Many are hoping Nabers will be able to repeat his success in 2025, but fantasy managers found themselves worrying about the second-year receiver’s status during the early stages of training camp.
Nabers was sidelined for a couple of weeks by a back injury and did not play in the preseason because of it.
How is Nabers progressing in his recovery with the season approaching? Here are the latest updates on his injury and how it impacts his fantasy football outlook for 2025.
Malik Nabers injury update
Nabers put to bed any concerns about his back injury during a Wednesday media availability. He called the malady that caused him to miss two weeks of training camp practice ‘a minor thing.’
Nabers also indicated the Giants were just playing it safe with him to ensure he would be ready for the start of the 2025 NFL season.
‘I feel good,’ Nabers said. ‘I know it’s been a little ride but right now, I feel good.’
Nabers did not play in any of the Giants’ three preseason games while dealing with the back injury. Despite this, the 2024 first-round pick believes he will quickly reacclimate himself to game action as he enters his second NFL season.
‘I feel like I’m always ready,’ Nabers told reporters. ‘When it’s game time with those lights on, I believe my body is going to turn it on. He’s going to be ready to roll.’
Malik Nabers fantasy outlook 2025
Nabers looks like a strong, early-round fantasy football pick in 2025 now that he sports a clean bill of health.
Nabers averaged a league-high 11.3 targets per game last season and once again figures to be a high-volume weapon in the Giants’ offense. He has already built a strong rapport with new starting quarterback Russell Wilson, who spoke glowingly of him at Wednesday’s news conference.
‘I think he’s going to have a great year,’ Wilson said of Nabers at Wednesday’s news conference. ‘I think the best part about him is obviously he’s a threat down the field, but he’s also a threat anytime he touches the ball, whether it’s in the short game, mid-range game, all the different things he can do.’
Wilson’s confidence in Nabers should allow the LSU product to keep his high-level target share. That will give him one of the highest floors among the top 10 fantasy wide receivers, especially in PPR formats.
There’s also reason to believe Nabers could have more scoring opportunities than he did as a rookie. While he had a respectable seven scores in 15 games as a rookie, the Giants only threw 15 total touchdown passes during the season.
By comparison, Wilson threw 16 in 11 starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That would put him on pace for roughly 25 over a full, 17-start season.
Will Nabers be able to maintain his 46.7% stake in the Giants’ passing touchdown total? Maybe not. But if Wilson can even elevate New York’s aerial attack to average, Nabers should have an opportunity to net double-digit touchdowns in his second season.
Verdict: Nabers proved to be a quarterback-proof receiver as a rookie, finishing as a top 10 fantasy receiver with Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito at quarterback. As long as he’s healthy, he should continue to be a top-tier PPR playmaker and will have a chance to up his touchdown total with Wilson serving as a quarterback upgrade for the team.
Malik Nabers fantasy football rankings
Nabers is ranked as USA TODAY Sports’ No. 4 overall fantasy receiver for the 2025 NFL season. He ranks behind only Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Puka Nacua.
Malik Nabers stats
Below is a look at Nabers’ stats from his rookie season in 2024:
Games: 15
Targets: 170
Receptions: 109
Receiving yards: 1,204
Receiving TDs: 7
Yards per reception: 11