New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers has been nominated once again for the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week award following his impressive performance against the Washington Commanders, where he caught 10 passes for 127 yards and scored his first career touchdown.
This week’s nominees also include Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (Week 1 winner), and New York Jets running back Braelon Allen.
Nabers was targeted on 18 of quarterback Daniel Jones’ 28 pass attempts, marking a 69.2 percent target rate—the highest for any wide receiver in a game since 2016. He was targeted on 18 of his 26 routes.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll praised Nabers’ performance, stating, “He’s a talented player who makes plays with the ball in his hands, as you saw yesterday. He gained a lot of yards after contact.”
Currently, Nabers ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards with 193 and is tied for second with 15 receptions and 25 targets.
Reflecting on his performance, Nabers said, “You can’t really control how the game goes. I’d love to have the ball 20 times, but I can’t predict how many times it will come my way. The game is the game.”
In the season opener against Minnesota, Nabers had five receptions for 66 yards but no touchdowns, as the Giants lost 28-6.
Nabers also acknowledged the impact of Jayden Daniels, his former LSU teammate, on his development as a player. “Without him, I probably wouldn’t be here. Having him as my quarterback eased a lot of pressure on me, and I hope I did the same for him by getting open,” Nabers said. “We’re in different places now, but it’s still the same game.”
