Fantasy Reaction: Kadarius Toney Trade Rumors (Fantasy Football)
The New York Giants selected WR Kadarius Toney with the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, just a year ago. Now, there’s rumors from Giants beat reporters that Toney may be on the trade block. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported last week that the Giants were “making calls on what they can get for their 2021 1st round pick.” However, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan recently tweeted that the Giants “view him as a valuable asset and would want a significant return. Makes it seem right now the likelihood is he does not get moved.” Regardless of the outcome here with Kadarius Toney, it at least seems like the new Giants coaching staff and front office may be frustrated with what they’ve seen from Toney thus far in the NFL.
Toney’s rookie campaign got off to a rough start. He missed time in training camp then dealt with multiple injuries throughout the regular season in addition to missing time as a result of Covid-19 protocols. He also got ejected from a game last year against the Dallas Cowboys for throwing a punch. In 10 games last year, Toney logged 420 receiving yards on 39 receptions and zero touchdowns, posting just two top-30 fantasy WR weekly finishes. Despite the lackluster season, Toney still graded out well in terms of underlying efficiency metrics. Among all WRs who saw at least 50 targets a season ago, Toney’s 2.14 yards per route run ranked 2nd among all rookies behind only Ja’Marr Chase and ranked 11th overall, tied with Tyreek Hill. Toney also showed an ability to earn targets as a rookie, getting targeted on 27% of his routes, which is an elite mark in this metric.
Given that the Giants are likely to go more pass heavy under new head coach Brian Daboll, Toney should have an opportunity to see more volume in his second year as a pro in 2022. Currently, the Giants’ WR room is lacking top tier playmakers. They signed Kenny Golladay to a lucrative 4-year deal last off-season in free agency, but behind Toney and Golladay, Sterling Shepard is recovering from a torn Achilles, and Darius Slayton projects as a rotational WR3/4 on this depth chart. Despite the trade rumors, New York is likely to need Toney’s play making ability in 2022 as the team looks to right the ship and become an NFC East contender. Toney may be difficult to trust on a weekly basis, but he flashed the upside we’re looking in fantasy, posting the WR7 overall finish back in Week 5 last season, posting a 10/189/0 stat line on 13 targets. With more volume and improved offensive play calling, Toney has a chance to be a high upside, yet volatile selection in 2022 fantasy drafts.