Giants receiver Malik Nabers named NFC Offensive Player of the Month
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The gist
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers won October's NFC Offensive Player of the Month award after leading the NFL in receiving yards.
It is the franchise's first such honor for a receiver since monthly awards began in 1986.
Background
Malik Nabers is a wide receiver for the New York Giants, the NFL team that stood 4-2-1 and first in the NFC East after seven weeks under first-year head coach John Harbaugh. Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus 13 months ago, and there was doubt over whether he would be ready for Week 1; he has since led the league in receiving yards through October. The Giants cycled through three quarterbacks in the first half — Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston and J.J. McCarthy — with Dart suffering a season-ending knee injury and the team trading for McCarthy. A nagging shoulder injury has bothered Nabers since Week 2 against the Rams.
How it unfolded
- Aug 17, 2026Nabers took part in full-speed team periods for the first time in training camp, wearing a red non-contact jersey and taking only a handful of reps.
- Sep 10, 2026Three days before the opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Nabers was non-committal about whether he would play in Week 1.
- Nov 3, 2026Athlon Sports named Nabers the Giants' midseason offensive MVP and Comeback Player of the Year, with the team at 4-2-1 atop the NFC East.
- Nov 4, 2026FantasyPros noted Nabers had at least 110 yards in each of four straight games ahead of the Week 9 matchup with the Eagles.
- Nov 5, 2026Nabers was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, the first Giants player to win it since Eli Manning in November 2008 and the franchise's first receiver to win it since monthly awards began in 1986.
- Nov 5, 2026Nabers had his jersey and helmet on but worked with the training staff during the portion of Thursday's practice open to the media, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
Key terms
- NFC
- One of the two conferences of the National Football League, with 16 teams split into four divisions.
- ACL
- A knee ligament that can be stretched or torn, often along with other knee structures.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Nabers said his approach is simply to get open, adding that the coaches and quarterback will find him because they know who their guys are.
- Expert
- Athlon Sports writer Pat Pickens said no Giants offensive player was in the running for league awards, so he created team awards instead and gave Nabers midseason MVP and Comeback Player of the Year.
- Caution
- RotoWire Staff said Nabers may be dealing with an injury ahead of Sunday's game against the Eagles and that Thursday's injury report would be worth monitoring.
Still unverified
RotoWire Staff reported that Nabers may be dealing with an injury ahead of Sunday's game against the Eagles, with the nature and extent to be revealed by Thursday's injury report.