His stock couldn’t be any lower coming off a bad 2021 campaign, and former Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay has been tabbed as a trade target in a segment of fantasy football.
We’ve written a bit in this space about the Lions ultimately making a good decision to let Kenny Golladay go in free agency last offseason. In the first year of a four-year, $72 million deal with the New York Giants, he delivered 37 catches for 521 yards and zero touchdowns in 14 games.
A rough quarterback situation was not helpful for Golladay in 2021, after he mostly had Matthew Stafford in Detroit. Daniel Jones was injured, and the Giants then trotted out Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm. In a positive light, there’s nowhere to go but up from here.
Before missing 11 games during his final season as a Lion in 2020, Golladay posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. In 2019, he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 11 and averaged 18.3 yards per catch.
Kenny Golladay tabbed as a trade target in dynasty fantasy football
Austan Kas of numberFire created a list of five players to trade for in dynasty fantasy football leagues. I honestly didn’t expect to see Golladay, or anyone with a Lions tie necessarily, on the list. But there indeed is Golladay, with Kas making a solid case for the former Lions wide receiver’s place on it.
Kenny Golladay, WR, Giants
ADP: 115th Overall (WR53)I think there are a few enticing pieces on the New York Giants. While you can make a case for targeting Kadarius Toney (84th overall, WR41) and Saquon Barkley (21st, RB10), I’m into Kenny Golladay.
In early 2020, after his second straight 1,000-yard season, Kenny G’s dynasty stock was soaring. He was valued at 25th overall and as the WR13.
It’s been a steep fall from there.
Golladay played only five games in 2020 due to injury and then caught just 48.7% of his targets last season in a miserable showing on a brutal Giants offense — ending up with a line of 37 catches for 521 yards and zero touchdowns on 76 targets. Big yikes.
Golladay was a sneaky-good prospect coming out of college and looked like an up-and-coming stud through three seasons. I have a hard time believing he’s just lost it.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for how Big Blue’s offense performed in 2021 — and Golladay deserves his share of it — but even if Daboll is unable to work wonders with Jones, things just can’t be as bad as they were last year.
Six of Golladay’s 14 games a season ago were quarterbacked by either Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm. Just 66.2% of his targets were deemed catchable, according to PlayerProfiler, which ranked 98th. A lot of guys would’ve had a hard time in his position.
It’s been quite a tumble for Golladay, in real and fantasy football, over just two years time. But in dynasty fantasy leagues, he’s as pure a definition of a buy-low as it gets.