After an arduous contract battle, Ryan Fitzpatrick returns to the
New York Jets and to the offensive coordinator who has helped guide
his most successful seasons, Chan Gailey. Shockingly, Fitzpatrick
is now the Jets’ record holder for touchdown passes in a single
season (31), which doubles a career high. He also achieved a career
high with 3,905 passing yards while showing some of that #FitzMagic
by adding 270 yards and two scores with his 33 year-old legs. While
his raw numbers looked fantastic the truth is he was lucky to escape
with only 15 interceptions, as many potential INTs were dropped
by opposing defenses. He also benefited from his wide receivers
more than any quarterback in the league. The Amish Rifle would often
put the ball into tight windows and allow Brandon Marshall and Eric
Decker to use their size and strength advantages to come away with
the reception.
While the Jets will face a far more difficult schedule this year,
it’s unlikely that Fitz’ numbers will suffer all that much since
he’ll still have Marshall and Decker to rely on and will add a healthy
Jace Amaro and veteran running back Matt Forte to his arsenal of
weapons in the passing game. Fitzpatrick has his limitations due
to his weak arm but has mastered Gailey’s quarterback friendly system
and knows that he can rely on his guys to make plays. Fantasy Football
owners that like to take a QBBC approach should strongly consider
Fitz in the later rounds, as his floor, barring injury, is fairly
high given his team’s offensive system and skill position support.
The Jets replaced the steady hard-running Chris Ivory with the more
versatile veteran Matt Forte this off-season. Forte should be a
much better fit Chan Gailey’s offense than Ivory, but lacks the
power and toughness that his predecessor brought to the table. Forte
has consistently been one of the better receiving backs in the league,
hitting a high-water mark of 102 receptions in 2014. He’s been remarkably
consistent and durable through his eight seasons in the league but
at 30 years of age and coming off of an injury marred season, it’s
fair to ask what he has left in the tank. The offseason chatter
has suggested Forte will get “plenty of rest”, and the team does
have a solid stable of running backs behind the veteran. However,
it’s hard to imagine Forte not being the main running back in any
type of committee the team employs. He was still effective last
season, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and catching 44 passes with
seven total touchdowns in 13 games. Forte should thrive in an offensive
system that fits his style where Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker
will command the focus of the defense. He may lose some goaline
carries to Khiry
Robinson and some snaps to Bilal Powell, there’s no reason to
think he can’t be a solid RB2 who will come at a cheaper price tag
than many runners that have more perceived “upside” but will likely
be less productive by season’s end.
The team made a serious effort to re-sign veteran Bilal Powell this
offseason, which means they likely envision a fairly significant
role for him even with Matt Forte in the mix. Powell made his mark
down the stretch last season in Weeks 13 through 16 and his absence
in Week 17 against the Bills with the playoffs on the line was more
significant than it was considered to be at the time. Powell’s role
was more clearly defined as a backfield partner with Chris Ivory,
who was not a big part of the passing game, but being teamed with
the similarly skilled Forte will likely be a boost for the overall
offense. Now the play selection will not be as apparent to opposing
defenses when Powell is in the as it was when he came on to replace
Ivory on passing downs. Powell had 47 receptions for 388 yards and
2 touchdowns last season, and while those numbers may fall a bit
with Forte’s presence, there is room for him to increase his 313
rushing yards from last season. If Forte was to miss any time with
injury, Powell would likely move into his role without much drop
off in production making him an intriguing late-round pick.
Brandon Marshall's 14 TDs in 2015 marked
the the fourth time he's scored double digit TDs in a season.
Last offseason the Jets traded a 5th round pick for Brandon Marshall
and were rewarded with a 109-1502-14 season from the veteran. Marshall
had arguably the best season of his remarkable career at 31 years
of age and helped make Ryan Fitzpatrick a $12 million dollar quarterback.
Marshall was simply amazing, using his big body to shield off defenders
and gain yards after the catch. He actually dropped 10 pounds coming
into training camp this season in an effort to get even quicker.
At 6’4”, 225 pounds he should still have little trouble
outmuscling smaller cornerbacks.
Marshall lobbied hard for Fitzpatrick’s return and he will
once again team up with the Amish Rifle who often locked onto him
right from the snap, trusting the veteran to fight off his defender
and make the catch. Last season’s 14 touchdowns were a career
high and his receptions and yardage totals were only bettered by
him in 2012 while he was in Chicago. Marshall has had a difficult
past and has worn out his welcome which is why he’s on his
fourth team despite being a perennial 100-catch receiver. His matured
with age however and seems to on solid ground with the Jets. While
some regression is likely, it’s not hard to imagine another
top 10 finish as he remains the focal point of the passing offense,
while being surrounded by other players that demand attention from
the defense.
WR Eric
Decker (2015 WR Rank - No.11, 11.6 Fpts/G)
Eric Decker played second fiddle like no other last season, able
to finish as a fantasy WR1 despite being the second best receiver
on his own team. He caught 80 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns
in 15 games and also had the trust of his quarterback. Much like
Marshall, Decker is big bodied at 6’3”, 215 and won
the battle for the ball even when the coverage was tight. He has
lobbied to be used more on deep routes this season, but that isn’t
necessarily Fitzpatrick’s strength. The team is better off
using Devin Smith, when healthy or Quincy Enunwa to draw the coverage
deep and let Marshall and Decker eat up the defenses underneath.
Decker spent a lot of time in the slot last season for the first
time in his career and was successful in that role for the Chan
Gailey offense. He was also tremendous in the red-zone, leading
all receivers with 28 redzone targets and scoring 10 of his 12 TDs
from inside the 20. Fitzpatrick is likely to regress coming off
a career year, but Decker’s role in the offense and track
record of steady production makes him at worst a low end WR2/high
end WR3 in fantasy, with obvious upside.
The Jets drafted Jace Amaro in the second round of the 2014 draft,
expecting big things from the former Texas Tech Red Raider. However
Amaro often looked lost while adjusting to the pro game as a rookie,
and suffered a lost season as a sophomore when a preseason shoulder
injury earned him a trip to the IR. The team did nothing to address
the tight end position this off-season despite last season’s
group catching all of 8 passes, meaning they are counting on getting
at least some production from Amaro. Off-season reports have been
mostly positive as his blocking is somewhat improved prompting local
beat writers to predict an impact role for him in 2016. His skill
set fits the Gailey offense as he’s more of a big wide receiver
than a traditional lumbering tight end. Watch for Amaro this preseason
and see if the Jets are incorporating the tight end into the gameplan.
If he looks like he can handle the role and has earned the coaching
staff’s trust, he’s well worth a late-round flier.
