One Offense At A Time – The New York Jets
By Rob Wilson
GIVE ME BACK MY FOOTBALL!
Well folks……the season is over. And that hurts. But a wise man once said: “don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it’s a keeper league and you took Adam Thielen in the tenth round”…….or something to that effect. Maybe they weren’t those words exactly, but they’re enough in my mind to keep me powering through until draft day (the important drafts, not that useless real life thing we see on TV every year).
To everyone who doesn’t get over things that easily and will continue to feel the cold sting of a bitter offseason, I’m here for you. Whether you’re waiting on the trophy to come in the mail from your buddy in Pheonix or you ended up in a dress at the biker bar downtown based on league rules you don’t remember voting on, I have your back. We’re all in this together.
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it’s a keeper league and you took Adam Thielen in the tenth round”.
Luckily the research never sleeps, and we’re delivering a step by step dissection of everything relevant we saw in 2017 from each team, along with what we should be paying attention to in preparation for next season. We will conquer the list one team at a time highlighting what mattered and what didn’t, along with what to pay attention to as you prepare for 2018. We’ll kick things off with the AFC East, and in honor of snake drafts everywhere; we’ll let the worst team go first:
Division: AFC EAST
Team: The New York Jets
2017 Grade: C- | 2018 Potential: C
Care about this: Robby Anderson doesn’t suck!
Normally I would be hard pressed to come up with something relevant in regards to the Jets, but it turns out anything can happen. The franchise projected to go toe-to-toe with Cleveland for the worst in America actually gave their fans a lot to be happy about with improved quarterback play and a group that wasn’t going to roll over every Sunday the way they have in the past.
A notable bright spot on the offensive side of the ball came to us in the form of newcomer Robbie Anderson. He ended the season as one of the most consistent fantasy producers in the league from a statistical standpoint. It was painfully evident in the final weeks of the season that Anderson’s spot in your lineup depended solely on veteran journeyman Josh McCown who reminded everyone that he stands alongside Ryan Fitzpatrick in the category of quarterbacks who can be competent enough to give you hope, but will never win you a Super Bowl. This type of fantasy purgatory is known as the island of false hope; something Detroit Lions fans have lived on since the 60’s.
Thankfully few of us relied on McCown if we were playoff bound, but Anderson was an unexpected luxury. From a talent standpoint it’s evident that he’s the real deal and certainly a candidate to breakout in 2018 if McCown stays behind center or if he wins the NFL lottery and gets traded to a contender.
Let this go: The Elijah McGuire experiment
Don’t beat yourselves up, because this is an inevitable part of fantasy football. Anytime we see a ball carrier with some promising upside on a team without a defined starter or injury-prone veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, we push that player on you and outline them as possible sleeper candidate. Mcguire was no exception this year.
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It was pretty obvious right away that Matt Forte wasn’t going to tap into his former Chicago savagery and dominate the backfield and Bilal Powell isn’t someone built to sustain a full workload. The doors to fantasy glory swung open and in walks McGuire: a well built and athletic back with an opportunity to be the top dog in an offense determined to run the ball. Sounds good to me.
But guess what folks? Mama’s wrong again. This was the type of stuff fantasy dreams are made of, so don’t be upset if you were one of the people who thought he had potential to be a sleeper. That was actually true.
The issue with McGuire was that he’s more of an athlete than he is a running back. He lacks the ability to bounce off defenders and the vision to gain an extra yard, which is the type of things that allow the elite players to truly blossom. He may be a serviceable backup for years to come, but it’s best if you forget the name when the draft boards get pinned up next year.
W2WF: The QB Situation
I never thought I’d actually say this in a serious tone, but fantasy owners should hope that Josh McCown is taking the snaps next season. Their fan base will spend another year wondering when the future will arrive in New York, and it’s all but guaranteed that it won’t be any time soon.
McCown is a free agent as of this moment, and given the fact that the other options on the depth chart are mediocre college prospects who would be long-term projects at best, I’ll take my chances with the ageless backup.
If we want to see any serious fantasy production in 2018 then J-Mac (nickname pending) is the best chance we’ve got. Keep a close eye on how this situation plays out and adjust your expectations for the entire offense accordingly.
Next: A Look back at the fantasy football playoffs
Stay tuned as I go through the rundowns of each team for the 2018 season! At Fantasy CPR, we also have all of your DFS needs covered!