Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 10th at 9:30 AM ET
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Betting Odds: ATL -3.5, 46 Total on Oddsshark
Network: NFLN
New York Jets
Quarterback
Zach Wilson (Sit)
It is fair to say that Zach Wilson has already had plenty of ups and downs during his short time in the league, but week 4 was by far his best performance yet. Sure, there were still some accuracy issues and a few rookie mistakes, but he was successful in leading his young team to their first win of the year and showed bags of potential. With some added momentum, Wilson will hope to build on his performance in London against a lackluster Falcons defense. The Falcons have given up the 3rd most fantasy points to QBs so far this year and have given up over 30 points to teams in 3 of their last 4 games. With a bit of luck, this has the potential to be a breakout game for Wilson in fantasy, but it is always risky to start a rookie QB, and particularly one with 8 INTs already this season. There should probably be a better option for you to start.
Running Backs
Michael Carter (Sit), Ty Johnson (Sit), Tevin Coleman (Sit)
The Jets’ running back committee has been extremely disappointing four weeks into the season, only rushing for 306 yards as a team. A large part of this is due to a liquid offensive line, but none of the backs in the system have shown that they have anything particularly special to offer. Rookie Michael Carter has seemed to establish himself as the top option going into this game, being involved in over half the offensive snaps against the Titans and scoring his first NFL touchdown to put together respectable fantasy numbers. That said, a closer look at his statistics this year shows plenty of red flags. The Titans matchup was his third game under 3 yards per carry and his 3 targets in the passing game led to just one catch for -4 yards, not the numbers of someone you should feel comfortable starting in fantasy. While Carter has potential to shine if the Jets ground game gets going, there haven’t been any signs so far that it is likely.
The Jets will also utilize Ty Johnson and Tevin Coleman in their backfield, but neither has made much of an impression early in the year. Johnson is probably the more exciting of the two, being given plenty of targets in the passing game, but the Titans game was a pretty big dud for him, rushing for just a single yard in 3 attempts. Coleman has had an even smaller impact, and many will be questioning if he is past his expiration date as a running back.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Corey Davis (Start, WR2), Jamison Crowder (Start, Flex), Keelan Cole (Sit), Tyler Kroft (Sit)
By this point, it is very clear that Corey Davis is Zach Wilson’s favourite target, sometimes even to a fault for this New York offense. Davis has already received 29 targets so far this year and had an excellent performance against the Titans that translated to his second 20+ fantasy point game. Davis is currently sitting at WR20 in PPR and should only climb those ranks because of his high volume in the Jets offense. What is particularly impressive is his red zone numbers, as Davis is responsible for 3 of the 4 passing TDs for the Jets this season. He only needs 2 more to equal his career-best and you should not be surprised if he manages that in the next few games.
After missing the first 3 games of the year, Jamison Crowder had a big day against the Titans. The veteran slot receiver had 7 catches for 61 yards and pulled in the 2nd Jets TD of the day. It is a very positive sign for his fantasy viability over the rest of the season, particularly in PPR. If he can continue to keep this high rate of catches, Crowder could be a player to confidently start in the Flex each week, but a lot still is dependent on the performances of the rookie signal-caller.
Offseason acquisition Keelan Cole was another who had a good day against the Titans, bringing in 92 receiving yards overall. He will see plenty of snaps each week for the Jets, but it is unlikely he can consistently put up big numbers. Cole has never finished higher than WR48 in PPR leagues, and I wouldn’t expect this year to be any different.
The Jets have had almost zero production from their tight end group. Tyler Kroft is usually their number one option but, even while playing 75% of offensive snaps, the veteran only received 1 target and failed to bring it in against the Titans. He also suffered a minor rib injury which could limit his playing time in week 5.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Matt Ryan (Start, QB2)
You have got to feel sorry for Matt Ryan at this point. Pretty much regardless of how well he plays, the Falcons almost always find a way to lose the game regardless. Last week was no different, with Ryan scoring 4 TDs and having a QB rating of 111 but still suffering an ugly late loss to the Washington Football Team. That said, the result does not really matter in fantasy and Ryan still put up some great fantasy numbers last week. Despite the Falcons offense being a pretty huge disappointment so far this year, the veteran QB has already established a solid floor of points from week to week and that game showed he can still have a high ceiling. However, while Washington has given up the most points to QBs in fantasy this year, the Jets, surprisingly, have given up the 5th fewest so it could be a tougher week for Ryan in London, particularly with a Jets pass rush that collected 7 sacks against the Titans a week ago.
Running Backs
Mike Davis (Start, RB2), Cordarrelle Patterson (Start, FLEX)
While the Jets have been strong against the pass, they have given up plenty of ground against rushers, which gives Mike Davis a good opportunity to have a bounceback game. Davis has been a mediocre option in fantasy so far, putting up between 10 and 13.5 points in each game this year, but the London game gives him a good chance to show a higher level. An encouraging sign for the veteran is that he is getting plenty of involvement in the passing game, with 16 catches already in a young season. The Jets have already given up 288 receiving yards to RBs, which is a very positive sign for Davis.
Who would have thought that Cordarrelle Patterson would be the third-highest scoring RB in fantasy going into week 5? Okay, let’s be fair he isn’t really a running back but, on many platforms, he has been given the blessed RB/WR flex position that gives him increased versatility in fantasy. Still, Patterson has gotten good volume out of both rushing and passing and scored 3 TDs against Washington to put his fantasy numbers into the stratosphere. Is Patterson going to keep up this pace for the rest of the year? Undoubtedly no, but his playstyle fits perfectly against the weaknesses of the Jets defense so there is still a chance for another strong showing this week. You can’t blame someone who is hesitant to start Patterson in fantasy even after his incredible first four weeks, but just maybe Arthur Smith has turned him into the sort of weapon that was always expected of him.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Calvin Ridley (Start, WR2), Kyle Pitts (Start, TE2), Hayden Hurst (Sit)
Given all the hype that Calvin Ridley received going into the new season, he has not really delivered. He has by no means been bad, scoring at least 10 points in each of his four games, but has not reached the kind of levels that many were expecting after the departure of Julio Jones. He is always a good start as the key weapon in the offense, with high numbers of snaps and targets, but a lot of owners are still waiting for the explosive game to really solidify him as a WR1. The Jets have given up the 3rd lowest amount of fantasy points to WRs but are bringing out a very inexperienced secondary that has the potential to be exploited by Ridley. Watch this space.
We have all got to agree that the expectations on Kyle Pitts were a little too high. He still might be a “generational talent”, but expecting a TE to put up huge numbers so early into his career is always a mistake. Pitts will still always be a big part of this offense, but his red zone involvement has been worrying and he has spent so long being double-teamed by defenses that it would take a massive effort for him to put up big numbers. If you took Pitts early on in the draft you might not have many better options so you can’t be blamed for starting him, but if you have any other good options you should be giving them serious consideration, Pitts is very much on the boundary of sit/start.
Outside of those two (and Patterson), the Falcons lack any other significant fantasy receiving options. Russell Gage has missed the last two games and will be questionable to travel to London while Olamide Zaccheaus has spent plenty of time on the field without really having much of an impact. Tight end Hayden Hurst looked promising in 2020 but has had so much of his work cut into by Pitts that he is no longer much of an asset in fantasy.
Statistics courtesy of Fantasy Data.
-Patrick McAndrew (@PMcAndrewNFL on Twitter)