Fantasy Football Player Notes

There were just 24 wide receivers who finished with 110-plus targets last year. Crowder was one of them. He was No. 16, actually. Did you know he's the only one who didn't finish as a top-26 wide receiver? His No. 31 finish was better than most would anticipate, though it was uglier than you'd like it to be. In fact, he produced WR3 or better numbers just 43.8 percent of the time, which ranked 42nd among wide receivers. He also scored fewer than 8.0 PPR points in 43.8 percent of his games. With that being said, he's the only receiver returning to the starting lineup for Sam Darnold. Both Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims are new faces who are going to require time to learn the new offense and develop chemistry with Darnold. Crowder's targets aren't likely to go anywhere. In fact, they might actually go up, which is kind of crazy. Crowder doesn't offer top-15 wide receiver upside, but he does present some stability as a mix-and-match WR3/4 type who presents a solid floor in a pinch. His current ADP of WR49 allows you to get him as your WR5 in some situations, which is fine if you need to add some balance to your high-upside team.

There were many who were willing to draft Herndon last year despite his suspension, but he's going undrafted after a wasted 2019 season. The Jets are apparently looking to feature him in the passing game, and knowing Jamison Crowder saw 122 targets over the middle of the field last year, it'd make sense. While Adam Gase has held players back throughout his time as a head coach, Herndon should have a few streaming performances in him this year.

Perriman is now on his fourth team in as many years. It's tough to be a reliable fantasy option when that's the case. Not only that, but the Jets are still under Adam Gase, which means there won't be many plays per game (he's been under 59 plays per game in each of the last two seasons). The Jets have what I deemed the toughest schedule in the league for perimeter wide receivers, so even if we see Perriman get the targets, he's unlikely to be efficient with them. He closed the 2019 season with 25 receptions for 506 yards and five touchdowns over his last five games, which will have some intrigued, but my guess is that you'll drop Perriman for a hot waiver wire pickup, as Gase's offense isn't Bruce Arians' and Sam Darnold isn't Jameis Winston. There will be weeks where Perriman snags a deep ball and pays off, but those are the types of players you can find on the waiver wire all the time. I just don't see him getting more than 5-6 targets per game.

It hasn't been the start to his career that he'd hoped for, as Darnold has finished as a QB1-type performer in just 6-of-26 games (23.1 percent). Even lowering the bar to a top-18-type performance, he's hit those marks in just 10-of-26 games, and that's why it's tough to rely on him as your QB2 in Superflex/2QB leagues. On top of those struggles, he's now dealing with two brand-new receivers on the perimeter with practically no offseason while playing for Adam Gase. That's like the trifecta of bad. Part of the issue has been the offensive line, though the Jets have tried to address that this offseason, snagging three players in free agency, and then another two in the first four rounds of the draft, including the mammoth of a man, Mekhi Becton, in the first round. That's an issue in itself, as offensive lines take time to develop continuity/consistency, so expecting that to happen with four or five new starters is going to be an issue. Darnold is just not in a position to succeed right now.

I like Mims, similar to the way I liked Michael Gallup coming into the league. Not that they're the same player, but rather people didn't know how good they were until they looked past the school they played for. Mims is a possession-style receiver who can stretch the field, as evidenced by his 4.38-second 40-yard dash he ran at the Combine. He should become a favorite of Sam Darnold in the red zone, as he plucks the ball out of the air with his strong mitts. He'll be battling with Breshad Perriman for targets on the perimeter, while Jamison Crowder remains the safety valve in the slot. Robby Anderson did see 96 targets last year while Demaryius Thomas saw 58 of them (in 11 games), so there's room for a fantasy producer. The issue is that Mims is a rookie who hasn't seen any preseason action and hasn't had much time to be around the team. The same can be said for Perriman, so there's a route to immediate production with Mims, though Adam Gase has not been friendly to perimeter wide receivers. Over the last four years, his top receivers were Jarvis Landry (twice), Danny Amendola, and Jamison Crowder... all slot receivers. It's best to be cautious with rookie wide receivers, especially this year, even if I like who Mims is as a player. Selecting him in one of the final rounds makes sense, as you'll find out what you have over the first two weeks and decide whether you want to cut bait or stick with him.

Leave it to Adam Gase to bring back Frank Gore for one more season. The last time Gore played for Gase (in 2018), he tallied 722 yards on the ground but failed to score a single touchdown. Now playing behind Le'Veon Bell, Gore is going to be relied upon for 5-8 carries per game, which means very little in the Jets low-scoring offense.