Singletary has had three consecutive seasons with 800-plus yards rushing. All of those came playing for a pass-first offense in Buffalo and Houston. Now, he will be the main ball carrier for the Giants who project to run much more than he is accustomed to. Despite being the lead back, he is being overlooked in fantasy football drafts with an ADP of 104 and is the 34th back off the board. If we investigate his numbers, he has a career average of 4.6 YPC, which is a bit surprising. I went back to last season and watched several Texan games to see if he passed the eye test. He still had good speed and agility and had several games where he had 20-plus carries. If he can reach 15-plus carries per game, then I don’t think there is any reason why he can’t rush for over 1,100 yards.
Consider that the passing game has QB Daniel Jones, who is coming back from season-ending injury, and a receiver corps that will be led by rookie Malik Nabers, running the ball will be key to the Giant’s success. He should be a solid back to take in the later rounds to add to running back depth.
I know it’s difficult to imagine that the 12-win Cowboys will finish under .500, but there is a strong possibility that it will happen. Let’s first look at the Cowboys schedule. Their division games will be no cakewalk like they had last season. The Eagles are the favorites to win the division, and both the Giants and Commanders should improve on both sides of the ball. Then, let’s look at the non-division games. They open in Cleveland as the current underdogs, plus play 2023 playoff teams, including the Ravens, 49ers, Lions, Texans, and Buccaneers. Not only that, but they also play at Atlanta and Pittsburgh and host the Bengals, who should all be solid playoff contenders; even hosting the Saints and playing at Carolina are going to be tough games.
As you can see, their schedule is difficult on paper. Can they overcome that? Cowboy fans may get mad, but QB Dak Prescott has folded under pressure, and this season, he should be under a ton of pressure as he is not projected to have a top-notch offensive line. The running game is also suspect as they bring back Ezekiel Elliott as their lead back and have Rico Dowdle as the backup, who may have more juice. Their defense played extremely well at times last season, but on further review, I think that may have been a mirage. They had opened the season vs. 4 of the worst offenses in the league playing with backup or anemic quarterbacks. Teams with a solid offense were able to move the ball and exploit major weaknesses, as finally evidenced by the Green Bay Packers, who moved the ball up and down the field while eliminating the Cowboys from the playoffs last season.
In conclusion, the Cowboys face a brutally tough schedule that is going to be extremely difficult to finish over .500. Their running game should take a step back, and Dak could be facing a ton of pressure due to offensive line issues. Also, the defense may be a tad overrated, considering they were only good against the weak offenses last year, while the good offenses had no trouble moving the football. I see this team finishing between 7 to 8 wins, which spells the end for HC Mike McCarthy.
Currently, Daniels is +550 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win ROY, and I think that he is good value considering Bears QB Caleb Williams is currently +135. Daniels was like a human joystick in college. He should be able to have explosive run plays on his own and create big plays down the field with receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, so the numbers should be there. Let’s look at his schedule in his first four games: the Commanders are at Tampa, at the Giants, at Cincinnati, and at home vs. the Giants. I project all those games to be high-scoring, getting him off to a fast start and building confidence. So, then it comes down to projections. I think 3200 yards passing is a bit conservative, along with 800 yards rushing for 4,000 total yards with a solid chance for finishing with more.
Now, besides Caleb Williams, his other major competition will be receivers Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr., but they will have to put up big numbers to be in contention. Fellow rookie QBs like Patriots Drake Maye and Vikings JJ McCarthy don’t figure to start right away, and their playing time could be 5-8 games less, hindering their chances to win. Both top rookie running backs pose no threat to winning the award as they are backups to start the season. In conclusion, Daniels gets my vote and wager, as he has just as good of a shot to win it as the rest.
