The New York Jets beat the New England Patriots on Thursday night, 24-3. The Men in Green looked good on both sides of the football, but it was Aaron Rodgers and their offense that got the most interest in the world of fantasy football. And, if the Jets continue to run their offense similarly to the first three weeks, Garrett Wilson managers should be concerned.
Wilson saw nine targets against the Pats, which led the team, but he finished with a mere 33 receiving yards. Luckily, he scored a touchdown and produced 14.3 fantasy points.
Still, this Jets offense saw eight different players catch at least two passes. That includes Allen Lazard, who caught another touchdown pass and is currently leading Wilson in PPR points. Mike Williams was more involved too, catching three passes on four targets.
Oh, and did I mention tight end Tyler Conklin led the team in receiving yards ?
New York also has another offensive weapon the fantasy community didn’t expect in RB Braelon Allen. Despite the presence of fantasy superstar Breece Hall, the rookie still got 14 touches and averaged five yards per rush. Considering Allen touched the ball 61% of the time on his 23 snaps, and suddenly Hall’s ceiling seems to have taken a hit too.
So, what does this all mean for Garrett? In simple terms, it’s not good.
The Jets have far more weapons than we projected, which means more options in the pass attack for Rodgers. He doesn’t need to force-feed the ball to Wilson, who will often draw the opposition’s No. 1 cornerback, because he has other players he trusts and who are making plays.
That includes Lazard, who Rodgers has a great rapport with from their time together in Green Bay. Lazards has played just nine fewer snaps than Wilson through three weeks, and he’s averaging more fantasy points. Williams, who is being brought along slowly coming off a torn ACL, will only see his 26.2 snaps-per-game average increase as the season rolls on.
When you consider these factors, plus another playmaker in Allen, and it doesn’t seem likely Wilson will be worth the first-round pick (ADP: 10.1) fantasy fans spent on him. Being drafted that highly, Wilson needs to be in the 18-plus point-per-game average range to be worth it.
After the first three weeks, he’s averaging 12.2 points. That’s fewer points than he averaged in his first two seasons (without Rodgers).
Don’t get me twisted … Wilson will have his pop games and remains a fantasy starter. That’s obvious. But based on what we’ve seen in the first three weeks, his emergence into a superstar who was worth a top-12 overall pick in drafts seems less likely.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fantasy Football Managers Should be Concerned About Garrett Wilson.
