Breida will have additional competition for carries behind Saquon Barkley this season in rookie Eric Gray, whom the Giants took in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Barkley was given the franchise tag in the offseason, though New York plans to continue contract talks with the star running back in hopes of coming to an agreement on a contract extension. If that doesn't come to fruition, Gray may immediately be viewed as Barkley's future replacement, which could prompt the team to get him a few more carries along the way during his rookie campaign. Breida figures to remain the primary backup to Barkley, though the latter was such a workhorse last season -- he tallied 295 carries (fourth-most in the league) and 76 targets (sixth-most among RBs) -- that no ball carrier behind him received substantial playing time. Breida posted modest production with 54 rushes for 220 yards and a touchdown along with 20 catches for 118 yards and no TDs. Barring an injury to Barkley, Breida likely will be in line for similar usage in 2023, though that could drop if Gray impresses the coaching staff enough to merit expanded opportunity.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Re-signs with Giants
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The Giants re-signed Breida to a one-year contract with a max value of $2.3 million Monday, Jordan Schultz of TheScore.com reports.
A favorite of coach Brian Daboll's from their time together in Buffalo, Breida is returning to New York after rushing 54 times for 220 yards and one touchdown behind Saquon Barkley last season. He would need an injury ahead of him to have any fantasy value.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Scores in divisional-round loss
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Breida rushed four times for 23 yards and a touchdown and secured his only target for 19 yards in the Giants' 38-7 divisional-round loss to the Eagles on Saturday night.
Breida ended up recording the only score of the night for the Giants on an eight-yard run just past the halfway point of the third quarter. His first-half reception was also noteworthy, as he worked himself open to save a play on which Daniel Jones had to scramble for an extended period. Breida played his first season in New York on a one-year contract, and after doing a serviceable job as a complementary option with a 54-220-1 line on the ground and a 20-118 tally through the air in the regular season, it's conceivable he could be brought back in 2023.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Seven catches in finale
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Breida carried the ball four times for 28 yards and caught seven of eight targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 22-16 loss to the Eagles.
With Saquon Barkley inactive in a relatively meaningless game for the Giants, Breida split the backfield workload with Gary Brightwell but didn't do much with his share of the touches. Breida and Barkley are both free agents in the offseason, but the latter is a top priority to re-sign while Breida may not be in the Giants' plans for 2023. Over 17 games this season, the 27-year-old managed only 220 yards and a TD on the ground and 118 yards through the air on 20 catches.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Role should expand sans Barkley
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Breida is expected to take on an increased workload in Sunday's game against the Eagles with top back Saquon Barkley (coach's decision) a healthy inactive for the contest.
Barkley is sitting out the regular-season finale simply for preservation purposes, as the Giants are locked into as the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff regardless of the outcome of their game or any of the NFL's other contests Sunday. Considering that Gary Brightwell -- who has mainly been a special-teams contributor this season -- is the Giants' only other available running back, Breida looks as though he could be primed for his biggest role of the season. Breida fared well in garbage time of last week's commanding win over the Colts with nine carries for 59 yards and one reception for eight yards on 12 snaps, but even though he'll likely be in store for an increased touch count, expect his efficiency to take a major hit. Not only will be facing off against a tough Eagles defense that won't be resting key players, but Breida will also be playing alongside a third-string quarterback (Davis Webb) and a makeshift offensive line missing star offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, who joins Barkley as a healthy inactive.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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The Giants could be resting players in Week 18 since they are locked into the No. 6 seed in the NFC. With that in mind, it doesn't make sense to play Saquon Barkley at Philadelphia. If Barkley rests then Breida should have an increased role and would be worth using as a flex. He would likely be playing with other backups, which lowers his chances of a big game, but he just had 67 total yards in mop-up duty against the Colts in Week 17. Gary Brightwell (2 percent rostered) could also get touches for the Giants, but Breida is the only option to consider as of now if Barkley is going to rest.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Tallies season-high yardage total
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Breida carried the ball nine times for 59 yards and caught his lone target for eight yards in Sunday's Week 17 win over Indianapolis.
