Fantasy Football Player Notes

You're going to see Bell fall down draft boards this year, and further than he should. That's odd for me to say, as Bell was someone I was avoiding like the plague in drafts. The difference? Expectations. Playing him as your first-round pick in your RB1 slot was never something anyone should've expected, especially behind that offensive line and in Gase's offense. While he's still stuck in Gase's offense, the offensive line was upgraded quite a bit this offseason, which should allow Bell more room to work. Even if he repeated his 2019 performance, that's RB2 production. There were just 11 running backs who produced RB2 or better numbers more often than him. Sure, he didn't have a ton of weekly upside, but he was safe. Now coming off the board outside the top three rounds, Bell is a value play.

Did you know Crowder finished as the No. 31 wide receiver in half-PPR formats last year? The Jets moved on from Robby Anderson and brought in Breshad Perriman, who's now with his fourth team in as many years, and drafted rookie Denzel Mims in the second round. While you can assume those players walk in and see targets, it's Crowder who'll likely be Darnold's go-to guy. He may not be a sexy pick, but he'll get the job done for a cheap WR4.

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. The Jets have what I deemed the toughest schedule in the league for 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.

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.

Will things finally come together for Darnold? The Jets have completely rebuilt the offensive line, though it's far from a guarantee they'll be a good unit. They added Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims to the receiver corps but lost Robby Anderson. The biggest issue is Adam Gase calling plays, as his offenses have been horrendous outside of the time he spent with Peyton Manning. Add in a brutal schedule and it's unlikely we see him take that leap.

The Jets surely needed wide receivers, and knowing Mims was a second-round pick, he's going to get plenty of opportunity to shine. He's essentially the receiver that the Jets have given Sam Darnold to grow with throughout his NFL career, as Breshad Perriman's contract was just for one year. Because of that, Mims should see 70-plus targets in year one with growth for more, and he likely walks in as the best contested catch receiver on the team, meaning he could be a favorite in the red zone.

Maher went from being one of the best fantasy kickers in the game in 2018 to hitting just 2/3rds of his chances last year, including just 5-of-13 from 40-plus yards. He continued to be lights out in terms of extra points, converting all 36 of his chances, but that was little consolation to fantasy managers in light of his inconsistency otherwise. Now with the Jets, he finds himself in a far less explosive offense, and isn't worth considering unless he can find his accuracy once again.

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.