Why Darius Slayton Is A Great Buy In Dynasty
Everyone loves a good underdog story. When a player, who isn’t a Day 1 or even a Day 2 pick, flashes some very impressive talent, people tend to take notice. Darius Slayton was a 5th round selection, 171st overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, making him the 18th (!!!) WR selected. Slayton attended Auburn and put together a 79-1605-11 stat line in 29 games, over 3 years. Auburn is and always has been a run-first team, so these numbers may seem underwhelming. But Slayton ranked 21st nationally in 2018 in yards per catch with 19.1 and sixth in ’17 with 22.2 yards per catch. The Giants were in desperate need of a playmaker on the outside after trading Odell Beckham Jr to the Browns. Those are big shoes to fill and Slayton is in no way as talented as OBJ, but he was a pleasant surprise for the G-men.
A Rookie Surprise
Slayton used the big-play ability he showcased at Auburn to churn out 48-740-8 in 14 games. The Giants offense as a whole struggled, mostly due to injuries to superstar Saquon Barkley and supreme athlete Evan Engram. With both of these key pieces expected to be 100% healthy in 2020, the focus won’t be on the second-year wideout. Slayton played 79.4% of the snaps in 2019 with only 4.5% coming from the slot. The main competition for targets comes from slot WRs Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate. The important thing to focus on here is that 4.5%. Slayton lined up on the outside more than any other Giants WR, so his role is cemented and unaffected by his previously mentioned running mates.
The Giants offense as a whole should take a step forward, with the return of Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram, resulting in more red zone opportunities. Slayton was eighth in the NFL with eight receiving touchdowns despite only three red zone receptions. As the offense improves, the red zone looks for Slayton should take a drastic jump up.
A good chunk of Slayton’s production came in two games late in the season. In Week 10, he capitalized on a massive 14 targets against the Jets, turning that into 10-121-2. It was Slayton’s first career game surpassing the 100-yard mark. Just four weeks later, he burned the Eagles and CB Ronald Darby for 5-154-2 on eight targets. These are the type of games that can win you weeks. Slayton was No.2 in Weem 10 and third in Week 14 in PPR scoring at the WR position. Giants QB Daniel Jones has not been shy when throwing the deep ball, showing tremendous confidence in his WRs. All it takes is one play for Slayton to win you a week.
Why Darius Slayton Is A Dynasty Buy
Slayton is currently the WR46 in terms of average draft position (ADP) from dynastyleaguefootball.com. The possibility of Slayton becoming the unquestioned WR1 in New York should put him squarely in the dynasty WR3 conversation based on upside alone. His 2019 numbers extrapolated over 16 games would have been 55/845/9 (would have been WR34 right behind DK Metcalf in PPR). I don’t see Slayton’s floor dipping anywhere below that line for the rest of his career.
The Giants wideout will turn 24 in January and has his best football ahead of him. Look for his chemistry with Jones to grow even more. I love gambling on second-year WRs to take that next step into fantasy stardom. Slayton is no exception. He can be had for an early 2021 second and should provide you with some stellar WR depth in 2020. Not to mention the potential of being the WR1 in a very talented offense. Buy in while the price is still CHEAP!
