Michael Carter vs. Ty Johnson: Carter's Stock Rising After Bye Week

While the New York Jets offense, and season, are far from in a good spot, there are some bright spots on this roster to be excited about. This is particularly true with the teams’ two young running backs in Michal Carter and Ty Johnson.  Carter, a former Doak Walker Award winner from UNC, was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Johnson was drafted in 2019 in the sixth round by Detroit and joined New York after Week 1 of last season.

With the Jets starting quarterback Zack Wilson going down with an injury, NY will have to rely more on its running game for the foreseeable future. Therefore one, or both of these guys stands to see a lot more action moving forward. 

Let’s take a look at how these teammates match up and figure out who is likely to see more success as near the second half of the season. 

Starting with the “backup”, Johnson is coming off what could be considered his best overall game despite totaling just 6 yards rushing on five total attempts.

Johnson did his damage in the passing game against the Patriots in Week 6, catching six passes on seven targets or 65 yards. While not exactly a lights-out performance, this is the Jets we are talking about so every little bit goes a long way. Prior to this game, Johnson totaled just six catches in his last five games combined. Johnson’s usage through the air has risen each week since Week 4 against the Titans. He saw two targets in that game, three in the following game against the Falcons and seven last week against the Pats. 

Not to be outdone, Michale Carter also had a very strong day in the passing game. Carter, on the same day that Johnson saw seven targets, saw nine passes thrown his way. Carter caught eight of those passes for 67 yards. Compare that to his 11 rushes for 37 yards and it is clear that the Jets running backs have been more effective as pass catchers the last two weeks. 

I expect the pair to see another busy week against the Bengals with Mike White likely to fill in for Wilson again in Week 8. While neither of these two guys is likely to put in a game-changing performance, it’s nice to see them being used in more flexible roles. As far as fantasy goes, Carter has some value in the deepest of PPR leagues so long as he continues to see targets.