Breida did most of his work in garbage time, tallying 48 rushing yards on six fourth-quarter carries after New York had put the game well out of reach. The veteran back ripped off consecutive runs of 16 and 18 yards, respectively, for the bulk of his production, and he finished with one rushing yard more than starter Saquon Barkley. Breida's 67 total yards was easily a season high, and he could see increased opportunity again next Sunday against Philadelphia if the Giants opt to rest (or reduce the workload of) their starters. New York clinched a playoff berth with the win over the Colts and has nothing to gain except momentum in the regular-season finale.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Gets just two touches Week 16
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Breida carried the football twice for nine yards and did not see any targets in Saturday's loss to Minnesota.
Neither Breida nor Gary Brightwell (one carry for a loss of one yard) saw much action in the critical contest for New York. Breida did get 11 offensive snaps to Brightwell's one, so the former should remain the primary backup to bell-cow back Saquon Barkley while all three ball carriers are healthy.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Gets minimal touches in Week 15
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Breida rushed twice for six yards and caught his lone target for six yards in Sunday's 20-12 win over Washington.
Breida saw a season-high snap count last week against the Eagles, but with Saquon Barkley back at full strength, Breida returned to a less prominent role with just 11 snaps Sunday. Nearly all of his production came on a second-quarter drive during which he logged a five-yard rush and a six-yard reception to help set up a Barkley rushing touchdown. Breida hasn't exceeded 15 total yards or scored a touchdown in the Giants' past four games, so he has almost no fantasy value except as a stash in case of a Barkley injury.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Does little with extra opportunity
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Breida carried the ball three times for six yards and caught two of four targets for nine yards in Sunday's Week 14 loss to the Eagles.
Breida actually led New York running backs with a season-high 23 offensive snaps Sunday, finishing just ahead of Gary Brightwell (21) and Saquon Barkley (20). Barkley's reduced playing time was the result of both a neck injury and a lopsided score, but it's telling that Brightwell logged such a high snap count after being limited to special-teams work the previous week. Brightwell also significantly outperformed Breida against Philadelphia, totaling 41 yards to Breida's 15. It's wise to monitor New York's injury report throughout the week to get an idea of Barkley's availability and potential limitations, but even if the No. 1 back is held out Week 15, ball-carrying work could be divided fairly evenly between Breida and Brightwell.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Could see uptick in opportunities
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Saquon Barkley (neck) is expected to be a game-time decision for Sunday's contest against the Eagles, which could mean more opportunities for Breida, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.
The Giants opted not to elevate a running back from the practice squad, meaning Breida and Gary Brightwell would be the two lone running backs available if Barkley was ultimately ruled inactive. Expect more clarity on the backfield situation well before the team's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, but at the very minimum Breida appears to be a valuable pickup for fantasy managers desperate for low-rostered running back production.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Absent from ground game in tie
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Breida nabbed his only target for four yards and did not log a carry in the Giants' 20-20 tie with the Commanders on Sunday.
Breida has been a very distant backup ball-carrying option behind Saquon Barkley all season, but he had gotten at least one carry in each contest prior to Week 13. The only two Giants to log a tote Sunday were Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones, so Breida's lack of action on the ground wasn't a matter of him being usurped on the depth chart. New York seems determined to put its offense on the back of Barkley as the team pushes for a playoff spot, so there is no expectation that Breida's opportunities will grow while the No. 1 back is healthy.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Usual limited production in loss
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Breida rushed twice for six yards and secured his only target for nine yards in Thursday's Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys.
Breida remained second among New York running backs with 16 offensive snaps to Saquon Barkley's 44, but Gary Brightwell saw a season-high 10 offensive snaps and was much more effective than Breida, turning seven total touches into 49 yards. Brightwell hadn't previously gotten a carry since Week 5, so his increased opportunity Thursday could signal a threat to Breida's role as Barkley's primary backup. Breida hasn't been very effective this season, averaging only 3.3 yards per carry on 34 totes and playing a limited role in the passing game with eight catches on 10 targets for 79 yards over 11 contests.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Vultures touchdown in loss
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Breida rushed three times for 13 yards and a touchdown while catching his lone target for 16 yards in Sunday's 31-18 loss to Detroit.
