Last night might have been the first (and final) time the top two picks in an NFL draft faced off late in the season, with major playoff implications, and one got benched.
Whether you do fantasy because you love competition, love football, or both, the Jets-Jaguars game stands on its own in the history of the NFL (slight exaggeration, but really). Last year, these teams drafted their long-term franchise QB--someone to help return them to the postseason and possibly win a title. It took Trevor Lawrence about a season-and-a-half to progress into a top-12 NFL QB, and possibly top 8.
By contrast, Zach Wilson was benched for a fourth-string QB who's been dumped these past 13 months by the Cardinals, Ravens, and Dolphins. Worse for Wilson, Chris Streveler looked half-decent. Across a full season, "half-decent" might have been enough to get the Jets an extra one or two wins. Instead, Wilson's career in New York might be over with two years remaining on his contract, and the team is no closer to finding a capable starter for 2023, unless they decide to go all in on Mike White.
I sincerely feel bad about pushing Wilson in fantasy. There was a horrendousness to his play that I didn't anticipate, especially against a defense tied for the fifth fewest sacks, and which had given up 20+ points in each of their last nine games--including against the Titans (7th fewest points scored), Colts (4th fewest), and Broncos (fewest in the league). The Jets' defense did their job. But Wilson simply wilted, and errant passing was beyond alarming.
On the plus side, I generally pushed Evan Engram with those of you who had TE sit/start questions. But that's probably grasping a bit. I thought the Jets' offense would play similarly to what they did against Detroit. Instead, their top receiver was Michael Carter, and their #2 and #3 receivers were their two tight ends. Given their talent at wideout, that says everything.
Going forward, if you're still competing in Week 17 and/or 18, if you have Garrett Wilson, you're probably hoping Mike White gets healty for Seattle/Miami. Wilson might be the only startable Jet down the stretch, unless you're RB desperate.
Meanwhile, the Jags now control their playoff fate, with Houston and Tennessee remaining. There's now almost no realistic scenario where they would rest their starters in Week 18. So Travis Etienne and Engram will be locked-in must-starts these final two weeks. Trevor Lawrence should be a solid 17+ point guy. And Christian Kirk and Zay Jones should be no worse than streamers. Remember, they just face the Jets. It won't be this difficult to generate receiving yards against the Texans and Titans.
Finally, the closest-score competition: Larry Damron wins for the second time! He picked the Jags 17-10, which barely beat out a few of you. But "barely" does the job every time. Congrats Larry!
Whether you do fantasy because you love competition, love football, or both, the Jets-Jaguars game stands on its own in the history of the NFL (slight exaggeration, but really). Last year, these teams drafted their long-term franchise QB--someone to help return them to the postseason and possibly win a title. It took Trevor Lawrence about a season-and-a-half to progress into a top-12 NFL QB, and possibly top 8.
By contrast, Zach Wilson was benched for a fourth-string QB who's been dumped these past 13 months by the Cardinals, Ravens, and Dolphins. Worse for Wilson, Chris Streveler looked half-decent. Across a full season, "half-decent" might have been enough to get the Jets an extra one or two wins. Instead, Wilson's career in New York might be over with two years remaining on his contract, and the team is no closer to finding a capable starter for 2023, unless they decide to go all in on Mike White.
I sincerely feel bad about pushing Wilson in fantasy. There was a horrendousness to his play that I didn't anticipate, especially against a defense tied for the fifth fewest sacks, and which had given up 20+ points in each of their last nine games--including against the Titans (7th fewest points scored), Colts (4th fewest), and Broncos (fewest in the league). The Jets' defense did their job. But Wilson simply wilted, and errant passing was beyond alarming.
On the plus side, I generally pushed Evan Engram with those of you who had TE sit/start questions. But that's probably grasping a bit. I thought the Jets' offense would play similarly to what they did against Detroit. Instead, their top receiver was Michael Carter, and their #2 and #3 receivers were their two tight ends. Given their talent at wideout, that says everything.
Going forward, if you're still competing in Week 17 and/or 18, if you have Garrett Wilson, you're probably hoping Mike White gets healty for Seattle/Miami. Wilson might be the only startable Jet down the stretch, unless you're RB desperate.
Meanwhile, the Jags now control their playoff fate, with Houston and Tennessee remaining. There's now almost no realistic scenario where they would rest their starters in Week 18. So Travis Etienne and Engram will be locked-in must-starts these final two weeks. Trevor Lawrence should be a solid 17+ point guy. And Christian Kirk and Zay Jones should be no worse than streamers. Remember, they just face the Jets. It won't be this difficult to generate receiving yards against the Texans and Titans.
Finally, the closest-score competition: Larry Damron wins for the second time! He picked the Jags 17-10, which barely beat out a few of you. But "barely" does the job every time. Congrats Larry!