Jaxson Dart is one of today's fantasy focal points -- a first-round rookie with two very talented WRs and a catch-friendly RB. And because we look for advantages anywhere we can find them, it's important to note that longtime kicker Graham Gano has been placed on injured reserve.
Why should fantasy managers care? Since 2017, he's hit 45-of-50 field goal attempts (90%) from 40-49 yards. Since joining the Giants in 2020, he's hit a very respectable 26-of-32 (81%) from 50+. When the team gets within his field goal range, they frequently turn to him. In Week 13 last year versus Dallas, with New York down 27-10 in the fourth quarter and facing 4th-and-9, they turned to Gano to boot a 47-yarder.
Because if you have roughly 90% odds of getting three points -- even if it makes only a small dent in your deficit -- that's often preferable to the much slimmer odds of converting on 4th-and-long . . . and continuing to run down the clock while trying to reach the end zone. Fantasy-wise, this has a small negative impact on QB, RB, WR, and TE fantasy production. An unreliable kicker sometimes translates into more aggressive play-calling (such as going for it on fourth downs), which might bump a playmaker's ceiling by a few points.
Today against the Chargers, the Giants' kicker will be 25-year-old Jude McAtamney, who's 1-for-1 in field goal attempts for his career -- a 31-yarder last year that he hooked enough where it might not have been good from 40 (just watched the video while writing this). At Rutgers he connected on only 12-of-19 (63%).
The Giants are tied for the NFL lead with eight fourth downs. Gano has been an easy go-to inside the opposing 35-yard line. I believe they'll be a little more likely to go for first downs until they reach the opposing 25 or even 20. That can only help Dart, Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers, and/or Wan'Dale Robinson, potentially resulting in more fantasy points than they would have had if Gano were active.
Good luck today.
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