Taking a Jets player in fantasy outside of Jamison Crowder has been taboo the last two years, and in general outside of a few exceptions taking any Jets player in the last decade was typically not a wise decision.
I am ashamed to admit that in 2019 I decided to take Le’Veon Bell with the 4th overall pick in my fantasy league, which obviously did not pay dividends after an underwhelming 2019 campaign.
In the new LaFleur offense it is hard to say exactly which players could shine through and be viable fantasy options, but here are a handful of players that could be worth a target in the mid to late rounds if available.
Corey Davis
In my mocks Corey Davis is typically available in the mid to late rounds and could be solid value in most leagues.
Davis will be the teams number 1 wide receiver, and I believe there will be games where, like in Tennessee, he is able to get the best of younger inexperienced corners and use his physicality to outmatch smaller corners.
Davis’ fantasy value is dependent on the play of rookie QB Zach Wilson, and there will be games where he struggles and Davis’ numbers will suffer.
I still see Davis getting the lion’s share of targets in this offense and see a good amount of red zone opportunities which will add to his fantasy value.
I think his stat line will resemble George Kittle’s statline in 2019, where he was the 49ers top receiver with 1053 yards, 85 receptions and 5 touchdowns (NFL.com).
Elijah Moore
I like Elijah Moore as a late round boom/bust fantasy option.
I think they will move Moore all around the offense as a slot receiver, on the outside, and even get him some carries out of the backfield.
I would not be surprised if by the end of the year we see him as a top 3 receiver coming out of this past draft class.
That being said, he is a rookie and although he looked great against the Jets subpar secondary in OTAs, when the pads come on and he is playing against top NFL talent we will see what his production looks like.
I could see him having a year like Taylor Gabriel’s 2016 under Kyle Shanahan where Gabriel had 35 receptions for 579 yards, but I could also see him having a rookie season like Deebo Samuel who had 57 receptions for 802 yards and 3 TD (NFL.com).
With the Jets current receiver depth I think the Taylor Gabriel 2016 comparison will probably be more accurate.
Michael Carter
The Jets running backs will be hard to trust if they are planning on doing a RB by committee approach a la the San Francisco offense the past three years.
I do think Michael Carter will get the most carries and have some big games down the stretch–while sharing the bulk of the carries with third year back Ty Johnson.
Carter has the speed, explosiveness and elusiveness to excel in the outside zone running scheme LaFleur will be deploying. He could be a late round swing that ends up being one of those rookie RB who takes the league by storm and pays big dividends.
He has been compared to Devonta Freeman by Bleacher Report’s Connor Rogers, and if he can duplicate some of the production Freeman was able to have with the Falcons from 2017-2019 where he had between 800 and 1100 yards (profootballreference), a late round swing on the RB could seriously pay off.
Ty Johnson
I could see Ty Johnson having a Raheem Mostert-esque ascension in this outside zone scheme.
He, like Mostert, has some exceptional speed and showed flashes last year in an unimaginative Adam Gase running scheme.
I think his stat line will end up looking a lot like Mostert’s 2020 stats where he had 104 carries for 521 yards (profootballreference).
I would hesitate to draft him in the later rounds unless I was in a large league, but he will likely be a waiver wire addition that helps some weeks where owners are desperate for fantasy production.
Jamison Crowder
I think Crowder’s production will take a downturn in 2021 after essentially being the WR1 in the Adam Gase offense the last two years.
I believe the Jets will look to trade him by the deadline, and Elijah Moore will have eclipsed him in targets, receptions, and touchdowns by midway through the season.
Crowder will likely be overdrafted and I would not touch him outside of maybe a late round flyer depending on who is one the board.
Denzel Mims
It is yet to be determined how productive Denzel Mims will be as a receiver in this league, but I am still confident he will turn into a solid WR2 and have a productive NFL career.
That being said, his fantasy outlook is bleak at the moment, and he could struggle to produce consistently when he will be sharing targets with Davis, Crowder, Moore and even Keelan Cole. Mims is a boom or bust candidate who I feel is more likely to bust most weeks, but I could also see him putting up some decent days in fantasy where he scores a TD and gets a few 1st down receptions which put him in the double digits.
I would steer clear of drafting him but keep an eye on the waiver wire and monitor his production down the line.
Tight Ends
I put the TE position as a whole here instead of a particular player, because to put it bluntly, I have no confidence in the TE’s of the Jets having any fantasy value in 2021.
Tyler Kroft is a blocking TE primarily and is currently taking snaps with the starters, and I am off the Chris Herndon hype-train personally.
For fantasy players in very deep leagues desperate for a late round TE flyer you could do worse than picking Herndon up and hoping he can finally break out… there is no way I am drafting a Jets TE in any of my leagues, though.
