The New York Jets weren’t projected to be very good in 2017 and that was largely by design. After a borderline playoff team stumbled out of the gates and finished at the bottom of the AFC East in 2016, the front office decided to strip a competitive team and start over.

That led to the departure of a number of big name veterans, with Ryan Fitzpatrick fleeing to Tampa Bay and the team cutting ties with guys like Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. The loss of the latter two opened the door to a number one receiver role for Quincy Enunwa, which was slated to be one bright spot in a team building from the ground up.

Even that won’t work out as planned.

Big Loss

Per reports, Enunwa’s 2017 season is ending before it ever officially got going. New York’s would-be #1 wide receiver was originally expected to miss 6-9 weeks due to a bulging disc in his neck, but upon further review, the Jets opted to shut down their passing game’s top weapon for the entire year.

Big loss: Jets are placing WR Quincy Enunwa on injured reserve with a neck injury, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 7, 2017

Enunwa reportedly suffered a neck injury during the team’s practice on Saturday night. Enunwa impressed in his third eason in 2016, racking up 857 yards and 4 touchdowns on 58 receptions. Primed for a huge role, Enunwa gives way to number two wide receiver Robby Anderson and it’s possible his playing career could be in doubt.

Next Man Up

There’s no denying the fact that the Jets were already strapped for talent and not expected to make much noise as a whole in 2017. Afer all, this is a team that is set to enter 2017 with absurd +30000 odds to make a run at Super Bowl 52.

Obviously that wasn’t happening before this injury, but Enunwa going down makes the Jets a weaker bet across the board. Enunwa’s injury also specifically hurts the passing game, which was going to be held back by shaky quarterback play to begin with, but also had to break in a new top target. They’ll have to do it again, with Robby Anderson likely ascending the ladder to be New York’s top target.

The trickle down effect only goes further, too, as the rebuilding Jets may have to turn to Charone Peake and ArDarius Stewart for bigger roles. That isn’t music to New York fan’s ears, but it’s the situation the Jets find themselves in.

Betting on Jets

Most people will brush this news off as a minor impact on 2017 NFL betting, but it actually takes the Jets from being a mild threat in some spots to being a total cakewalk for most opponents. That was probably going to be the case regardless, but you get the idea.

New York already looked like an impossible upset pick going into their week one showdown with the Buffalo Bills, but without their top receiver, a +7 spread feels insurmountable. Betting on the Jets beyond a weekly dart throw feels silly, too, as New York holds poor odds (+5000) to claim the AFC East. Of course, there is one bet we should see a lot more action on – New York’s projected win total.

That should be one of the top bets we chase at NFL betting sites like Bovada, considering it seems to be about as safe as it gets. The value isn’t through the roof (-200), but the Jets were 5-11 a year ago and seem to have gotten significantly worse. This bet only returns $250 for every $500 put up, but it’s one of many safe “grind it out” season bets we should be targeting. After all, even if the Jets get to 4-12, you still win if you bet the Under.

Betting talk aside, the loss of Enunwa is big and also quite unfortunate. New York had a budding star on their hands, and instead of watching him develop with the rest of their youth movement, they may have to worry about his career being derailed completely. It does mean good fortune for the receivers behind him, but ultimately this news should work against New York getting wins in 2017. As NFL betting enthusiasts, we should target Jets opponents moving forward – especially when the matchup presents serious value.