Eric Decker's Fantasy Production Will Improve as Season Progresses

Eric Decker hasn't been a fantasy stud this season, but there is still room for optimism in his eventual prognosis, despite a nagging hamstring injury and early troubles for the New York Jets as a team.

Due to the paltry Game 3 performance against the Chicago Bears, where he had just one catch for 19 yards, Decker is 41st in fantasy points among wide receivers, a painfully slow start for a player who posted 1,288 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns in 2013.

However, he wasn't expected to reach the heights he hit at Mile High Stadium in his move to the Jets. Indeed, his numbers are likely to remain decidedly earthbound without the incomparable Peyton Manning chucking the pigskin in his direction.

Week	Opponent	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
1	Raiders	5	74	14.8	0
2	Packers	4	63	15.8	1
3	Bears	1	19	19.0	0

Decker has shown signs of his ability to pick up the offense quickly, despite the fact that his new quarterback, the mercurial Geno Smith, hasn't been very consistent this season.

Week	Opponent	CMP/ATT	YDS	CMP %	TD	INT
1	Raiders	23/28	221	82.1	1	1
2	Packers	16/32	176	50.0	1	1
3	Bears	26/43	316	60.5	1	2

If he plays, his numbers may dip in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions, who have given up an average of just 14.65 fantasy points to wide receivers this season, per Yahoo Sports, but fantasy owners should keep the faith and play Decker as a flex option or WR2 for the foreseeable future once his hamstring heals up.

Decker smartly took himself out of the game against the Bears when he felt tightness in his leg.

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

"[I ran] a few plays and decided it was best to step aside and pull myself out. I gradually tightened up,’’ Decker said, per the New York Post's Brian Lewis. “It was to the point where it wasn’t loosening up, and instead of doing something stupid and really hurting something down the road I decided to pull myself and give myself a chance."

Head coach Rex Ryan says he is hopeful Decker can play in Week 4, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News:

He likely saved himself for the long haul and was playing well while things were working. Smith targeted Decker seven times in each of the Jets' first two games of the season. He averaged 8.6 targets per game with the Denver Broncos in 2013, so it appears the Jets know they need to feed him the ball at a similar rate.

The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre also noted Decker beat a talented corner for his touchdown catch in Week 2:

He's also averaging 15.6 yards per catch on the young season, suggesting that Smith isn't just hitting him on simple dink-and-dunk routes. Indeed, his touchdown reception was a 29-yarder, and it took some guts—and likely some faith—for Smith to get it to him, per ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini:

The emergence of wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, who had seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Bears, should also help out Decker when he is at full strength. It gives Smith another reliable target to throw to, and it should help to prevent defenses from devising schemes to take him out of the game and force Smith to do a checkdown and throw elsewhere.

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The entire offense needs to progress for Decker to reach his full potential. He proved he could stay involved even when playing alongside talents such as Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker in Denver.

It may take time for the long, complicated routes that Decker benefited from in Denver to come together in New York, but his early output in the face of lowered expectations is promising.

As Smith continues to develop and irons out some of his quarterbacking deficiencies, Decker's progress should track right along with it. Either way, he's the most talented receiving option on the Jets and will continue to be their No. 1 wide receiver, even though he may not hold the same role on most fantasy football teams.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.