New York Jets: Offseason fantasy outlook
The NFL offseason is basically over at this point and rosters are close to being set. It’s time to see how the offseason changed teams for fantasy football, starting in the AFC East with the New York Jets.
The New York Jets appear to still be more towards the ground floor of their rebuild but that doesn’t mean this isn’t an attractive team for fantasy production. There’s plenty of options for fantasy players to look at. New York is coming off a 2017 season that saw them finish with a 5-11 record, good for dead last in the AFC East. One of the biggest changes came to the most important position on the football field, but we’ll get to that shortly.
Coaching Changes – Former offensive coordinator John Morton is out, Jeremy Bates was promoted for quarterbacks coach
This could be a potentially large change for the Jets as Morton was able to pull some production out of what looked like an awful unit. New York finished 24th in points per game last year, but that was still better than many thought. Bates was offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks back in 2010 and it probably wouldn’t be wise to take much of anything from that stint. Too many things have changed since then. Bates was given a lot of credit for turning journeyman Josh McCown into a usable quarterback last season. The hope is he can have that same effect on the offense as a whole this year.
Impact Departures – Running back Matt Forte, defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, linebacker Demario Davis, tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Impact Arrivals – Cornerback Trumaine Johnson, running back Isaiah Crowell, wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, linebacker Avery Williamson, kicker Cario Santos, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
Impact Draft Picks – Quarterback Sam Darnold
New York really was pretty shrewd with their money in free agency as they added plenty of players that have talent without going crazy on throwing money around. Johnson was the highest priced addition but that’s what happens when you’re a high end corner in the NFL. Crowell is a quality back and Pryor might be a little better this season if he’s not hampered by injury.
None of those adds will matter much as this offseason will be remembered for Sam Darnold. He was speculated as the best quarterback prospect in the draft and the Jets plucked him at the third overall pick. They paid dearly to get to that spot, giving up multiple second round picks to move up three spots to take him. Darnold could be the savior the Jets have been searching for, but that remains to be seen.