Elijah Moore's Updated Fantasy Outlook After 2 TDs in Jets' Loss to Colts

Coming into Thursday night's matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets rookie wideout Elijah Moore hadn't registered a touchdown catch on the year. 

Now he has two. 

The question for fantasy players after Moore's breakout performance—seven receptions for 84 yards and the two scores—is whether he should be on everyone's waiver-wire radar next week, and going forward. 

The answer is...complicated. 

Consider that Moore was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and a player whose talent the Jets were clearly excited about. It's hard to blame him for fairly pedestrian numbers—15 catches for 146 yards in six games—coming into Thursday.

He missed the preseason with a quadriceps injury, and he's stuck on a woeful offense that for much of the year had a rookie quarterback (Zach Wilson) guiding the way and now might be looking at Josh Johnson or Joe Flacco starting at QB with Wilson and Mike White injured. 

The Jets are a mess. When have we heard that one before?

Plus, Moore is a rookie. And rookie wideouts, outside of outliers like Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, tend to adjust slowly to the NFL game. 

So Moore has the sort of tantalizing athleticism that should excite fantasy players. The Jets are desperate for playmakers. There's potential for big numbers here, right?

Maybe. It would be hard to knock anybody for making Moore a speculative stash add. Maybe his breakout game is a sign of things to come. Maybe the Jets will keep throwing the ball around enough in garbage time that he'll continue producing. They certainly should involve him in the offense more regularly.

But again, this is a rookie wideout who started slowly on a dreadful offense with major questions marks at quarterback. The red flags are numerous. Just because Moore looks like a player who could address a playmaking vacuum for the Jets doesn't mean the team, or whoever is playing quarterback for them on a weekly basis, will give him the chance to do so.

In dynasty formats, he's very intriguing and should be rostered. Ditto for deeper redraft and keeper leagues. If you are devastated by injuries and upcoming bye weeks, Moore has tantalizing upside. 

But don't expect Moore to emerge as a reliable starter for you. He's still a speculative add, at least for the moment.