Giants Pass Catchers: Target Share and Roles Through Week 6
Updated: 12 minutes ago
Published Oct 23, 2026, 11:22 AM ET | By Vincent Rapisardi
Key points
Malik Nabers (61) and Isaiah Likely (59) have drawn 58% of the Giants' 206 targets through six games.
Likely leads the team with five receiving touchdowns; Nabers leads with 494 yards.
Rookie Malachi Fields is third with 25 targets and played 94% of the snaps in Week 6.
The Giants pass catchers have a clear pecking order six games into 2026. Two players, Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely, have received more than half of the team's targets, and everyone else is fighting for what is left.
This guide breaks down how the targets have been shared, using totals from Pro Football Reference. A target is any pass thrown toward a player, caught or not, which makes it the best simple measure of who the offense is looking for.
The numbers run through Week 6 and three different quarterbacks, so they also show how the passing game has shifted with each one.
Giants Pass Catchers by Target Share
The Giants have thrown 206 targeted passes. Here is how they break down among the top six.
Player (pos.) | Targets (share) | Catches / yards / TD |
Malik Nabers (WR) | 61 (29.6%) | 41 / 494 / 2 |
Isaiah Likely (TE) | 59 (28.6%) | 39 / 383 / 5 |
Malachi Fields (WR) | 25 (12.1%) | 12 / 165 / 1 |
Darnell Mooney (WR) | 19 (9.2%) | 8 / 109 / 0 |
Cam Skattebo (RB) | 12 (5.8%) | 10 / 79 / 0 |
Theo Johnson (TE) | 9 (4.4%) | 4 / 55 / 1 |
Source: Pro Football Reference. Share = player targets / team targets.
A target share near 30% is the range usually associated with a team's No. 1 option. The Giants have two players there, which is unusual and says a lot about how the offense is built.
Malik Nabers: The Volume Receiver
Nabers has the most targets and yards on the team. His usage swings with the game script: he drew 20 targets in the 27-27 tie at Washington and 15 against New Orleans, but four in Week 2 and six in Week 3.
His best game came in the loss to the Saints, when he caught 12 passes for 165 yards and was named to PFF's Week 6 Team of the Week. We covered that in Malik Nabers and DJ Reader Make PFF Team of the Week.
Nabers, the sixth overall pick in 2024, opened training camp still recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus. Six games in, he has played every game.
The Saints game was his third straight with more than 100 yards: 29 catches for 398 yards and two touchdowns over that stretch, per Giants.com. He was also voted the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for Week 6.
Isaiah Likely: The Red-Zone Tight End
Likely has been the most efficient piece of the passing game. His five receiving touchdowns lead the team, and he has drawn at least eight targets in five of six games.
He signed with the Giants in the offseason after four seasons with the Ravens under John Harbaugh.
"I told Leek since the day I got here, my job is to make sure no team is able to double cover you," Likely said earlier this month, referring to Nabers.
The Rest of the Giants Receiver Room
Malachi Fields, a third-round rookie from Notre Dame, has become the No. 3 option. He played 94% of the offensive snaps in Week 6, his highest share of the season, and drew a season-high eight targets.
Darnell Mooney, who played for offensive coordinator Matt Nagy in Chicago, has 19 targets. His seven targets at Washington were his only game above three.
At running back, Cam Skattebo is the main receiving option with 10 catches. Second tight end Theo Johnson has four catches, including a touchdown.
Charlie Jones had two catches for 66 yards against the Saints, the only game he has drawn a target.
Three of these pass catchers were on the Week 7 injury report. Johnson (neck) and Jones (Achilles) were limited Wednesday and Thursday, while Mooney (neck) practiced fully both days, per the Giants' injury report.
How the Quarterback Changes Affect the Targets
The Giants have used three quarterbacks. Jaxson Dart started Weeks 1 and 2 before his knee injury, Jameis Winston started Weeks 3 to 6, and JJ McCarthy played the fourth quarter of Week 6.
Under Winston, the targets narrowed. Nabers and Likely drew 33 of 52 targets at Washington, when Winston threw 54 passes.
McCarthy, named the starter for Sunday's game at Houston, led every quarterback in Week 6 in average depth of target, per PFF. Deeper throws tend to favor outside receivers like Nabers and Fields over a tight end working underneath.
McCarthy also stayed after Wednesday's practice to throw to Nabers, Mooney and Fields, as we covered in Giants to Start JJ McCarthy vs Texans After Fourth-Quarter Rally.
What to Watch in the Giants Passing Game
Three numbers will show whether the target tree changes. First, Likely's share: if it drops well below 25% with McCarthy, the offense has tilted toward the outside.
Second, Fields' snaps. A rookie who plays more than 90% of the snaps is no longer a rotational player.
Third, the running backs. Skattebo's 12 targets are modest, and a mobile quarterback who extends plays often finds his back late in the down.
This guide will be updated after each game with the new targets and shares.
Our Take: Nabers and Likely Are the Giants' Core
Malik Nabers was my favorite Giants pick since they landed Eli Manning, because it was obvious he would be a superstar. Six games into his return from a torn ACL, he is still the player defenses have to plan around.
Isaiah Likely has been the surprise. I think he is on pace for All-Pro honors, and his contract looks like one of the best values on the roster.
Having two players near a 30% target share is unusual, and I think it's a strength, not a problem. It gives any quarterback two clear reads.
The question is the third option. Malachi Fields is getting the snaps, and the next few weeks will show whether he earns more of the targets.
I've called JJ McCarthy my quarterback, and he has already put in extra work after practice with Nabers, Mooney and Fields. With a new starter in Houston, I'd watch whether those shares hold.
Looking further ahead, I've said an offense with Jaxson Dart, Nabers and Likely, plus a back like Jonathan Taylor, would be unfair to defend.
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