New York Jets Fantasy Value

Nov 6, 2011; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) behind the offense lines up against the Buffalo Bills defense during the first quarter at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

Football is just around the corner, ladies and gentlemen. Training camp will be here in just a few days, followed by preseason games, and the greatest four months of the year, the NFL regular season.

That also means that it is Fantasy Football time. Players around the country are evaluating their rosters if they are in keeper leagues, planning their drafts, and getting lists of player priorities together.

This morning, we are going to take a look at the Jets players and talk about which ones are worthy draft picks in 2012.

A guy who is going to be a sleeper in 2012 is running back Shonn Greene. Shonn ran for 1,054 yards and 6 TDs last year, and amassed a career high of 211 receiving yards. Remember, this was on a team that had a confused offensive identity and an 8-8 team.

With the return to Ground and Pound, Shonn will be the major benefactor. His stats, as long as he stays healthy, will go up.

On an 8-8 team, Shonn didn’t do terribly as far as fantasy is concerned, averaging 8.8 points per game(Standard Scoring. Maurice Jones-Drew only averaged 13+ points per game, so wasn’t a great deal better. With a focus on the running game, and a motivated offensive line coach, it is certainly not out of the question for his per game average to go up 3 points, maybe more. Keep an eye out on him.

Another guy primed to put up a big fantasy football season is Dustin Keller. There has been a lot of discussion about whether he still fits in with the new scheme. He does and will put up huge numbers. He is Mark Sanchez’s favorite target. He put up a career high in receiving yards with 815, and he will do more. The Ground and Pound needs a good receiving tight end, which is why Anthony Fasano was important to Tony Sparano’s offense in Miami.

Aside from Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, Keller with 6.9 fantasy points per game is right in that next group of tight ends. Jason Witten, for example, average approxmiate 7.7 points per game, not even a full point higher than Keller. Tony Gonzalez averaged 8.09. See? Two big names that are right araound Keller’s numbers. If the running game is effective, there is no reason to believe that Keller’s numbers won’t go way up. He will be worth a look in the early-mid rounds of your draft.

Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow will be nothing more than fantasy backups. Sanchez did average 27.11 points per game in 2011, which isn’t bad, but isn’t a guy like Drew Brees, who averaged over 40 points per game. With the return to the running game, Sanchez’s numbers will go down. In 2009, at the height of the Jets running game, Sanchez only averaged 16.5 points per game. Other than as a bye week replacement, stay away from Mark on your fantasy team.

I would say the same thing of Tim Tebow, for a couple of reasons. One because of his lack of ability to complete passes, which I won’t go into since I already have on this website. The second reason is that he just won’t play enough to have an impact as a fantasy QB. Stay away.

As far as the wide receivers go, I wouldn’t choose Santonio Holmes earlier than around the 5th round. The reason? You don’t know what you are going to get from him. He could have a big season, or he could mope around. There are a lot of great receivers around the league that you don’t need to waste an early round pick on him.

Jeremy Kerley will have a solid year, but he just won’t catch enough balls in the slot to make a fantasy impact. Chaz Schilens is another unknown that could be great. He has looked great this offseason so far, and if he stays healthy, will put up good numbers. Keep an eye on him as your draft progresses, and consider taking a flyer on him in the mid to late rounds. He could be a sleeper if you can get him late.

Watch Stephen Hill in the preseason, and see how far along he is with the Jets offense. As we know, he didn’t catch a lot of balls in college, but he made the most of them, averaging well over 20 yards per catch last season. He is also a big man at 6’4″. The Jets are looking at him to be the number 2 wide receiver, and with blazing speed, he will be a factor deep, and with his size, will be a factor in the end zone. I am not sure that he will be a number one wide receiver for your fantasy team yet, but he certainly should be a strong number 3, pushing number 2. He’s worth a mid round flyer if he looks good this preseason.

When your league starts choosing defenses, you definitely want to consider drafting the Jets defense. Last season, the Jets averaged nearly 2 turnovers per game, and a little over 2 sacks per game. The defense will be better, and with an improved pass rush, the sack totals will definitely rise. A good pass rush will force more turnovers, so the numbers are bound to go up. Take em as one of your first draft picks of a defense.

Note: I didn’t go through individual defensive players or special teams becacuse we don’t play with those rules in the league I am in,so I couldn’t give accurate analysis on that.

The Jets have some viable fantasy candidates, and some that will just be backups. Good luck in all of your fantasy football seasons.

I have played fantasy football a long time, so feel free to send questions if you want.