Jets' Sam Darnold, Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder Fantasy Stock After Week 6

It turns out the New York Jets are better off with Sam Darnold as their quarterback. 

Making his return to the starting lineup following a three-game absence due to mononucleosis, Darnold led the Jets to a 24-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The No. 3 overall draft pick in 2018 went 23-of-32 for 338 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. 

Jamison Crowder and Robby Anderson were the two main beneficiaries from Darnold's return. Anderson, who had 131 receiving yards in the past four games, nearly matched that total Sunday with 125 yards off five catches and had his first touchdown of the season.

Crowder is still seeking his first score of 2019, but the five-year veteran was Darnold's favorite option with nine targets, six receptions and 98 yards against Dallas. There are plenty of reasons to think those stats will be more of the norm than an outlier for Crowder going forward:

The Jets entered Week 6 with the NFL's second-worst scoring offense at 9.8 points per game. Their 24 points were a season high and were one more point than they had in the previous three games combined. 

There was nowhere for New York's offense to go but up when Darnold returned. Sunday was an encouraging sign about what's to come, but it is best to pump the brakes for at least one week when the Jets host the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football in Week 7. 

New England (6-0) leads the league in scoring defense (8.0 points per game), passing yards allowed per game (161.0), touchdown passes allowed (one) and interceptions (14).

Even attributing some of those stats to a soft schedule featuring six teams with a combined record of 9-23—which includes a 30-14 win over the Jets at Gillette Stadium in Week 3—Bill Belichick's defense is loaded with talent and is going to make life miserable for a lot of opponents. 

The first time New York's trio of Darnold, Crowder and Anderson should be put in your starting lineup without hesitation is Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Darnold's upside is that of a QB1 once he gets past the Patriots.

Crowder and Anderson are going to receive a large enough share of the targets to make them both valuable as WR2 options now that they have a legitimate quarterback throwing passes.