The New York Giants need all the weapons on offense they can get when they face Washington in their next game. The team is still hunting for their first win and is missing both Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkley – and while Shepard is set to return to practice this week and was working out with trainers recently, he won’t be back in time for the Washington game.
Therefore, any more injuries on offense will put the Giants into an especially bad spot going into this game. Unfortunately, it looks like they still have to deal with one at an important spot. Wide receiver Darius Slayton was listed as injured on the team’s most recent injury report.
Top wide receiver in question
Slayton is participating in practice but thanks to a foot injury, that’s only limited participation. That’s not great news right now for the Giants because Slayton is by far their top receiver. Slayton not only has a pair of touchdowns but has significantly more receiving yards than the players that are behind him on the list – Evan Engram and Golden Tate. Thanks to his injury, Sterling Shepard only has 76 yards despite being projected as one of the receiving leaders.
Darius Slayton had an elite performance against the Cowboys.
Caught 8 of 11 for 129 yards including this absurd snag. 91.2 receiving grade.
Early candidate for PFF’s week 5 team of the week
(via @Giants) pic.twitter.com/aLsJMhgLJ4
— PFF NY Giants (@PFF_Giants) October 12, 2020
Perhaps more importantly, Slayton possesses good chemistry with quarterback Daniel Jones. With Jones under enough pressure right now, the last thing he needs is having to play an upcoming game without his favorite target in the passing game.
Still, the fact that it’s only midweek rather than later in the week is a reason to have some hope in this case. There’s still time for Slayton to shed the limited designation and return to playing at full speed before the Giants take on Washington on Sunday.
But will the receiver be in top shape for that matchup given the injury trouble that’s present now? That’s something we might not know until the Giants take the field and look to avoid an 0-6 start.