The New York Giants are entering a crucial 2024 season where they’re success will largely depend on the performance of quarterback Daniel Jones. In 2023, Jones suffered a devastating season-ending ACL tear after a disappointing six starts on the campaign.
Jones has been working hard to recover all offseason and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp next week. With the Giants having expressed interest in drafting a quarterback earlier this offseason, the pressure is on Jones to perform at a high level this year to prevent the team from looking for potential replacements in 2025.
He has his doubters and many have lost faith in Jones. However, some still believe he could be a sleeper for a great bounce-back campaign in 2024.
PFF lists Daniel Jones as a sleeper for the 2024 season
In a recent Pro Football Focus article from Nathan Jahnke, Daniel Jones was listed as one of three quarterbacks who are fantasy football sleepers for the upcoming 2024 season. He was listed alongside Will Levis of the Tennessee Titans and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots as potential sleepers.
“Jones finished as the QB9 in 2022, in large part thanks to his rushing ability. His 708 rushing yards ranked fifth at the position, while his seven rushing touchdowns tied for third,” Jahnke began before pointing out the dip in production that Jones suffered before his season-ending injury in 2023.
However, Jahnke stated that there is “reason to believe Jones could match his 2022 fantasy production this season.” He cited the upgraded receiving weapons around Jones and the departure of RB Saquon Barkley as factors that could lead to increased production from the Giants’ quarterback.
“This season, it’s clear the Giants will put things in Jones’ hands to determine if he can be the future at the position,” Jahnke wrote. “This means the former first-round pick should have more opportunities and better efficiency. The big concern is that a neck injury kept him out early last season, but a torn ACL kept him out for the rest of the campaign. The ACL tear may prevent Jones from running nearly as much as he had in past seasons, which could hurt his fantasy value more than the new receivers help him.”
Jones will be tasked with shouldering the offense’s load this season in a way that he truly has not in years past. Barkley has been the primary workhorse of the offensive production for the last six seasons, but with him now signed on as a member of the rival Philadelphia Eagles, Jones will need to step up and carry the load this season.
Jones will be playing to maintain his future in New York this season. He signed a four-year, $160 million contract last offseason but is at risk of being released next spring due to an out in his contract. The Giants could release Jones next offseason and save nearly $20 million in salary cap space.
If Jones wants to play out the remainder of his contract, he needs to improve. He’s been largely inconsistent, to say the least, throughout his career and really struggled to live up to the expectations of his contract during the six games that he played last season. During those games, the Giants went 1-5, with Jones throwing for just 909 yards and two touchdowns with six interceptions.
His play suffered a significant drop-off in quality compared to the 2022 campaign when Jones posted a 1.1% interception rate, the lowest in the NFL, and threw for a career-high 3,205 yards. The Giants need Jones to return to that form if they want to bounce back and improve upon their 6-11 record this season.
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