Every Wednesday, Mike Johrendt breaks down one of the new coaching changes from across the NFL, focusing on scheme fit, player usage, and the dynasty fantasy football impact for 2026 and beyond.
We are into the throes of May, and the dynasty fantasy football offseason is in full swing. With 10 head coach vacancies filled this offseason, there was plenty of turnover happening across the league. Dynasty Nerds is helping you understand how all of these changes impact your roster, putting together team profiles and fantasy previews to help you understand how new head coaches will impact your dynasty football rosters.
The New York Giants were the winners of the John Harbaugh sweepstakes this offseason, and their two 1st Round selections will do wonders to hopefully restart this struggling franchise. Let’s dive into how the offseason went and how the 2026-27 season could look.
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New York Giants
2026 Coaching Staff: HC John Harbaugh, OC Matt Nagy, DC Dennard Wilson
Previous Staff: HC Brian Daboll, OC Mike Kafka, DC Shane Bowen
The last season of the Brian Daboll era was a rough one, as he was fired after a 2-8 start. While there were some bright spots in Daboll’s three-plus seasons with the team, his 20-40-1 record, which included a 1-1 playoff record, just was not cutting it.
It’s a shame that Daboll wasn’t able to get more time with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, as the Ole Miss product really looked to have hit his stride halfway through the season. Bringing in a modern offensive coordinator (like Matt Nagy) should help unlock Dart’s rushing ability, something that would help optimize this Giants offense, but there are plenty of concerns, too.
A healthy Cam Skattebo entering a new offense will be fun to keep track of as well, as the former Arizona State running back had his freshman season cut short due to a dislocated ankle. The trio of Dart, Skattebo, and receiver Malik Nabers (whose recovery from a torn ACL is a bit murky) gives this offense a high ceiling moving forward, as long as the new offensive scheme is tailored to each of their strengths.
Major Fantasy Implications
| New York Giants | Fantasy Football Outlook |
|---|---|
| Offensive Philosophy | Shotgun-heavy, RPO-friendly attack |
| Biggest Winner | Jaxson Dart |
| Sneaky Winner | Tyrone Tracy Jr. |
| Biggest Question | Malik Nabers’ recovery timeline |
| Dynasty Watch | Isaiah Likely’s target floor |
John Harbaugh’s Coaching Background
Harbaugh’s time in Baltimore speaks for itself, as he spent 18 seasons with the Ravens, culminating with a Super Bowl win back in 2012. Trying to recapture his success from that season, the Ravens made the playoffs in 12 years under Harbaugh, but struggling to get over that final hump in the AFC proved to be the final straw.
Baltimore was a strong team under Harbaugh, built mostly through the draft, and built in what felt like the right way. Teaming up with general manager Ozzie Newsome for most of his BAL tenure, Harbaugh was a part of a strong front office and coaching staff, one that seemed to always get the most out of its players.
Fantasy-wise, Baltimore teams were pretty consistent as well, especially when looking at Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, and Derrick Henry. While each of these three players had their fair share of ups and downs, this trio enjoyed quite a lot of success for your fantasy football rosters, especially for Jackson, who won both of his league MVP awards with Harbaugh at the helm.
Matt Nagy’s Offensive Scheme
It is not going to be an easy acclimation process for Nagy, as NYG’s new offensive coordinator joins a team with a lot of pushback from the fan base. With his failed tenure with the Chicago Bears looming large, Nagy went back to run the offense in Kansas City, his second stint with the Chiefs, but didn’t call plays there.
Nagy hopefully learned quite a bit during his second stint with KC, as his offensive game plan had quite a few holes in it with the Bears. With shoo-in candidate Todd Monken spurning the Giants for a head-coaching role with the Cleveland Browns, Nagy will now need to live up to the lofty expectations that Harbaugh has for this offense.
The core parts of Nagy’s scheme rely on heavy shotgun usage, something that Dart is already very comfortable with. Having utilized the shotgun formation on over 71 percent of CHI’s offensive plays while Nagy was HC, Dart will once again spend a lot of his time in the gun, which will hopefully slow down the game a bit for the second-year quarterback learning a new offensive scheme.
A myriad of run-pass options is in store for Dart and the Giants offense as well, which will lean heavily on the athleticism of this offense’s key skill players. This offensive style will ask Dart to be smarter when carrying the ball, as his concussion history in his rookie season had to be something the new staff helps Dart put in the past.
Passing Game Impact
The heavy shotgun usage lends itself to a heavy pass-focused scheme, which has been true for Nagy in the past. Relying on Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields to lead pass-focused playbooks was a failure before the first snap, as neither option was built for that style of play. However, Dart is a much more balanced QB that can handle the intricacies of Nagy’s game plan, one that will likely also see a lot of pre-snap motion incorporated, something that will help diagnose defensive coverages for Dart in real time.
