Fantasy Football Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: Malik Nabers (Pick 1.05)

I apparently have a higher threshold than some when it comes to player tiers in fantasy football startup dynasty formats.

My top tier of players for PPR dynasty leagues includes only the very best receivers -- Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase, Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson and Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb. For that reason, they are the first three picks in my startup dynasty mock draft.

But the experts at Fantasy Pros have a little larger top tier of players, which also includes Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers.

I argued Wednesday that Robinson was the No. 4 player in my startup dynasty mock draft.

With the No. 5 pick of a 2025 PPR dynasty startup league, I would select Nabers.

Pick 1.05: WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants

One of the most underrated aspects of a strong fantasy football player is consistency. Yes, owners want to target players with tremendous upside. But stars who are going to consistently produced, particularly in the QB1, RB1, and WR1 spots, are the most valuable.

Even though Nabers can barely drink and has only one year of NFL experience, he's already one of the most consistent receivers in the league.

As a rookie in 2024, Nabers posted at least 60 receiving yards in 12 of the 16 games he played. Nabers also had at least five receptions in 15 of 16 contests.

Overall, Nabers had at least six catches or 60 yards in every game but one. He reached both of those totals 10 times.

Behind that consistency, Nabers finished his rookie campaign with 109 catches and 1,204 receiving yards. He also had seven touchdowns.

Those totals gave him an fantasy point average of about 18.1 per game. But arguably more importantly, he reached double-digits in every week but one.

That high floor despite quarterbacks Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito throwing him passes as a rookie should have Nabers close, if not in, the top player tier in dynasty startup leagues.

Clearly, Nabers isn't quarterback dependent. Furthermore, even though defenses knew the ball was going in his direction every week, the opposition still couldn't stop him. Nabers had 99 more targets than any other Giants pass-catcher in 2024 besides Wan'Dale Robinson.

It's also not as if Nabers doesn't have significant upside. There's a reason the Giants drafted him at No. 6 overall in 2024 -- he's expected to be the next star receiver pushing for 1,800-plus yards in a single campaign.

That isn't likely to happen unless the Giants find a franchise quarterback. So New York's signal-caller does hurt Nabers' value a little.

Unless fantasy managers are fully confident in Jaxson Dart becoming "the guy," New York's quarterback situation is a reason not to have Nabers in the top tier of dynasty players this summer.

But with Nabers only turning 22 in July, the Giants have some time to find him a franchise signal-caller. And even while fantasy managers wait, Nabers is already an elite, consistent fantasy option.

His production paired with very young age should make any fantasy manager excited about drafting him at No. 5 overall in dynasty startup leagues.