, he was delivering top-10 fantasy production and looked capable of becoming the centerpiece of the Giants’ offense for years to come. The problem is that fantasy managers appear to be drafting him as though none of the risks discussed above exist.
That draft capital means he is being viewed as an every-week starter in every format with 10 or more teams. I am sorry, but “every week” and Cam Skattebo do not belong in the same sentence. “But Ryan,” you say, “we can’t predict injuries.” And you’re right…for the most part. But when a mere mortal runs like The Juggernaut, some prognostication is easier than most.
Putting it bluntly, a top-20 slot among RBs and a top-50 spot overall is far too pricey for a bruising back like Skattebo. We often say we don’t hate players, we hate ADPs. That is the exact sentiment to sum up my thoughts on Skattebo. He’s a player you want to root for. And he is certainly fun to watch. But I cannot justify spending one of my first five picks on him as my RB2 when I feel all but certain he will miss time.
Could I be wrong? Absolutely. Skattebo already showed us in eight games that he can produce like a fantasy RB1. Maybe he plays all 17 games, Nagy suddenly remembers how to run an offense, and Harbaugh finds that Secret Stuff after all. But fantasy football is about managing risk, and I see far too much of it here. At RB19, I’ll happily let someone else roll the dice.
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2026 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the New York Giants
Editor’s Note: While this article focused on Cam Skattebo in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Giants.
Jaxson Dart
Dart was fun to watch as a rookie, but like Skattebo, there is a risk here that drafters don’t seem to want to acknowledge. He missed two games with a concussion last year because he runs like a maniac. Maybe Harbaugh and Nagy can clean that up, and Dart was the QB8 after taking over the starting job in Week 4. Though it’s noteworthy that he fell to QB16 after returning from that concussion in Week 13. That’s the problem with small sample sizes: you can make them say anything. I get the upside, just make sure you draft a backup QB.
Tyrone Tracy
Look, I have a thing for receivers-turned-running backs. In fantasy football, a target is basically worth about twice as much as a carry, and receivers can do more with targets. So, I latched on to Tracy as a rookie and was well-rewarded in 2024. The Giants tried to replace him last year, and for eight weeks, he was an afterthought. But, from Week 9 on, Tracy was again a Top-20 back in fantasy. He is likely to slide into a Tarik Cohen/Justice Hill role at first, but if Skattebo struggles, with injuries or otherwise, Tracy could easily be an RB2 in fantasy.
Malik Nabers
The talent is undeniable. He was top-6 as a rookie in a bad offense. Health is the concern. If you can land him in the 2nd or 3rd round as your WR2, he is worth the gamble. I just can’t call him my WR1 when he could miss the first two months of the season. Keep your eye on the injury reports and draft accordingly.
Darnell Mooney
While I spent much of this article nagging on Nagy, he did great things for Mooney in Chicago. No one in camp will know this offense better than Mooney, and if Nabers does miss time, Mooney could get off to a hot start. He’s worth a late-round flyer, especially in Best Ball formats.
Darius Slayton
If Nabers misses time, keep an eye on Slayton. He’s like the Great Value brand Malik Nabers. Plays the same role, does the same things, just not quite as well. I wouldn’t waste a Best Ball pick, but he could be an early waiver wire target in some home leagues.
Malachi Fields
The problem with every other receiver in this offense, Nabers, Mooney, and Slayton, is that they don’t really play the slot. If Fields can make a good impression early on, he might see more playing time than some rookies selected ahead of him in the draft. Not sure it will be great for his fantasy value, but again, he’s worth a late-round flyer in deeper leagues.
Isaiah Likely
This is the guy you want to target in fantasy drafts. I probably should have just written the article about him. Nagy knows how to use tight ends. Harbaugh knows how to use tight ends. Harbaugh also knows Likely, and it’s not a coincidence that both ended up in New York. Likely is a gifted receiver and won’t be asked to block much. The offense is fantasy-friendly for tight ends, and Dart showed a propensity for targeting the position in the red zone. Likely is the ultimate sleeper this season.
Be sure you’re following Ryan on X/Twitter! You can also find more great fantasy football content from Club Fantasy here!
You can also see where Cam Skattebo and the rest of the Giants fall in our 2026 Fantasy Rankings here!