Fantasy Football: Are Any New York Jets Receivers Worth Drafting?

Eric StashinAug 7, 2010

Even with both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington shipped out of town during the offseason, the Jets are a rushing team and we all know it. They want to punish you on defense and control the ball with the running game on offense.

Shonn Greene and LaDanian Tomlinson will get the job done on the ground (one would think). Tomlinson is clearly on the downside of his career and while Greene dominated late in the year, we have yet to see him carry the load for 16 games. Still, there are few question marks surrounding the running game.

The Jets, in order to have another weapon, have amassed tremendous depth at wide receiver, giving sophomore Mark Sanchez plenty of talent to utilize.

Then again, does the talent matter if they are likely going to continue sheltering Sanchez? Last season he completed 34 passes of at least 20 yards, just 20th in the league. In fact, he only attempted 364 passes, 25th most in the league, despite starting 15 games.

While they may allow him a little more freedom, the numbers make it questionable on if you should depend on Jets wide receivers in fantasy formats.

At the top of the list is Jerricho Cotchery, who likely falls from a starter to the third receiver. On a team that likely won’t throw the ball around the field, is that really the type of player you are focusing on?

At best, the player who was once the Jets top receiver is a late round flier. Unfortunately, there are just other options who are worth that late round selection due to a little more upside.

The newly acquired Santonio Holmes is a little bit of a better selection, having proven in Pittsburgh that he can be a big-time home run threat. He was tied for second in the league in 2009 with 21 receptions of at least 20 yards (one behind the leader, Andre Johnson). When you are pounding away on the ground, that’s the type of receiver who has the potential to make an impact.

In the Jets offense, he is likely to be closer to the mid-to-high 50s in receptions, as opposed to the 79 he had last season (he’ll probably split the difference in the 60s), but he should be able to pile up the yards. As long as you are not in a PPR league, that’s certainly not bad for a backup WR.

Lining up across from Holmes will be Braylon Edwards, who the Jets acquired mid-year in 2009. He’ll have a full preseason to work with Sanchez and build a rapport with him, something that should not go ignored.

He has a history of drops, which is certainly an issue. He’s also only had one truly “good” season, when he had 80 receptions for 1,289 yards and 16 TD in 2007. In his other five seasons, he’s totaled 16 TDs in 58 games.

Does he have potential? Sure, we’ve seen what can be.

But, in this system and the struggles he’s had, do you really trust him? It’s tough to, especially with an ADP of around 81 according to Mock Draft Central. I guess as a third WR, but I’d much rather gamble on him as a reserve.

The bottom line is that despite the talent, the Jets offense is geared towards the run, not the pass. That means, if I can get an Edwards or Holmes to have on my bench, then they are more then worth the flier (or maybe as a low-end WR3 as long as I draft significant depth). Outside of that, I want nothing to do with them,

How about you? What are your thoughts on the Jets WR? Would you depend on any of them?

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Also, make sure to check out our recent rookie rankings:

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