#253 overall · NYG · 58.3 projected half-PPR pts · -64.3 Draft Value
Darius Slayton — 2026 Fantasy Outlook
The case for drafting him
Darius Slayton has been a consistent presence in the Giants' passing game across three seasons, averaging 71 targets per year over that span. In 2023 he turned 79 targets into 770 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns — the clearest evidence that when volume and opportunity align, he can produce at a meaningful clip. His three-year averages of 627 receiving yards, 42 receptions, and 2.3 receiving touchdowns on 71 targets per season establish a floor that is real, if modest. For a drafter building depth late, that kind of target-share continuity on a roster spot is the argument.
What the model projects
The projection for Slayton in 2026 is 58.3 half-PPR fantasy points. His draft value sits at -64.3, placing him #253 overall and WR80. He is a Tier 9 player. The projection reflects a receiving profile that has trended downward in both yardage and touchdowns over the past two seasons — 770 yards and 4 scores in 2023, 573 yards and 2 scores in 2024, 538 yards and 1 score in 2025 — and the numbers land where they land. His bye week is Week 8.
| Att | Comp | Pass yds | Pass TD | INT | Car | Rush yds | Rush TD | Tgt | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | Fum | FG | XP | Half-PPR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 50 | 770 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | 126.0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 71 | 39 | 573 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 90.5 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 37 | 538 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 76.3 |
| 3-yr avg | — | — | — | — | — | 0.7 | 5.7 | — | 71 | 42 | 627 | 2.3 | 0.3 | — | — | 98.1 |
The range of outcomes
The three-year trend tells the story of the outcome band. At his 2023 peak he was a 770-yard, 4-touchdown receiver on 79 targets. By 2025 that line had compressed to 538 yards, 1 touchdown, and 63 targets, with a fumble lost added to the ledger. The upside case requires a return toward his 2023 target and touchdown volume; the downside case is a continuation of the declining trend. There is meaningful distance between those two scenarios, and the 58.3-point projection sits well below his 2023 output, reflecting where the recent trajectory points.
How to draft him
Slayton is not being drafted consistently enough across platforms to carry a market ADP. At WR80 and #253 overall with a -64.3 draft value, he projects below replacement level at the position. He is a Tier 9 asset — the kind of name that belongs on a watch list rather than a draft board in most 12-team formats. If you are targeting him, it is as a late-round flier on the chance that his 2023 target share re-emerges; go in with clear eyes about what the projection and rank say.
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Questions drafters ask
He has seen 79, 71, and 63 targets in 2023, 2024, and 2025 respectively — a three-year average of 71 per season, but on a declining trajectory each year.
The projection is 58.3 half-PPR points. That places him #253 overall and WR80, with a draft value of -64.3 — below replacement level at the wide receiver position.
He does not have a market ADP — he is not being drafted consistently enough across platforms to produce one. He is a Tier 9 player at #253 overall, so if you want him, he is likely available very late or off the board entirely in most drafts.
His 2023 season is the high-water mark in the FACTS: 79 targets, 50 receptions, 770 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns. The two seasons since have not matched that output.