The screen game is a honed craft of Andy Reid in Kansas City, and that has likely rubbed off on Nagy as well, which means that the offensive line will need to get far more mobile this offseason. That also means that a player like Tyrone Tracy Jr. will have an elevated role for the Giants, as he is clearly the best pass catcher out of the backfield. A sustained history of heavy usage of the running back out of the backfield likely gives Tracy a safe floor in this offense, as he will compete with Malik Nabers and a plethora of offseason additions for the top target shares.
Rounding out the receiver room around Nabers was not as big a focus for Harbaugh and the staff as it should have been this offseason, especially with the loss of Wan’Dale Robinson to the Titans.
While Nagy did not call plays in 2025, his fingerprints were all over the game plan. The Chiefs attempted the seventh-most passes in 2025 (384), boasting middle-of-the-pack results in yards per attempt (6.8), passing plays of 20+ yards (52), and passing first downs (189). While these numbers don’t jump off the page, they do show that Nagy’s reliance on the passing game (even without calling plays) became a core part of KC’s offense in 2025, and that will likely transfer over to the Giants.
Running Game Impact
The reliance on setting up shop in the shotgun also plays a part in the run game, as it more naturally opens up the potential for Nagy’s RPO part of the playbook. With Dart and Tracy likely dominating these touches, it could be tough for defenses to catch on, especially depending on what action comes off the mesh on these plays if it is truly a passing play.
Skattebo and Tracy will absolutely get their fair share of touches next season, but all eyes should be on how Nagy utilizes Dart in the running game. Nagy has experience running offenses with QBs that are known for using their legs, but Dart is the most well-rounded of the group. That should make things easier for Nagy to lean on his young QB to anchor the run game, especially early in the season.
| Player | Carries | Rushing Yards | Rushing TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Trubisky | 68 | 421 | 3 |
| Justin Fields | 72 | 420 | 2 |
| Jaxson Dart | 86 | 487 | 9 |
Harbaugh’s familiarity with a run-heavy attack with Monken likely means that Nagy will need to increase his run-call percentage to meet a directive from Harbaugh. Leaning into the running game will be a necessary first step for Nagy to set the boundaries of the offense, even as Skattebo will likely be worked back slowly after his injury.
New Fantasy Additions
Isaiah Likely
After climbing the ladder in Baltimore but still being stuck behind Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely cashed in for a big deal in free agency. Following Harbaugh to the Giants, Likely is probably the second-best pass catcher for NYG (behind Nabers) and is in line to fill the important TE1 role.
- During Nagy’s four-year tenure leading the Bears, Cole Kmet saw his career-best 93 targets in 2021, leading to 612 receiving yards and 10.2 yards per catch.
- Travis Kelce produced quite a few TE1 seasons when Nagy was with the Chiefs, and his formation mismatches should be incorporated into how Nagy uses Likely.
This is the first full-time gig for Likely in the NFL, so some expectations should be tempered. However, acquisition prices for Likely are probably the lowest they are going to get this offseason, so if your TE room needs a younger piece added, Likely should be your target.
Malachi Fields
With the crop of wideouts flying off the board in April’s NFL Draft, it was a bit of a surprise to see the Giants move up to grab Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields. Seen as a jump-ball winner and a solid option to complement Malik Nabers, Fields has the inside track to the WR2 spot vacated by Robinson’s departure.
- Fields can be a red-zone target (6’4’’) for Dart that will have at least a five-inch advantage over most defenders.
- NYG moved up in the third round to draft Fields, so Harbaugh and Nagy clearly were looking for a specific archetype to add to the WR room.
Darnell Mooney
Even with the addition of Fields, it will likely take a bit for him to ascend into the WR2 role. With Robinson out of the picture, Darnell Mooney profiles as the veteran best suited to jump into that role. While he is far from his peak, Mooney is a perfect replacement in the Robinson role, as he can gobble up targets as Dart’s security blanket.
- Darius Slayton is recovering from core-muscle surgery, and while he is trending to be ready for training camp, Mooney should have the inside track.
- Mooney’s last two years with Atlanta saw 178 targets and two of his highest yards per catch (YPC) totals of his career (13.84 & 15.5), so he clearly still has some burst left.
Biggest 2026 Takeaways
The pieces are beginning to fall into place for the Giants on offense, as they look to claw their way back into the NFC playoff picture. While the first year under Harbaugh could be bumpy, expect this team to improve in the win column in 2026, something that will also help out your fantasy football teams.
- Dart will need to be used more creatively in the run game to maximize his impact in the offense.
- Tracy will have a large role in the offense in 2026, even when Skattebo returns to full strength; Tracy can be fired up as a flex option every week this season (at worst).
- The loss of Robinson will make this passing attack tough to watch to begin the season, especially as Austin, Fields, Mooney, and Slayton all jockey for snaps.
- Likely’s role in this offense should get out to a fast start, as he absolutely should have a safe, four-target floor every week.
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