Tag Archives: New York Jets

Jets Top Wide Receiver Quincy Enunwa Out For Season

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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.

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.

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Browns Potentially Improve Defense in Trade For Safety Calvin Pryor

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The New York Jets continue to make up for past mistakes, while the Cleveland Browns keep kicking tires to see what sticks. Both sides lived up to their new mantras on Thursday, when the Jets handed over star safety Calvin Pryor in a trade for Cleveland linebacker, Demario Davis:

New York had long been threatening to move on from Pryor, who entered the league as a hard-hitting playmaker but disappointed when it came to high expectations and also struggled in coverage. The writing was officially on the wall when the Jets spent two draft picks on the safety position in the 2017 NFL Draft, making the 24-year old Pryor expendable. The deal brings back former Jet Demario Davis, who spent his first four years in the NFL with the Jets before signing with the Browns ahead of last season.

Good Deal For Both Sides

On the surface this trade doesn’t register as an offseason blockbuster deal, but it’s bigger than some NFL fans may initially think. Pryor was a big time prospect coming out of Louisville, as he’s always shown the ability to lay hard licks on receivers over the middle of the field and in theory can provide his defense with strong run support and an impact ball hawk secondary. Pryor really never lived up to expectations in either category, but used in the right setting with a Browns defense that added a ton of talent in free agency and the draft, there is a reasonable chance to could actually thrive.

It’s worth wondering how much anyone can get out of a guy who failed to deliver under two bright defensive minds like Rex Ryan and Todd Bowles, but Pryor is still just 24 and has the ability to further develop with the change of scenery. More importantly, it’s quite likely he will be used differently in Cleveland than he was in New York. Precisely how remains to be seen, but with the Browns drafting star safety Jabrill Peppers out of Michigan, the team could be looking for the right mix of talent at the back of their pass defense.

While Pryor could end up being a great fit for the Browns if all goes well, Davis returns to his old stomping grounds in this same trade. Davis was solid enough in his lone season with the Browns, and will come back to New York starting out as a rotational piece. Davis projects best on the inside of New York’s 3-4, but with David Harris and Darron Lee both likely operating ahead of him, it could be difficult to point out an obvious role for him initially.

That may be the case at first, but the Jets will certainly find a way to use a talented linebacker who knows their system and has shown well in the past. Davis isn’t a stud by any means, but he’s been more than passable and is a solid depth pickup considering Pryor was a player the Jets were probably eventually going to release for nothing.

Playoff Impact?

At first glance, this trade does very little for either side when it comes to Super Bowl odds or playoff expectations. The Jets are likely headed in the wrong direction after struggling in 2016, while the Browns really have nowhere to go but up after handing in an awful 1-15 run a year ago. The Browns are on their way to improving, however, as they drafted huge defensive assets in Myles Garrett and Jabrill Peppers and could potentially get some help from the hard-hitting Pryor if all goes well.

Neither team deserves a Super Bowl flier bet right now and betting on the Jets or Browns to make the playoffs doesn’t feel like a great bet, either. There could be money to be made if you feel either team is in the upward swing, however, as the Browns have a projected win Over/Under at 4.5 and the Jets enter 2017 with a projected win Over/Under at 5. Both teams remain solid bets to stick the Under in these bets over at Bovada, but Cleveland is the one adding talent in spades right now. They play in a tough AFC North division and have to deal with three viable playoff contenders in the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, but with added talent and a lower win total, they might make the better bet between these two bottom feeders.

Of course, even that bet feels like a mild reach, as these teams still aren’t good and won’t be contending for anything of merit in 2017. The Calvin Pryor trade could be a nice get for the Browns down the road, but it’s unlikely to translate into a big boost in wins in year one.

Week 2 Thursday Night Football Preview: Odds, Pick and Daily Fantasy Football Advice

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Thursday Night Football returns in week two, as the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets will wage war in an AFC East battle in Buffalo on Thursday night.

