A bit of a surprising reunion is occurring in New York, as the Giants are bringing back Odell Beckham Jr. to bolster their wide receiver core. The 33-year-old was drafted with the 12th overall pick in 2014, and he last played for the Giants in 2018. He last played in the NFL in 2024, when he suited up for the Miami Dolphins.

Odell Beckham Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook with the Giants:

The Giants are one of the more intriguing teams in the NFL entering the 2026 season. After going 4-13 last season, coach Brian Daboll was sent packing early, and a new era will begin with John Harbaugh helping to set the culture. There is hope that New York has found its franchise quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart, who made 12 starts last season. The Ole Miss product completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while adding 487 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

Malik Nabers headlines the wide receiver production for New York. The LSU product flashed star potential of his own, recording 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, but he suited up for just four games last year due to a torn ACL. Nabers was also forced to undergo what was considered a “clean-up” surgery again in September due to scar tissue buildup and stiffness in the injured leg. While it is not time to panic regarding his outlook, the path to the 22-year-old being ready for Week 1 is less clear than is ideal.

Outside of Nabers, Darius Slayton, Malachi Fields, Jalin Hyatt, Calvin Austin III and Darnell Mooney are expected to play key roles in the Giants’ passing game.

The biggest question regarding the outlook for Odell Beckham Jr. is how much the former superstar has left in the tank. The three-time Pro Bowler was unquestionably one of the best wide receivers when he was at his peak as a player, but that was nearly a decade ago at this point.

Beckham Jr. played a key role on the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in 2021, but he also suffered a torn ACL in the championship matchup. He remained out of the NFL the entire following season in 2022, and then played 14 games for the Ravens the following year. Beckham Jr. tallied 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. He played nine games for the Miami Dolphins the following season in 2024, where he pulled in just nine of his 18 targets for 55 yards.

Ultimately, it feels as if expectations have increased for this Giants team at a rate a bit undeserving. Dart first has to prove he can stay on the field at a reliable rate and consistently play football that equates to winning. This is a new era of Giants football, and Harbaugh has traditionally leaned on the running game at a high level.

New York deserves some credit for creativity in finding another lane to potentially add talent and bring back a franchise favorite. But the last time Beckham Jr. was truly fantasy football relevant was in 2019 when he was playing with the Cleveland Browns.

Expect the Giants’ offensive attack to be less pass-dependent than many are braced for, and for Beckham Jr. to see limited opportunities to make plays. It is still not a guarantee that he will make the final roster, and even more unlikely that he plays a significant role. This is an intriguing story worth noting, but don’t shift your fantasy football wide receiver rankings, at least until there is a more concerning update surrounding Malik Nabers. If you want to take a late-round flyer on Beckham Jr. to return home to New York, it isn’t the worst move to keep him at the bottom of your bench. But expectations should be tempered in the late stages of his career, and expect his name to carry more weight than the substance of his play.