surprise signing. Jameis Winston signed a two-year deal with the New York Giants. It’s an odd turn in the free-agent quarterback soap opera with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson playing the leading men. Winston now gets a legitimate shot at starting for the Giants and throwing the ball to Malik Nabers. Winston’s huck-it, chuck-it style makes fantasy managers super excited. Who else benefits and who sees a value drop thanks to the Jameis Winston signing?
Winners of the Jameis Winston signing
Rookie Quarterbacks
With Jameis Winston signing a two-year deal with the New York Giants it almost seals the deal for the Giants to draft a rookie quarterback early in April’s NFL Draft. The Giants had been rumored to be in the mix for veterans Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson but now look to be out on both accounts. This leaves the door open for a rookie to be on the team. With only Winston and Tommy DeVito on the roster, the Giants will be looking for their franchise man. Winston is nothing more than a short-term bridge quarterback. A role he has played the past few years.
Winston probably comes into training as the leading candidate for the starting job but any rookie who gets drafted will have a real shot at overtaking him. While Winston has been a fantasy darling he isn’t an NFL-caliber starter. Even if he secures the starting job for Week 1 the leash will be short. Nothing is better for a rookie quarterback than sitting and learning and Jameis Winston signing provides that. It may only be for six games but it could be a whole season if the Giants are committed to a full rebuild.
I expect which ever rookie gets drafted to the Giants to be a high target in dynasty league drafts and the top waiver add when they do become the starter. On a team with a great wide receiver, they should be able to produce low-end QB2 numbers for fantasy managers as their floor. I expect the Giants to pass on a quarterback at third overall and select one in the early second or move back into the late first round to secure their guy.
Malik Nabers: WR- New York Giants
This will be the biggest name you hear when talking about Jameis Winston signing. Winston has always been a quarterback who hyper targets a player and isn’t afraid to chuck the ball down the field. Look at what he did for Mike Evans in 2016 and 2019. Look at what Winston was able to do for Jerry Jeudy in 2024. Those type of numbers are what we are expecting for Malik Nabers. If he sees under 10 targets a game it will be a disappointment.
If Winston can remain the starter all season long then Nabers has a legit chance to be the league leader in targets in 2025. With already being second in the league in 2024 with 170 Nabers could see close to the 191 target mark that Cooper Kupp set in 2021.
Theo Johnson: TE- New York Giants
After favoring his top wide receiver Jameis Winston loves to throw to his tight end. David Njoku was a big benefactor of that in 2024. Juwan Johnson saw a nice early season bump in 2021, especially in the red zone with Winston under center. O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate combined for 11 touchdowns in 2018 with Winston. They were sleeper tight end plays in 2019 because of Winston. I expect Theo Johnson sees a similar boost in his second season.
Johnson showed flashes of being a solid fantasy asset in the early part of 2024 before injury cut his season short. He had three games with over 8 fantasy points and only scored in one of them. He was a sleeper candidate as a rookie and should be considered in late rounds of drafts this year as a player with a ton of potential. The biggest hurdle will be how long does Winton remain the starter. As long as he does I expect Theo Johnson to be second on the team in targets most weeks.
Losers of the James Winston signing
Russell Wilson & Aaron Rodgers: QBs- Free Agents
Now that Jameis Winston has signed with the New York Giants it looks as if the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only starting job left. This leaves Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson battling it out for that final starting job. Many believed that who ever didn’t get that job would land with the Giants. That option seems off the table. Considering we are now two weeks into free agency and neither of the veterans have signed it doesn’t look as if teams value them as much as they value themselves.
Both quarterbacks are future Hall of Famers but both believe they still have another season or two left in them and can not only play at a high level but lead a team to success. One would assume that Wilson has the inside track with the Steelers after signing there last offseason and taking the team to the a playoff berth. Its a hit to fantasy mangers who might be holding onto or hoping to draft one of these veterans late in drafts as a second quarterback. They now look like they are on the outside looking in at not only a starting job but even being on a roster to start the NFL season.
Jerry Jeudy: WR- Cleveland Browns
Jerry Jeudy came into the NFL with so much buzz. He never was able to convert that into play on the field. Let alone fantasy value during his time with the Denver Broncos. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns last year and everything changed. A big part of that was the play of Jameis Winston. Winston led to Jeudy having 30 more targets then he had ever seen in a year. He had 300 more yards then his career best.
With Jameis Winston signing with the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns trading for Kenny Pickett it means that Jeudy won’t have the hyper targeting quarterback that turned him into a fantasy gem. Jeudy still holds some value but goes back down to what he was with the Broncos. A low end WR3 who you can’t really trust.
Wan’Dale Robinson: WR- New York Giants
As much as Jameis Winston loves to target his top receiver and tight end that means there is less to go around to others. This significantly impacts Wan’Dale Robinson. Robinson saw a ton of work in 2024. He saw his targets jump from 78 in 2023 to 140 in 2024. With Winston now potentially under center Robinson will be left with scraps and will struggle to reach the 78 targets he saw in 2023.
Winston doesn’t usually target his slot receiver. Robinson ran 78% of his routes out of the slot in 2024. When you look at the Cleveland Browns, Elijah Moore ran 56% of his routes from the slot. He saw 97 total targets. Even that came in games where Winston was throwing the ball over 40 times consistently. Unless Winston throws the ball 50 times a games Robinsons style is more over the middle which isn’t Winston’s area are strength. He is a deep ball passer. While Robinson was a massive buy for me last year due to lack of competition for targets I see more competition and a different style of passing this year. I’m avoiding Robinson until we see something else change.
Let us know who YOU think is the biggest winner and loser over at The Fantasy Advice Network.
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