2021 Fantasy Preview – New York Jets

Studs

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Role Players

• Zach Wilson: Wilson has been a polarizing prospect in the fantasy community since he had his breakout 2020 season. He carries a bit of risk in his game and definitely isn’t as polished of a player or prospect that Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields were. That being said, he was taken in the top of the first round and we all need to pay attention. The organization looks to have set him up for success by improving the offensive line and the weapons around him. His situation is already better than Sam Darnold’s any year he was with the Jets. 
• Michael Carter: Carter is a fourth-round draft prospect that is walking into a wide-open RB depth chart in New York. Now that the Le’veon Bell experiment is over for the Jets, Carter looks to be the most talented back in that backfield. Tevin Coleman is at the tail end of his career, Ty Johnson showed flashes, and La’mical Perine also showed flashes but was never able to stay healthy in 2020. Carter looks to be a back that can play any down and excel in the passing game. He should be a perfect complement to Zach Wilson in this young offensive core.
• Corey Davis: Once a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft, Davis has never quite lived up to his perceived potential. Statistically, he had one of his best seasons in 2020 and was able to parlay that into a nice contrast with the New York Jets this offseason. The WR core with the Jets is pretty up in the air with a lot of young pieces plus Crowder, whose future is murky with the organization. Davis looks to be a veteran presence and probably the WR1 for most of the season until newcomer Elijah Moore takes over that role. Davis should be a solid WR2 for fantasy teams for the near future.
• Elijah Moore: Moore looks to be the starting slot wide receiver sooner than later for this young Jets core. But he can do more than just slot wide receiver duties, he can also be effective when lining up out wide. Jamison Crowder is Moore’s only obstacle to the starting lineup, and he was a cut candidate that is only on the team due to a restructured deal. Moore projects to be Wilson’s top target for a long time as they get to grow and develop together. He should be a solid low-end WR2/high-end WR3 for the back half of this season but could be primed for a massive leap next year for those dynasty teams.

Keep an eye on

• Denzel Mims: Mims struggled to stay healthy during his rookie season, but showed flashes of why he was taken in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. With a new coaching regime and some new faces in the wide receiver room, he’ll have to prove his draft pedigree all over again and compete for a starting spot on the roster. The Jets last year used him almost exclusively as a downfield target, somewhat limiting his ceiling. If he can take a step forward by improving his game inside and stay healthy, he could be a solid fantasy contributor going forward. 
• Jamison Crowder: When healthy, Crowder has provided a nice PPR floor for fantasy managers needing bye week fill-ins or injury replacements. That time seems to be coming to a close as the Jets weren’t invested in keeping Crowder around except for the bare minimum. If Crowder stays with the Jets he should have some early season value as Wilson’s safety blanket target. But the team has greatly improved its pass-catching group since last year, including fellow slot wide receiver, Elijah Moore. There’s a chance he gets a nice change of scenery this year if the Jets trade him or next year once his contract is up. That change of scenery might be the best thing for Crowder’s fantasy value. 
• Tyler Kroft: Kroft has been getting some offseason hype as he has impressed coaches during camp and earned some starting reps. The depth chart at tight end is unimpressive with Chris Herndon who has struggled to make any real impact, Ryan Griffin who is more of a blocking tight end, and an undrafted free agent Kenny Yeboah. Kroft has a shot to make an impact, but the Jets offense hasn’t featured a tight end in a long time. Maybe that’s because they haven’t had a true weapon at the position, or maybe it’s by design. Kroft is a name to monitor just because of the scarcity at the position, and he could be a streaming tight end down the line. 
• La’mical Perine: Perine got the short end of the stick during his rookie year. He struggled to stay healthy and was stuck behind Le’veon Bell for the majority of the season. He has a chance to redeem himself this season as the running back room is fairly light after their 4th round selection, Michael Carter. The two could form a formidable one/two combo, so keep an eye on Perine if he can stay healthy.
• Tevin Coleman: The word coming out of camp is that the starting RB spot is Coleman’s to lose. Michael Carter will be fighting him for snaps right away, but the two could be effective splitting carries. That might be the plan as Carter thrived in a split backfield at UNC and Coleman has struggled to stay healthy recently. Coleman is a player to keep an eye on as he potentially will have early season value. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get beat out by some of the younger players on the depth chart once the season starts.

Dynasty Stashes

• Kenny Yeboah: As mentioned with the Tyler Kroft segment, the tight end room is wide open. No one has proved themselves out of this group and all have had multiple years to do so. Yeboah was an integral big-play receiving threat for Ole Miss during his last season and could be a steal to the Jets as a priority undrafted free agent. In deeper dynasty leagues, he could be a great stash to see what kind of noise he makes during training camp this offseason.