Fantasy Upside
Now entering his fourth season with the Giants, Orleans Darkwa knows the offense and will try to take advantage of New York’s hole at the RB spot. While second-year player Paul Perkins is penciled in as the starter, he wasn’t particularly impressive as a rookie, which may open up opportunities for Darkwa. He’s a powerful runner who plays with a low center of gravity and could produce if he gets a consistent workload.
Fantasy Downside
While Darkwa seems to be ahead of rookie Wayne Gallman, he hasn’t yet grabbed the job outright from Perkins, which makes him a risky gamble. Additionally, Shane Vereen is healthy right now and will be the primary pass-catcher, limiting Darkwa’s potential to contribute on third down.
2017 Bottom Line
Darkwa has looked good in camp, making him worth paying attention to on a team that doesn’t have a clear-cut RB1 on the roster. The most likely scenario is Perkins wins and keeps the job, but if fantasy owners in larger leagues have an extra roster spot, holding Darkwa as a potential stash player isn’t a bad idea.