Cam Skattebo says the Giants punished him for fumbles after zero carries

Cam Skattebo says the Giants punished him for his fumbles, even though his coach says he was not benched. The running back went without a carry or a target in Sunday's 34-27 loss to the Saints on Oct. 18 and told reporters afterward, "I got punished for what I did (from last week)," per The Athletic.

What is confirmed

Skattebo was active but finished with zero touches, the first time that has happened in his career while active, per CBS Sports and theScore. CBS counted six offensive snaps for him.

The box score shows the work went elsewhere. Tyrone Tracy Jr. led the backs with six carries for 18 yards and a touchdown, and he added two catches for 27 yards and another score. Devin Singletary ran four times for 14 yards, and Najee Harris ran four times for 2 yards. Giants backs combined for 34 yards on 14 carries.

Skattebo tied the reduced role to his lost fumble in overtime of the Week 5 tie with Washington. "It's hard, but I've made mistakes, and I got to own up to them," he said.

John Harbaugh's postgame answer was different. He said the Giants "didn't bench" Skattebo and that the zero-carry day "wasn't by design." He said the backs were rotating to see who could earn a hot hand.

What is reported

CBS Sports says Skattebo has lost the starting job to Harris, citing a pregame ESPN report that Harris was in line for a bigger role. Sunday's carries do not show Harris taking over yet. Nobody separated, and the three backs split the work.

Skattebo entered the week with a team-high 81 carries for 294 yards, 3.6 yards per rush, and CBS counts four fumbles this season.

What RSO owners should do now

Our earlier advice to hold Skattebo as a game-flow casualty no longer fits. His own words describe a demotion. Keep him rostered, since cutting him now sells low on the team's season carries leader, but take him out of Week 7 lineups. In deep leagues, Tracy is the better waiver add after he led the room on Sunday.

What to watch next

Watch for midweek word from Harbaugh on who starts and how the snaps split in practice. The Giants play at Houston in Week 7 before a Week 8 bye, so the Texans game is Skattebo's last chance to earn work back before the break.