NY Jets: Top 3 players to watch in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins

NY Jets

NY Jets fans should look forward to watching these three players in Week 6 against Miami.

The NY Jets sit at a lowly 0-5 heading into their Week 6 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Not much has gone right for Gang Green this season with arguably both the worst roster and worst coaching staff in the NFL.

As such, there isn’t really much to say about the state of the team at this point.

Quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to miss his second consecutive game with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. That means it’ll be aging veteran Joe Flacco who gets the call to start once again.

The departure of Le’Veon Bell means that the Jets’ lead running back going into the game will be the ageless Frank Gore prompting sighs from a fanbase trying to look to the future

The Jets will be starting a 35-year-old at quarterback and a 37-year-old at running back in the middle of a dreadful season where the team is clearly looking forward to a brighter tomorrow.

Not to mention that both the Jets’ first and second-round picks in the past draft, Mekhi Becton and Denzel Mims, will be out injured as well.

What reasons to Jets fans have to actually tune in this week? There aren’t very many. But if you do decide to watch, it’s best to keep an eye on these three players.

Next: 3. Breshad Perriman

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3. Breshad Perriman, WR, NY Jets

Breshad Perriman will be making his long-awaited return to the gridiron after missing the last three games with an ankle injury.

Perriman was underwhelming in Week 1 and didn’t do much of anything before exiting the game in the first half of the Jets’ Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

But the Jets are hoping that his return will help bolster what has been a struggling passing attack. And while expectations should probably be curbed, it’s time for the notable free-agent addition to start contributing a little.

The Jets signed Perriman, in many ways, to be their pseudo-replacement for Robby Anderson. Anderson has gone on to be a legitimate top-five receiver in the NFL excelling with his new team in Carolina.

Perriman, on the other hand, has barely seen the field.

His injury history was well known before the Jets signed him, but now that he’s finally healthy, he’ll have an opportunity to prove himself against Miami.

Unfortunately, he’ll be going up against one of the best outside cornerback duos in the league in Byron Jones and Xavien Howard. Perriman’s speed allows him to take the top off defenses.

But this is no easy matchup for the former first-round pick.

Next: 2. Jamison Crowder

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2. Jamison Crowder, WR, NY Jets

From one wide receiver to another, it’s probably best for everyone involved to keep a close eye on Jamison Crowder this week and really any week.

The former Washington slot receiver has shined amidst the darkness this season posting three consecutive 100-yard games despite playing in what is statistically the worst offense in the league.

Crowder is currently averaging a league-leading 111.7 receiving yards per game and is the only player in the NFL to haul in over 100 receiving yards in every game he’s played this season — granted he’s missed two games.

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In part due to the Jets’ lack of weapons elsewhere, Crowder has become the go-to target for both Darnold and Flacco. And in reality, his talents are being wasted in this abysmal offense.

Nonetheless, Crowder is quickly establishing himself as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL and he’ll have the opportunity to build upon his recent success in Week 6 against Miami.

Matched up against rookie cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, Crowder will look to make it four straight games of 100+ receiving yards.

And at this point, his ongoing streak is one of the few reasons to watch each week.

Next: 1. La'Mical Perine

1. La’Mical Perine, RB, NY Jets

It’s officially the La’Mical Perine show — or at least that’s what Jets fans are hoping for following Le’Veon Bell’s release.

The fourth-round rookie has been buried on the depth chart over the past few weeks behind the likes of not only Bell, but Frank Gore and Kalen Ballage. But Bell and Ballage are gone meaning that Gore is the only person standing in the way between Perine and a regular role in the offense.

Head coach Adam Gase has puzzlingly ignored Perine to this point, but he seems to have warmed up to the idea of playing him. While Jets fans shouldn’t expect Perine to replace Gore as the team’s lead back just yet, it’s fair to expect the rookie to at least receive more snaps than he’s been getting.

Last week, Perine received a grand total of zero offensive snaps. Gase and some of the Jets’ beat reporters blamed this on “game flow” and Bell’s return. But in reality, this has more to do with Gase and Gore than anyone else.

Regardless, one major obstacle to Perine receiving snaps is gone and Gase will have no choice but to play him, at the very least as a complement to Gore.

Week 6 could be the week that Perine finally breaks out and establishes himself as a future building block of the offense.

But really, we’re just looking forward to him receiving a legitimate opportunity.