With depleted WR corps, Giants' Kadarius Toney ready for a larger role 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kadarius Toney has been something of a bit actor in this young Giants season. The rookie first-round draft pick has been eased into the offense — used somewhat sparingly, but just enough to give a tantalizing glimpse of his athleticism. That’s been the case from Week 1 to 3, but this week against the Saints? Well, it’s finally time for this bit actor to get his close-up.

With Sterling Shepard (hamstring) and Darius Slayton (hamstring) officially ruled out for this Sunday’s game, and Kenny Golladay working around an injured hip, Toney will rise to the forefront of the Giants' passing game. It’s a role the team certainly envisioned when they drafted him 20th overall, but perhaps not this soon. That doesn’t seem to bother Toney, though, who on Friday said he was ready for whatever coach Joe Judge had planned for him.

It helps that they’ll be in New Orleans, close enough to both his hometown in Alabama and to his alma mater, the University of Florida, that he ran out of free tickets to give out.

"I’m always ready to go no matter where it is," he said. "We could play in the parking lot right there. No matter where it is, I’m always having that same energy, the same juice, so I don’t really feel like it’s based off the situation."

Toney said he would be comfortable playing out of the slot, if necessary, and that the Giants have had him training both inside and outside. Judge said any greater responsibility put on Toney is just a natural progression of what the Giants have been trying to do with him all along. In his mind, Sunday is less of Toney taking on a whole new role, but of continuing to grow into the role they have in mind for him. Judge didn’t say outright that Toney would be their No. 1 option.

"His role has grown as he’s been on the field more, [been] more available and built in more experience in the system and chemistry," Judge said. "His role has improved every week and increased every week, so we would expect that to be the same this week . . . All the receivers will play, obviously. A number of guys will play on offense. Guys will have roles in the kicking game, as well. I would expect him to be doing more than what we’ve seen in previous weeks, just naturally, not based on anyone being injured. Just naturally based on his progression within the system."

The Giants also welcome back John Ross, who made his return from injured reserve Wednesday, and likely will be a factor because of their depleted receiver troupe. Ross, whom the team acquired in the offseason, missed all of preseason with a hamstring injury. Though it could make sense to ease him in, necessity also might dictate that he gets more touches than perhaps previously expected. Ross said Friday that he is back to 100% but doesn’t exactly know how much he’ll be used.

"I feel like everyone knows what I can do, knows what I’m capable of [but now] it’s actually about me being available and being out there doing it," he said. "I know the expectations that people have for me with the speed that I’m given. It comes with the territory, it comes with the blessing that I was given, so the expectations I have for myself — it’s so crazy, I’ve learned that whatever you guys expect from me, I have to double that, I have to triple that, because there’s no way you guys should expect more from me than I do from myself."

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.