Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Tyquan Thornton

Tuesday, September 8, 10:31 AM

The New York Giants' unofficial depth chart has Darnell Mooney as the team's No. 2 wide receiver entering the year behind Malik Nabers (knee), according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. Rookie Malachi Fields and veteran Odell Beckham Jr. are the backups to Nabers and Mooney after the Giants recently cut Darius Slayton from the 53-man roster. Mooney comes to the Big Apple in 2026 after a down year in his second season with the Atlanta Falcons, in which he caught 32 of 72 targets for 443 yards and only one touchdown in 15 starts. The year before, the 28-year-old former fifth-rounder from Tulane had a resurgent season, catching 64 passes for 992 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 16 starts. After the season-ending injury to Calvin Austin III (knee) and the release of Slayton, Mooney could be a sneaky deep-league option off the waiver wire to begin the 2026 season. Right now, he is only rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues. Mooney's best year came in 2021 with the Chicago Bears, when he posted an 81-1,055-4 line in 17 games played in his second year in the NFL.