In this article series, I’m analyzing every one of the 32 NFL teams and all of their redraft-relevant fantasy assets. It’s a long project, but I want to make sure that you, the reader, have something you can refer to for every team. For each article, I’ll split up the fantasy assets into three categories: high-end assets, usable contributors, and dart throws. I’ll reference my PPR redraft rankings at the time of writing, which are here. If you want to read my previous work in this series, the full list with links is at the bottom of the article. Let’s jump into the Jets.
High-End Assets
Some might wonder about including Bell in the high-end assets group. However, I have to recognize that he’s still a volume back and has the big contract to merit that high volume. In 2019, he had 245 carries and 78 targets, receiving almost all of the Jets’ backfield volume. The backup running backs, Bilal Powell, Ty Montgomery, and Josh Adams, totaled only 99 carries and 29 targets between them.
Bell’s 2019 performance was a mixed bag. He turned his 245 carries into only 789 yards and three touchdowns, good for a measly 3.2 YPC. He performed better in the passing game, converting his 78 targets into 66 receptions for 461 yards and a touchdown. In his 15 games, he was the RB16 and averaged 14.3 PPR fantasy points per game, 18th among running backs. Considering he only managed three rushing touchdowns, he wasn’t even that bad in 2019.
Going forward to 2020, the Jets have improved their terrible offensive line as they selected left tackle Mekhi Becton in the first round. They also signed versatile tackle George Fant to play right tackle, center Connor McGovern, and guard Greg Van Roten. The offensive line can’t be any worse than 2019, where they ranked 28th according to PFF.
On the other hand, Bell has some more competition in the backfield than in 2019. The Jets drafted fourth-rounder La’Mical Perine and signed veteran Frank Gore in free agency. While I don’t expect much from either player, I believe both are upgrades compared to Powell and Montgomery. Gore could snipe a bit of goal-line work, while Perine could provide depth on all downs. Either way, Bell is still the lead, workhorse back for the Jets, and could have positive efficiency and touchdown regression. He’s my RB15 in my rankings, purely because I think he’s the safest option outside of the top few tiers.
Usable Contributors
Outside of Bell, I have little to no interest in anyone else on this Jets’ roster. The team still employs the fantasy black hole named Adam Gase as their head coach, so I will not rely on any of these players for much. With that said, Crowder had 122 targets in 2019, leading the Jets by a wide margin. He dominated the snaps from the slot, catching 78 of those 122 targets for 833 yards and six touchdowns, finishing as the WR26 in PPR formats.
In 2020, quarterback Sam Darnold should be healthy after missing a few games with mononucleosis in 2019. Also, the Jets didn’t sign any significant receiving weapons in free agency, only adding speedster Breshad Perriman to replace the departing Robby Anderson. While they drafted receiver Denzel Mims in the second round, I don’t expect too much from the rookie in year one.
Therefore, Crowder should maintain his role from 2019. Since he has little to no upside, I have him ranked as my WR38, even though he’ll likely finish higher if he plays all 16 games. He’s the kind of player I’d love to have as a depth WR4 or WR5 but not someone I want to count on as a fantasy starter. I’ve noticed that nobody seems to want Crowder, though, so I do expect to end up with some shares in redraft. Also, remember that Crowder is only valuable in full PPR formats. Don’t bother drafting him otherwise.
Dart Throws
Denzel Mims
As I mentioned above, the Jets drafted Mims in the second round in this year’s NFL Draft. He should immediately start for the Jets as an outside receiver alongside Perriman, as they will run three-wide receiver base sets due to Crowder’s slot skills. I like Mims as a long-term prospect, but I have no interest in redraft. Rookie receivers don’t tend to hit anyway, and the combination of the Jets’ bad offense and lousy coaching is enough to steer me clear of Mims. He’s my WR57.
Perriman finished 2019 on an absolute tear after being a total bust to that point in his career. In Weeks 13-17, Perriman had 25 receptions on 37 targets for 506 yards and five touchdowns. He was the WR3 during that stretch and averaged 21.2 fantasy points per game. He parlayed that strong performance into a 1-year, $8 million contract with the Jets, which I broke down here. In that article, I downplayed Perriman’s possible impact in New York, mostly due to the reasons mentioned in the above sections.
Outside of Bell and possibly Crowder, I don’t want to invest in any more receiving weapons on the Jets. In 2019, Robby Anderson had 96 targets but only managed 52 receptions for 779 yards and five touchdowns, finishing as the WR40. I think that Anderson is a more talented receiver than Perriman, despite Perriman’s hot streak at the end of 2019. With Mims also on the team, I think they will both split outside targets and be entirely fantasy irrelevant. Perriman is my WR63 since he has less upside than Mims.
Herndon had an excellent 2018 season, catching 39 of 56 targets for 502 yards and four touchdowns. He only finished as the TE16, but for a rookie tight end, he performed exceptionally well. He also displayed chemistry with Darnold, giving fantasy owners significant hope heading into 2019.
However, Herndon played very little in 2019. He started the season with a four-game suspension for a DUI, and then managed to miss all but one game with a variety of injuries. For a short period, Ryan Griffin stepped in for Herndon as a fantasy-viable weapon and was an every-down player for most of the season. Since Griffin didn’t succeed for most of 2019, I expect Herndon to take that every-down role back in 2020. Unfortunately, Herndon plays for the Jets, and coming off an injury, there’s no reason to draft him in 2020. He’s my TE23 and is just a streamer.
If I have no interest in the Jets’ weapons, it makes sense that I have no interest in Darnold as a fantasy quarterback. Darnold finished as the QB27 in 2018 and repeated that performance in 2019, so he’s never been a fantasy-relevant quarterback. He did improve from averaging 13.0 fantasy points per game in 2018 to 15.5 in 2019, but it wasn’t enough to lift him higher in the quarterback rankings.
Darnold also adds little to nothing on the ground, with only 200 total rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons. Therefore, he has no fantasy upside, and I don’t want him. He’s my QB28 only because he’s guaranteed to hold his starting job all season. Unless you’re in a superflex or 2QB format, you can ignore Darnold in 2020.
Backup RBs
Before the Jets signed Gore in free agency, I thought that Perine could present some value as a potential handcuff to Bell. While he wouldn’t be an RB1 if Bell went down, he could have been a low-end RB2 or flex play. However, now we’re back to 2019 where the Jets have two backups that would split work in Bell’s absence. Feel free to ignore both Gore and Perine in fantasy drafts. Look elsewhere for handcuff value.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
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