At first glance, this is a game where daily fantasy football hopes and dreams go to die, as both teams wield strong defenses, good coaching and will probably be playing things close to the chest against a bitter rival. Adding to the intrigue is a less than 100% Sammy Watkins (foot) and the fact that both of these teams lost a week ago.

Jets vs. Bills Betting

Combine a heated rivalry game with a borderline must-win situation and we likely have ourselves a defensive battle. Bovada figures as much, as tonight’s game is projected to be low-scoring (41 Total) and no one really wants to pick a side (Jets are “favored” with -1.5 spread).

If you plan on betting on this game, we wish you luck. The weak spread makes this virtually a pick’em game and you truly can go back and forth as to which team seems to have the edge. Buffalo might have the more complete defense right now, seeing as they held the Ravens to just 13 points in a road loss in week one. They’re keeping things together even though big man Marcell Dareus is suspended for four games to start the year.

Offensively, the Bills were severely challenged in week one. LeSean McCoy was their lone bright spot, the aforementioned Watkins looked hobbled and Tyrod Taylor couldn’t get anything going. If the Bills are going to win tonight, Taylor naturally needs to be better, but the odds are Shady will need to come up with some big plays and the defense will have to be just as good for a second week in a row.

For the Jets, they have a stacked offense with stars like Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker just waiting to sound off. It’s tough to imagine them busting out in this matchup on the road, but craziers things have happened. Defensively, New York cannot be run on, while their passing defense struggled mightily a week ago.

One other aspect to consider here is the revenge game: Rex Ryan faces his old Jets squad and Ryan Fitzpatrick looks to take down his old Bills team. Odds are the rage and determination of those two lost souls cancels out, but both deserve to be noted. Then again, perhaps the revenge narrative should be cast out to sea, seeing as Tyrod Taylor and Ryan both had reason to deal out payback to Baltimore last week and failed miserably.

If we have to pick a side, we reluctantly go with the Bills. They’re at home, their defense was more impressive in week one and Ryan can’t allow a loss to his former team. That, and Ryan Fitzpatrick was awful against this defense the last time he saw them.

That being said, picking this game straight up or ATS isn’t the way to go. The real path is to bet the Under on the Total. These two teams didn’t even combine for 30 points a week ago, so it’s going to be hard to buy them delivering a shootout on a short week.

TNF Fantasy Help

The other aspect of tonight’s TNF game is what fun finds you can uncover in daily fantasy football – or even just your season long fantasy football leagues. They’re two different worlds, so let’s approach them as such.

Season Long Advice

This is most certainly a game to avoid. Obviously if you can’t help it, you should probably play your normal studs like the guys we already touched on, as well as the quarterbacks and maybe even Sammy Watkins. Not a one of these guys are locks to pay off, however, especially considering most of them were duds a week ago and things only get uglier tonight.

Two guys that stand out above the rest, though, are Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte. Forte has a huge role and especially in PPR formats is going to be just fine. Buffalo’s run defense is good but he didn’t even score last week and was a total monster. He should be one of the top plays in this game. Marshall was awful last week, so I expect a decent bounce back game. The matchup isn’t great, but he’s not the type of guy you bet against in back to back weeks.

There are not a ton of sleepers here for season long purposes. You’re either taking a chance with your normal big name guys here, or you’re fading this game and never looking back.

DFS Insight

Quite honestly, the case is very much the same in the daily fantasy football community. That being said, Forte, Marshall and Eric Decker are all very much in play and as we’ve learned, we need to consider other guys that could be even extra contrarian.

That may keep Shady in play, while both quarterbacks could be worthy GPP tries. If Sammy Watkins suits up, he wouldn’t be a bad try against a Jets pass defense that got absolutely torched last week. Just don’t get upset if he bombs, seeing as he’s operating on one foot these days.

