NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that RB Alfred Morris is scheduled to meet with the Giants "early next week" and that the team is expected to sign him at that point. Morris carried 55 times and caught 3 passes for last year's Giants, as they scrambled to fill a backfield missing Saquon Barkley. That they're looking to add a veteran RB now seems like yet another signal that we should expect a slow start for Barkley to this season. Expect Barkley to remain 1 of our most closely tracked players throughout the next month and a half (and maybe beyond). Do not expect Morris, however, to become a 2021 fantasy factor.
Giants HC Joe Judge refused to commit to RB Saquon Barkley (knee) being ready for Week 1 when asked on Monday. “Look, ideally we’d love to have him back as soon as possible,” Judge said. "But ultimately we’ve got to make sure when he comes back he can play 100 percent; he can play aggressive and confident; and that we have him back. So that’s the approach we’re taking. We’re really just watching day by day and evaluating where he’s at and affording him the ability to come back when he’s fully ready to go, because the plan is when we get him back to keep him back. We don’t want to rush him back and do something that’s not best for him individually or best for the team, and we’re really taking a big picture and a long-term view of this.” The "long-term view" has been the theme for Barkley's return from last September's torn ACL all offseason. It's clear the Giants will have no issue holding him out of games -- or perhaps limiting his touches -- if he's not ready to go. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.
The Giants announced Thursday that RB Saquon Barkley is opening camp on the active/PUP list. That means the team can activate him at any point. Barkley would need to remain on the list all the way until the final cutdown to 53 players to be eligible for the regular-season PUP. We'll obviously track his participation and status throughout camp. We're assuming at this point Barkley will be active for the start of the season.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) said "we'll see" when asked Monday about his availability for Week 1. "Taking it day by day. Just listening to my body," he added. "Whenever I'm able to get out there, just make sure I'm 110 percent. Not just for ... my well-being, but just so I go out there and compete at a high level and show the world who Saquon is." While it would have been nice for Barkley to sound confident about his readiness for the start of the season, this was a more honest answer. We're still almost 2 months away from Week 1, so it's reasonable that neither he nor the Giants know whether he'll be ready. We should have a better idea by the end of August. For now, Barkley is the biggest risk/reward pick in Round 1 of fantasy drafts.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley, speaking to the media for the 1st time this year, refused to give a timetable for his return from knee surgery. "You know me, I’ll take it one day at a time," Barkley said. "It’s going to be whenever my body tells me I’m ready." It's noteworthy because players tend to be over-optimistic about their recoveries. ESPN's Jordan Raanan suggested a couple of weeks ago that Barkley might be limited at the beginning of the season. His status will be 1 of the bigger fantasy storylines this summer.
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