Do NextGen stats show Giants' Kenny Golladay is washed?

Numbers show the New York Giants may not get much from wide receiver Kenny Golladay upon his return to the lineup. 

For a piece published Friday afternoon, SNY's Connor Hughes mentioned that Golladay's expected points added (per NFL’s NextGen stats) while with the Detroit Lions "sat at a 54.8 (2018), 43.5 (2019) and 21.1 (2020)." Since Golladay signed a four-year deal reportedly worth up to $72 million to join the Giants in March 2021, he's posted a negative-4.4 for last season and a negative-3.3 during the ongoing campaign. Hughes also said Golladay has thus far, "experienced career lows in target separation," throughout his New York tenure. 

Across 14 games last season, Golladay recorded a paltry 37 catches for 521 yards with no touchdowns. The 29-year-old then tallied two receptions for 22 yards in Week 1 this past September but hasn't caught a pass since and missed the past four games with a lingering knee problem. 

Golladay insisted Thursday he's, "real excited," to contribute to the 6-2 Giants assuming he's cleared to play against the 1-6-1 Houston Texans on Sunday. Hughes bluntly noted New York fans should probably keep their expectations for the veteran realistic, if not low. 

"Golladay doesn’t take plays off or take the field with a cavalier attitude," Hughes wrote about examinations of Golladay's game film since last fall. "Physically, it just doesn’t seem to be there anymore" despite his efforts. 

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been without a true No. 1 receiver all season. As shared by ESPN stats, running back Saquon Barkley leads New York heading into the weekend with 28 receptions and 35 targets. Darius Slayton accumulated a team-best 232 receiving yards over the season's first half for a club that is 29th in the league with an average of 159.1 passing yards per contest. 

According to SNY, Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters Friday he's "optimistic" Golladay will suit up against Houston. 

"But we’ll go through it one more day and see if anything happens," Daboll added. Such comments suggest even the first-year coach doesn't know what Golladay will or won't be in Week 10.