The New York Jets have had season after season of hype. They have spent draft capital on skill positions. It seems like every year they have a new head coach that sparks promise of a turnaround. They have gone through veteran quarterbacks and dealt with injuries. Yet none of that has been able to get them to the playoffs let alone a Super Bowl title. This offseason they brought in another new head coach, Aaron Glenn yet still have plenty of other issues and areas to address. While holding the 7th overall pick in the NFL draft the possibilities are endless. Whichever one of these paths the Jets decide to head down the ripple effect will be felt across fantasy drafts and lineups
New York Jets timelines
Once More on Repeat Timeline
The Jets could look to keep 2025 as close to 2024 as possible. It’s been reported that Aaron Rodgers has already been told that he will not be back with the team. This doesn’t mean that it’s a complete overhaul. On this timeline, they bring back all the running backs and wide receivers and try to build on the chemistry already formed. That includes veteran Davante Adams. They would spend their higher draft capital on either protecting the quarterback or bolstering the defense. They would wait in the draft and take a late-round quarterback who probably sits most of the season behind a Joe Flacco-type veteran. Even though the reports are Rodgers is gone the door is never fully closed.
Another year probably doesn’t change much for everyone’s fantasy outcomes. Adams would be a low-end WR1. He has proven he can produce no matter who his quarterback is. Garrett Wilson would give the Jets one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. His projections in fantasy would come down due to the quarterback play but still produces at a WR2 level. The balance between run and pass would stay similar to the 2024 season.
The running game would still be an afterthought. The rushing attempt volume wouldn’t be enough to push Breece Hall back into the top-five discussion but the passing work will keep him as a solid late second-round pick in redraft leagues.
Find a New Beginning Timeline
This timeline would see the Jets move on from multiple assets on the offense. Adams would not be brought back and the Jets would trade wide receiver Garrett Wilson for a first-round pick. This would give the New York Jets two fairly high draft picks to reload and rebuild. With a new head coach, general manager Darren Mougey and front office sounding board, former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Speilman would use those picks to replace Rodgers and find a new alpha wide receiver. This quarterback class has probably five guys who can start Week 1. They would take one with their first pick and then use the pick received in the Wilson trade to take one of the top two receivers in the draft class.
Passing Attack
With new players especially at quarterback and receiver transitioning to the NFL level and building chemistry will take some time. I expect the quarterback and wide receivers to be drafted as fantasy sleepers but ultimately come up short. They will have spike weeks but be too inconsistent to trust week in and week out.
Rushing Attack
That means the running game will be leaned on more than it has in the Big Apple. Breece Hall would see a big uptick in workload. The most carries Hall has seen in the NFL was 223 back in 2023. He is capable of a heavy workload. While at Iowa State he had 279 carries in 2020. A number that was top in college football. He followed that up with a 253 carry workload in 2021. In both of those years, his average yards per carry was over 5.5 and he had 21 and 20 touchdowns. The Jets would put the ball in Hall’s hands both in the run and on short check-downs. He had 93 targets in 2023. This volume would surely push him into the top 5 of fantasy running backs.
The addition of Braelon Allen last season only helps the run game. He is a young big back who could steal some goal-line work from Hall but shouldn’t be more than a change of pace back. He has the skill set to be an every down back if Hall were to miss time. The passing game would be efficient but lacks the upside to be more than bye-week fillers for your fantasy team.
Something Old, Something New Timeline
Hopefully not leaving fans feeling blue. With the New York Jets moving on from Rodgers but instead of drafting a quarterback they would sign or trade for a veteran option. It would follow the path that the Detroit Lions took while Glenn was the defensive coordinator there. They would bring in a known commodity who can effectively run the offense and keep it balanced. Davante Adams would be gone but Garrett Wilson would stay. The Jets would either bring in a free agent wide receiver role player like Brandin Cooks, Stefon Diggs, or even Tim Patrick and use their second-round pick on a tier two or three wide receiver to fill out the group.
The “Old”
On this timeline, Garrett Wilson would be the prize in this offense. He would easily repeat his career average of 156 targets. Furthermore, he probably beats his career high of 168 and is in contention to lead the league in that category. He will cement himself as a quarterback-proof receiver who will be considered at the top of the first round, not as a consultation prize at the start of the second. A sure win for any fantasy manager who has him on the roster.
The “New”
Whoever is quarterback and the other wide receiver option will be viable late-round assets for your fantasy team and could provide sneaky upside depending on how far they fall. Breece Hall is likely to be drafted where he finishes so won’t disappoint but also won’t have much upside in value. The Jets would utilize Braelon Allen more. Imagine an offense similar to what the Detroit Lions ran with David Montgomery (Allen) Jahmyr Gibbs (Hall) and Amon-Ra St Brown (Wilson).
The missing piece from that offense on the New York Jets would be the tight end. Is Ty Conklin good enough to fill the Sam LaPorta role or do the Jets draft someone early to take that spot? In a top-heavy tight end draft class we could see the Jets walk away from the weekend in Green Bay with Harold Fanning Jr and Luther Burden III. Those two receiving weapons along with Xavier Gipson and Malachi Corely would make for a solid wide receiver group. It might take a few years to get to the Promise Land but for fantasy, they should produce enough points to be roster gold.
