The AFC East, once home to Tom Brady and a perennial Super Bowl contender, now looking like a bit of a mess. It’s even worse when looking at it from a fantasy perspective. As fate would have it, they all played each other to kick off the 2020 NFL season, so let’s dive into some dynasty player nuggets!
New York Jets
Full disclosure: I am a Jets fan. I believe that Adam Gase is the worst coach in the NFL. I’m going to go hard on these Jets players because I don’t believe they can be consistent fantasy producers as long as Gase is at the helm and I’ve been beating that drum all offseason. I didn’t even watch the game live because I have Red Zone, but I can tell you this; the Bills were shown in the red zone a lot more than the Jets were, and that 10 point loss felt more like a 30 point loss. As long as Adam Gase is the head coach of this football team, just run away. You’ve been warned.
QB: Sam Darnold
Slingin’ Sammy was back in the saddle for the Jets and was looking to take a step forward in year three. Unfortunately, he stepped right off of a cliff. With barely any weapons around him, no offensive line chemistry, and a playbook that continually calls for the wrong plays at the wrong time, Darnold looked atrocious. His only saving grace was a nice 69-yard touchdown to Jamison Crowder. An 8.76 point play. He finished with 11.7. Darnold will still be a hold in dynasty, but he might not be in New York next year. Honestly? That’s probably what’s best for his career.
RB: Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore, Josh Adams, Le’Mical Perine
Bell looks like he’s going to miss multiple weeks. He wasn’t worth a first-round pick before the season. Now you might not be able to get a second. Just run away. Frank Gore and Josh Adams look to be in line to split work against SF next week and as long as Bell is out. Please, stay away. If Bell can’t do it, they can’t. Perine was banged up and didn’t suit up in his first game. The rookie out of Florida would be interesting right now with the injuries to wide receivers and running backs, but health is getting in the way. He’s one to monitor, but he won’t be coming off my taxi squad in any league that I roster him.
WR: Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman, Denzel Mims
Crowder is the only one worth rostering in redraft leagues. He may seem like an “auto-start” because of the crazy target numbers he will get (13 against the Bills), but without breaking off that 69-yard touchdown, Crowder would have only had six catches for 46 yards. That’s not exactly inspiring numbers and we can’t count on long touchdowns every week. He’s a sell high. Perriman did nothing. Darnold rarely looked his way and there’s just so many other factors keeping the Jets from having multiple fantasy-relevant options. Might need to try again next year when he leaves NY. Mims actually might be an undervalued asset right now. Seems odd, but the Jets are so bad that even if he comes back from injury, the current manager is probably worried that it’s a lost cause on offense. Mims is a taxi squad player. The coach is bad, the talent is raw, but people were excited about the opportunity. That was a mistake. We’ll check back in once he gets a few NFL snaps.
TE: Chris Herndon
Herndon is a good player and has only been held back by injuries in his career. He received seven targets in the first game so he’s someone to check the market on. Targets are the name of the game for the tight end position. Just have to hope the yards come more in better matchups.
Buffalo Bills
QB: Josh Allen
Josh Allen is an erratic quarterback. He is a very good fantasy quarterback. He’s got a solid rushing floor and two very talented wide receivers. I don’t know whether his ceiling his huge or if we’ll always have to deal with his bad decision making lowering it. Either way, the road won’t get any easier after this past week. It’s time to see if he can take that next step.
RB: Zack Moss, Devin Singletary
Moss and Singletary are in a full-blown committee. And Josh Allen is still a threat on the goal line, which leaves even fewer opportunities for the running backs. Moss getting so much work in his debut is great news and instant gratification for his fantasy managers. Its bad news for those who roster Singletary. This is a backfield I don’t really want any part of, but if I had to choose, I’d try to get shares of Moss because his value is on the way up.
WR: Stefon Diggs, John Brown
Two great receivers. Josh Allen is lucky to have them. I’m a little worried though. Diggs was valued way higher than Brown but saw one less target. It’s only game one, but the Jets should be one of the best matchups for both all year so 86 yards on eight catches is slightly disappointing. Brown finished with 70 yards and a touchdown. If the volume decreases, I’m going to start worrying about touchdown potential.
TE: Dawson Knox
Knox was a late-round flier, but in a game with 46 pass attempts, only seeing three is very disappointing. He looks like the 4th or 5th option on a team that won’t be passing that much. Just another taxi-squad player.
New England Patriots
QB: Tom Bra….er Cam Newton
Cam Newton played the whole game without getting hurt. That’s a win right there! But really, Newton rushed 15 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns. It was a heck of a first game back and as long as he’s healthy he’ll be a viable fantasy option. Long-term? It’s up in the air. He’s 31, but as long as he’s got the chance to play, he has to be in consideration for a starting spot in our lineups.
RB: Damien Harris, Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead, JJ Taylor
So. Many. Running backs. The Beletricks were back in full force. No running back received more than 10 touches with Michel leading the way and finding the end zone. Unfortunately, he averaged 3.7 ypc and didn’t receive any targets. Jump ship now if you can. Harris was an analyst-favorite in the offseason, but he’s still out with a finger injury. Might be a good idea to float an offer out if you need a running back. White, Taylor, and Burkhead need a lot to happen to be fantasy relevant. If I had to pick one at this point, I’d go with White because even though I like Taylor’s talent, he seems like the most likely to get put on the practice squad when Harris returns. Maybe just stay away from this backfield too.
WR: Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry
Yikes. I don’t understand how a team with so little fantasy options can actually win games, but here we are. The running backs were brutal. The receivers aren’t much better. Edleman leads the way with seven targets, catching five for 57 yards. He also received one carry for 23 yards. Harry took a step forward in game one of his sophomore year finishing with 39 yards on five catches…not the breakout the truthers were looking for. This receiving core isn’t looking great. Harry seems disappointing and Edleman is leaving everything he has on the field, but 15 completions in a great matchup just isn’t going to cut it.
TE: Pass
New England drafted two tight ends, but neither did anything of note in week one. Tight ends usually don’t break out in year one so don’t expect much from either this year. Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene have a long way to go.
Miami Dolphins
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tua Tagovailoa
Fitzpatrick is keeping that starting job nice and warm for the rook. Maybe getting a little too warm to handle after that brutal performance. 20 completions for 191 yards and three interceptions. That’s not going to be worth keeping Tagovailoa on the bench. It’s definitely not something you can risk for fantasy. This team made some splashy acquisitions in the offseason, but not enough to consider the quarterback anything more than a flier.
RB: Myles Gaskin, Jordan Howard, Matt Breida, Patrick Laird
We were all lied to. At no point, this offseason was Gaskin’s name mentioned as someone that would lead the backfield in touches. Gaskin is worth a pickup if he’s on waivers. Howard saved his day with a touchdown, but he’s not someone you can start until we get more info on weekly usage. Breida was super disappointing. He was supposed to be an electric, underrated back used in the passing game, but instead, he received no targets at all, finishing with 22 yards on five carries. Laird had two catches for nine yards and doesn’t need to be rostered.
WR: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams
Parker started off well but left the game with an aggravated hamstring injury. He’ll start the week with rehab and could be out next week. Tough matchup to start the year, but there’s still some promise with Parker if he can get back to full strength. Williams didn’t have a great time after Parker left, finishing with two catches on seven targets for 41 yards. He’s still the number two and someone to test the market on.
Those were my AFC East Divisional Nuggets! Hope you enjoyed it! Hit me up @DFF_JoeMem on Twitter to let me know what you think about the AFC East. Be sure to sign up for the DFF monthly subscription so you can have access to my Dynasty Rankings and always be one step ahead of the competition!