The Watkins injury is what could really open the door for a sleeper in this one. If he’s out or limited, Robert Woods could be a really sneaky play. He was the only other Bills receiver to do anything last week, after all. Buffalo tight end Charles Clay is also banged up, but he figures to start and could have an ehanced role with Watkins not being himself.

This turns us back to McCoy, who probably won’t do much on the ground against a stout Jets run defense, but could be more active than usual as a receiver out of the backfield. He had four receptions last week and doubling that wouldn’t be that insane in this game.

Over in New York, there just isn’t much sleeper appeal beyond the big names. Bilal Powell has a mild role but is way too risky to try even in DFS, Quincy Enunwa was a fun week one surprise and seems to have the #3 role locked down and this team pretty much doesn’t have a tight end. Enunwa is the only guy there to gamble with, but after showing well last week, he probably regresses a bit in week two.

With all this said, both defenses are very much in play at DFS sites like DraftKings. Buffalo is at home and fared slightly better last week, and as our projected winner, they figure to be the superior play again.

Overall, this just is not a game we’d suggest betting on or stacking in fantasy football. This will likely be a boring slug-fest with 30-35 total points. Enjoy.

Are New York Jets Super Bowl Contenders With Ryan Fitzpatrick Back?

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The drama is finally over. The New York Jets have their quarterback back, as the team and veteran gunslinger Ryan Fitzpatrick have agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal. The two sides were at a stalemate for the entire off-season, with the Jets looking for as much bang for their buck as they could get and Fitzpatrick demanding he be treated like a high-level NFL passer.

Drama Over

Fitzpatrick and Gang Green ultimately compromised, with Fitzpatrick earning solid starter money over the next season, but giving up security that could have come with a long-term deal. Fitzpatrick opted to “bet” on himself, suggesting he believes his strong 2015 showing was no fluke, and that he could be in for similar production in 2016.

The Jets will certainly hope that is the case, as Fitzpatrick was borderline elite in his first season with the team last year, piling on a career-high 31 touchdowns and over 3,900 passing yards en route to a 10-6 finish. Fitzpatrick did flame out to close the season, however, as New York lost in week 17 with a shot at the playoffs on the line.

Repeat Production?

One reason the Jets didn’t want to invest heavily in Fitzpatrick is because of the young talent they’re grooming under center. The team drafted Bryce Petty out of Baylor last year and further invested in the position by drafting Christian Hackenberg out of Penn State in this year’s NFL Draft.

Neither quarterback is close to running a quality offense, however, so New York’s hardball seemed to be counter intuitive in the end.

Of course, even with New York’s options appearing limited, there are serious questions surrounding Fitzpatrick’s past history and whether or not he can continue to improve inside New York’s offense. He certainly won’t be without a plethora of options, as Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker thrived around him in the passing game last year, while the Jets’ ground attack arguably improved with the addition of former Chicago Bears star rusher, Matt Forte.

On paper, bringing back Fitzpatrick was the missing piece to a team that was on the brink of post-season play in 2015 and could now be ready to take the next step.

Whether or not Fitzpatrick is the guy to help them get there, of course, is highly debatable. As solid as Fitzpatrick has been during his 11-year pro career, he’s never lifted a team enough to reach the playoffs.

New York’s 2016 Odds

The Jets did the right thing by brining Fitzpatrick back – for a couple of reasons. For one, they didn’t have a better option on their roster. As mediocre as Fitzpatrick can be at times, he brings some upside to the offense that Geno Smith and New York’s two younger passers simply don’t. He knows the offense the best, Marshall and Decker rally around him and if he’d played a little better in the season finale, he could have gotten the Jets to the playoffs.

Truth be told, Fitzpatrick had arguably the best season of any Jets quarterback ever. His touchdowns went for the most in franchise history, while his passing yardage went for second best, all-time.

Stats alone won’t get the job done, but Fitzpatrick played well for much of the year and overall ran the offense very well. Because of that, there is no reason to think the Jets can’t be as good – if not better – with him back in the saddle. Vegas seems to agree, with Bovada giving the Jets decent Super Bowl odds (+5000). Those odds could even increase with Fitzpatrick back.

