Daniel Bellinger

Bellinger has started 24 games across his first two NFL seasons, but he failed to step up when Darren Waller missed five games due to a hamstring injury in 2023. Despite appearing in all 17 games after missing five as a rookie himself, Bellinger saw his yardage total drop from 268 to 255 and failed to find the end zone in his second season after scoring twice in 2022. Waller announced his retirement in June, but the Giants added tight end Theo Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, giving Bellinger new competition for snaps and targets. While Bellinger is the favorite to make the Week 1 start, Johnson is faster and more athletic and thus more likely to have fantasy utility if he does earn considerable playing time.

After selecting Bellinger in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Giants wasted little time integrating the rookie into their offense. An eye injury cost him four games, but Bellinger otherwise worked as the team's starting tight end throughout the regular season and playoffs. However, his pass-catching numbers (a 30-268-2 line on 35 targets) over 12 contests were modest, and the team chose to trade for a bigger offensive weapon at the position in Darren Waller this offseason. Word is that New York remains high on Bellinger, but there's little doubt that he'll have a reduced role in 2023.

A big-bodied 2022 fourth-round pick out of San Diego State, Bellinger only put up a 68-771-5 receiving line in 31 games in college but has many intangibles that make him an intriguing TE prospect for the future. A 4.63 40-yard dash at the combine, sturdy hands and good vision after the catch, plus being a strong and capable blocker, all give him a path to snaps alongside uninspiring free-agent pickups Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins. Bellinger appeared to stake his claim to the starting role early in camp, and he has the potential to be a diamond in the rough for a Giants offense in flux.