New York Giants Offseason: Reviewing the Wide Receiver Position

2017 Depth Chart

Odell Beckham Jr. – 25 receptions, 302 yards, 3 TD [4 games] (signed through 2018)

Brandon Marshall – 18 receptions, 154 yards, 0 TD [5 games] (signed through 2018)

Sterling Shepard – 59 receptions, 731 yards, 2 TD [11 games] (signed through 2019)

Roger Lewis – 36 receptions, 416 yards, 2 TD [15 games] (signed through 2018)

Tavarres King – 18 receptions, 240 yards, 3 TD [8 games] (unrestricted free agent)

Dwayne Harris – No offensive stats [5 games] (signed through 2019)

Travis Rudolph – 8 receptions, 101 yards, 0 TD [7 games] (exclusive rights free agent)

Hunter Sharp – 5 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD [2 games] (signed through 2018)

Darius Powe – 2 receptions, 13 yards, 0 TD [1 game] (signed through 2018)

Kalif Raymond – 1 reception, 12 yards, 0 TD [6 games] (signed through 2018)

2017 Review

2017 was not kind to the New York Giants wide receivers. Injuries ravaged the receiving corps. I included the number of games played for each receiver to show you how much time each one missed.

Nobody played in all 16 games and Sterling Shepard and Roger Lewis were the only receivers to play in double-digit contests.

Odell Beckham Jr. missed the Giants season opener with an ankle injury and played sparingly in Week 2. He then got things going, scoring two touchdowns in Week 3, registering 90 yards in Week 4, and putting up 97 yards and a touchdown in Week 5.

Unfortunately, few remember OBJ’s stats against the Los Angeles Chargers because that is known as the game he broke his ankle. It was a gruesome injury and prematurely ended Beckham’s 2017 season. Still one of the best receivers in the game, Odell will look to bounce back from an essentially lost season.

Brandon Marshall was supposed to be the big receiver to complete the Giants receiving corps. Marshall, however, did not come close to living up to expectations.

An ankle injury prematurely ended Marshall’s season after Week 5 as well. However, he was not contributing to the offense much anyways. Marshall never topped 66 yards and had two or fewer receptions in three of five games.

Just two seasons removed from a 109-1,502-14 stat line, Marshall looked like a shell of himself in 2017.

The only starting receiver not to land on injured reserve, Sterling Shepard’s 2017 season was not as impressive as his rookie season.

Shepard did have three huge games. He had seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against the Eagles, 11 catches for 142 yards in Week 10 against the 49ers, and 11 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown in Week 15 against Philly. However, outside of those three games, Shepard topped 56 yards just once and didn’t score another touchdown.

Roger Lewis saw extended reps due to all of the injuries at the top of the depth chart. Of the 15 games Lewis played in, he recorded a catch in all but one of them. He had a few solid games down the stretch, hauling in seven catches against the Cowboys and 74 yards against the Eagles.

Lewis showed flashes in very limited action his rookie year and continued to show the potential of being a quality depth receiver in 2017.

Tavarres King finished the 2016 season strong yet was cut by the Giants after Week 1 in 2017. The aforementioned injuries gave King another chance as he came back in Week 6 and became a deep threat receiver in Big Blue’s offense after their Week 8 bye.

King missed Week 16 with a concussion that eventually put him on injured reserve prior to the season finale. Before his year finished, however, King caught two passes for 70 yards in Week 15, turning both into touchdowns.

After being cut early in the season, King certainly turned his season around into a success.

Prior to fracturing his foot in Week 5, Dwayne Harris was unable to register any offensive statistics. As far as returning kicks went, Harris averaged 20.9 yards per kickoff return and 6.9 yards per punt return. Harris did not have a return touchdown and was really a non-factor for the Giants in 2017.

The group of Travis Rudolph, Hunter Sharp, Darius Powe, and Kalif Raymond all only got reps because of how many injuries the Giants receiving corps endured. Of the four, Sharp made the most of his opportunity, hauling in a touchdown in New York’s season finale.