New York could also be in contention to snag the AFC East division title, as Tom Brady will start 2016 with a four-game ban and the Patriots could be vulnerable.

Whether the Jets make the playoffs or give the Super Bowl a go or not, they made a move they absolutely had to. Fitzpatrick is back and the Jets remain on the radar for their division title and a playoff spot. If Forte can be a big addition and the defense can be as good as it was a year ago, a deep playoff run isn’t out of the question.

Why the New York Jets Should Take a Chance on Nick Foles

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The Los Angeles Rams finally pulled the plug on failed experiment Nick Foles, announcing on Wednesday that they would be releasing the quarterback they once traded for. Foles was initially traded for in return for former #1 overall pick Sam Bradford, but flamed out in just one season with the Rams.

Botched Deal

Foles had already lost his starting job before the end of his lone season with the team in 2015, but was made extra expendable with the selection of California product Jared Goff with the first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. The Rams opted to wait on cutting Foles loose in an effort to drum up trade interest, but found no willing takers.

The move makes good sense for the Rams based on the health of the position, but it’s still a costly one. Los Angeles traded for Foles thinking they were getting a stable and competent upgrade over the often injured Bradford, but instead got an inaccurate, erratic turnover machine. Foles lasted just 11 games as the starter in 2015, putting up a weak 56% completion rate and just seven touchdowns against 12 turnovers.

Still Some Value

While Foles clearly didn’t work out with the Rams, there is still an argument he has value in the NFL. Still just 27 years old, Foles has a penchant for the deep ball and when he has time to throw, has displayed sound pocket ability.

More importantly, Foles exhibited the ability to make big plays down the field while with the Philadelphia Eagles, when he accounted for 40 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards as the starter for most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. There are doubts that Foles can regain that magic, but the size and arm talent exists for the right system and coaching staff to still pry good production out of the former Arizona quarterback.

Interested Parties

The quarterback market has dried up quickly in the past few months, largely due to many quarterback-needy teams swinging trades or drafting fresh talent in this year’s draft. Still, several teams could use a suitable backup, a position Foles could definitely fulfill at a high level at this stage in his career.

It’s worth wondering if Foles has the consistency and decision-making to turn his career around as a weekly NFL starter, but two teams could be desperate enough to find out.

The New York Jets and Denver Broncos are both still without a steady starter, as the Jets are still playing hardball with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Denver lost Peyton Manning (retirement) and Brock Osweiler (free agency) this offseason.

It’s debatable if Foles is an improvement over Geno Smith or Mark Sanchez at this point, but both teams would at least be bringing in a talented and experienced arm to push their current starters. For New York, such a move would likely nix the need to pay an aging Fitzpatrick, as well.

The same goes for Denver, who did draft the talented Paxton Lynch to be the future of the franchise under center, but Sanchez and a middling Trevor Siemian don’t exactly promote a ton of confidence in the Broncos’ offense.

Foles might not, either, but he may offer both teams the upside they currently lack, while also coming at a solid discount.

There is also the possibility Foles has accepted his regression in the league and at this point wouldn’t mind taking a comfortable backup position with the right club. After all, if Foles can sit and learn a new system and rediscover his former magic, he could soon be an injury away from seeing the field on a good team. Teams like the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants could be appealing to Foles, should they show interest.

Nick Foles Prediction

Ultimately, Foles is still in his prime, not that far removed from quality production and personally probably still feels he’s a starter in the NFL. Whether or not that is true, some team is bound to give him a shot to compete for a top backup gig or even start. The Broncos and Jets are front and center to give that opportunity and at the very worst, Foles’ release puts serious pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick to make a decision.

If the Jets act fast, they can save money and grab a guy in Foles that can come in and compete with Geno Smith and youngsters Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty right away. He may not be the answer under center, but it could be the right move for the Jets at the right time.