Breida was able to boost his fantasy day by vulturing a short touchdown from starter Saquon Barkley. It was the speedy backup's first score of the season as he has served in a change-of-pace role for the Giants. Breida isn't worth rostering heading into an important showdown against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Quiet again in Week 10
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Breida gained 20 yards on six carries in Sunday's Week 10 win over Houston.
Saquon Barkley once again took on a massive workload on the ground in the victory, logging a career-high 35 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. That unsurprisingly relegated Breida to a small role, though his six carries were the most he has tallied in a game this season. There's no reason to expect Breida to suddenly gain a prominent role as long as Barkley remains healthy.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Sees limited action Sunday
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Breida rushed twice for five yards and corralled one of two targets for 10 yards in Sunday's Week 8 loss to Seattle.
Breida had his best game of the season last week against Jacksonville when he totaled a modest 33 yards of offense. The veteran ball carrier couldn't build upon that against the Seahawks, finishing with fewer than three carries for the first time since Week 3 and totaling only three touches overall. Breida was the only Giants running back aside from Saquon Barkley to get a carry Sunday, so he's not vying with other backups for touches -- rather, Barkley continues to stay healthy and take on a workhorse role, thus limiting Breida's opportunities to produce.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Totals season-high 33 yards
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Breida rushed four times for 19 yards and nabbed his only target for 14 yards in Sunday's 23-17 win against Jacksonville.
The Jaguars were gashed on the ground by both Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, who each totaled over 100 rushing yards. Breida got in on the action to a far lesser extent, tallying his highest rushing total since Week 1 despite getting just four carries. He also converted his only air target into 14 yards to finish with a season-best 33 total yards. Breida has been getting a handful of touches per game to cement his position as New York's No. 2 back, but that doesn't translate into fantasy viability with Barkley in a workhorse role.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Totals 27 yards in London
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Breida rushed four times for 14 yards and corralled both of his targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 27-22 win over Green Bay in Week 5.
Breida didn't get his first touch until near the end of the first half, gaining three yards on a handoff from fellow running back Saquon Barkley to push the Giants down to the two-yard line. He saw more opportunity near the end of the third quarter and into the fourth after Barkley temporarily departed with a shoulder issue, and Breida turned his first catch of the campaign into a 13-yard gain on a drive that ended with a Gary Brightwell rushing touchdown. Breida continued in the contest on New York's next drive and added a 10-yard rush, though Barkley soon returned and ended the possession with a rushing touchdown. Breida finished the contest with a season-high yardage total, but it's clear that his role will continue to be minor as long as Barkley is able to take the field.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Sees limited touches again
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Breida rushed three times for 18 yards and didn't receive any targets in Sunday's 20-12 win over Chicago.
Breida didn't get his first carry until beyond the midway point of the second quarter, and that was his only touch through three periods of play. The bulk of his action came in the fourth quarter after quarterbacks Daniel Jones (ankle) and Tyrod Taylor (concussion) were hurt -- running back Saquon Barkley temporarily took snaps under center out of the wildcat until Jones was able to return to handing off the ball, and Breida logged runs of 13 yards and one yard on a drive that ended with a Graham Gano field goal. Breida's three rushes and 18 yards were each the most he has logged since Week 1, as Barkley thus far has been the workhorse and clear centerpiece of the Giants offense.
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Giants' Matt Breida: Loses yardage on lone carry
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Breida lost four yards on his only rushing attempt and did not catch his only target against Carolina in a 19-16 win Sunday.
Saquon Barkley again dominated running back touches for the Giants in Week 2, notching 21 carries and four catches. Breida logged 11 offensive snaps and got just one touch, which was a carry for negative yardage late in the fourth quarter. Breida has collected just six rushing attempts and one target through two weeks, emphasizing his lack of fantasy relevance barring an injury to Barkley.
