The Jets rarely feature fantasy-relevant players, but the 2019 team offers a couple of boom or busts options that could surprise everyone this season.
Le’Veon Bell headlines the group after returning from his hiatus from the Steelers and league this past season. Many fans drafted Bell early in their leagues and didn’t even get to start him once last year, but he’s already attempted to make amends by apologizing and predicting a stellar season.
The rest of the team isn’t loaded with offensive weapons, but some former fantasy stars could rebound after poor 2017 seasons and become solid starters once again.
Here are four Jets who could help your fantasy football team in 2019.
Le’Veon Bell
Bell is a near-consensus first-round pick in most fantasy leagues, and he should be able to quickly return to form after taking a year off.
In seasons he’s played at least 12 games, Bell combined for more than 1,800 total yards and 10 total touchdowns. For fantasy purposes, that comes out to 209.12 points over the course of one fantasy season or 13.2 points per game. In recent years, Bell’s averaged between 17 and 20 points per game, which is among the best for running backs.
His ability to catch passes makes him incredibly valuable in PPR leagues, especially with a young quarterback who will rely on check-downs to his running backs more than other wideouts. Bell is also in an offense with multiple playmakers on the outside in Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder and Chris Herndon, meaning defenses won’t be able to stack eight men in the box to defend against Bell.
Robby Anderson
Anderson had a down year in 2018 after posting almost 1,000 receiving yards in 2017, but built up a strong rapport with Darnold toward the end of the season and could thrive in Adam Gase’s offense.
A burner by nature, Anderson’s ability to take the top off of defenses makes him a threat to score anywhere on the field. Anderson caught 10 touchdown passes of 30 yards or more and averaged between 6.6 and 8.5 fantasy points per game over the past three seasons. He shouldn’t be your WR1, but Anderson is a solid WR3 or FLEX player who could see more than 90 targets as the Jets’ clear-cut No. 1 receiving option.
Jamison Crowder
While Crowder might be considered the Jets’ third wideout and fourth or fifth receiving option right now, he has a knack for becoming a quarterback’s best friend in a pinch. Crowder’s target total increased rapidly between 2015 and 2017 when he played in Washington, and he saw 103 targets only two years ago.
Crowder won’t be a sexy pick in fantasy leagues, but if Darnold builds a strong trust in his slot receiver quickly, he could be the beneficiary of a good target share in Adam Gase’s offense. He averaged 6.8 fantasy points per game before his injury-filled 2018 season.
Chris Herndon
Tight end is one of the hardest positions to account for in fantasy because of inconsistent target shares and wide variance among players, but Herndon is one who could be a solid sleeper at the position.
Herndon can’t help your team until the Jets’ Week 6 game against Cowboys after being suspended for a DUI, but he could be a top-10 tight end in fantasy once he returns because of his proclivity for red-zone targets and ability to catch the ball anywhere on the field.
