Malik Nabers vs Troy Franklin: Who Should You Start?
Two wide receivers who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Malik Nabers (New York Giants) finished the 2025 season averaging 12.0 fantasy points per game in 4 games. Troy Franklin (Denver Broncos) came in at 8.5 PPG over 17 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Malik Nabers carries a 3.5-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Target volume is the story here. Troy Franklin saw 104 targets in 2025, while Malik Nabers drew 35. That workload gap usually translates into a higher weekly floor for Troy Franklin, even in weeks where Malik Nabers posts the bigger ceiling game. Consistency-minded managers lean toward target share; boom-bust managers chase the upside.
Bye weeks matter for roster construction: Malik Nabers sits Week 11 while Troy Franklin is off Week 14. If you are deciding between the two as a season-long roster hold, the staggered byes actually work in your favor.
