Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. Both Hurt Hamstrings in the Giants' Overtime Win: What the Bye Week Means for New York's Backfield

The New York Giants beat the Houston Texans 27-21 in overtime on Sunday to take first place in the NFC East at 4-2-1, but they left NRG Stadium with two of their three running backs nursing hamstring injuries. Cam Skattebo, who ran for 124 yards, felt his hamstring on the 42-yard overtime run that set up the winning score, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. hurt his hamstring earlier in the game and did not return, according to the NFL's Sunday injury tracker. Devin Singletary scored the game-winning touchdown.

The timing is the only good news: the Giants are on bye in Week 8 and do not play again until they host the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 8. For fantasy managers, that gives the team two weeks to clarify a backfield that suddenly has real questions.

What we know about the injuries

Skattebo's injury came on the biggest play of the game. His long run in overtime set up Singletary's score, and he indicated afterward that he felt something in the hamstring. He was not specifically asked about his status in the locker room, but when the topic came up he pointed out that the bye week came at a good time. That is not a diagnosis, and the team has not announced imaging results.

Tracy's situation is murkier. Reports differ on when in the game he was hurt, but the NFL's official tracker lists him as having left with a hamstring injury, and he finished with six carries for 15 yards and a touchdown. As of Monday morning, the Giants had not announced a strain grade, an imaging result or any roster move.

Hamstring injuries are notoriously hard to time. A mild strain can heal inside two weeks, which would let both backs face Philadelphia. A more significant one can linger for a month or more. Treat any update from the coaching staff during the bye as the key data point.

How the backfield looked before the injuries

The Skattebo story is a rebound. Entering Week 7, his role had cratered (he played six snaps without a touch in Week 6, as covered in Verdexed's bye planner), and many managers had moved on. A 124-yard game is a statement, and it came in J.J. McCarthy's first start as the Giants' quarterback.

The table below shows the Giants' backfield in Sunday's win.

McCarthy's debut

McCarthy finished 20-of-28 for 252 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and he was sacked three times. That is a game manager's line, not a fantasy breakout, but it was clean, and the Giants won. The bigger takeaway is that New York leaned on its running game, which is part of why the backfield health matters so much for this offense.

Malik Nabers managers will want McCarthy to settle in over the next month. A quarterback who protects the ball and lets the run game work tends to produce steadier, not spikier, receiver weeks.

Fantasy fallout

Skattebo should be held. If the hamstring is minor, the Giants just watched him carry the offense, and he should lead the backfield after the bye. If it is more significant, his value will drop, but you do not drop a back who just ran for 124 yards on a bye week.

Singletary is the waiver add. He is the healthy back, he scored the winning touchdown and, as several Giants outlets noted, he is in line for a larger role if either Skattebo or Tracy misses time. He is a stash this week, not a Week 8 start, because New York is off.

Tracy is a hold in deeper leagues and a drop candidate in shallow formats, depending on what the team says this week. He had been the weakest link in this rotation by usage, and an injury makes his path to touches harder.

Houston's side of it

The loss dropped Houston to 2-5, and it came in a game the Texans entered with a healthier receiver room than they had all season, with Marvin Harrison Jr. joining Nico Collins and Tank Dell on track for his debut. Houston is also on bye in Week 8, so C.J. Stroud, Collins and Woody Marks managers face the same lineup hole as Giants managers this weekend. At 2-5, the Texans' bigger issue is the standings, not the depth chart.

The Verdexed angle

The Giants are 4-2-1, first in the division, and now have a quarterback the coaching staff has committed to. That combination tends to produce run-heavy game plans, and run-heavy game plans make the health of the lead back the most important fantasy question on the roster. When the model's Week 9 projections post for Eagles at Giants, check the NFL predictions page to see how the market prices a New York team that plays from ahead.

What to do in your league

Add: Singletary in 12-team leagues and deeper, as a stash with real upside.

Hold: Skattebo through the bye. Wait for the practice report before making any move.

Monitor: Tracy's imaging. If it is a multi-week strain, he can be cut in most formats.

Plan: The Giants are on bye, so Skattebo, Nabers, McCarthy and Isaiah Likely are all unavailable for the Nov. 1 slate. Fill those spots before waivers run.