I have seen features in the past few days about the wide receivers for the Jets and Cowboys. Of those two, New York looks a lot more promising.
Dallas released Dez Bryant, and what’s left is an unheralded grab bag – Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley and Noah Brown are back, they signed Allen Hurn and Deonte Thompson, and they drafted Michael Gallup. They traded for Tavon Austin, but he was underwhelming with the Rams. Anybody?
With the Jets, there has at least been some on-field production recently. Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse were solid last year, and Quincy Enunwa and Terrelle Pryor were good in 2016 but are coming off injury-shortened seasons.
An article by Rich Cimini of ESPN suggests Chad Hansen (a fourth-round last year) looks like a receiver who could emerge this year.
"We don't have anybody with a tag that says 'elite receiver,” Jermaine Kearse says. “We don't have any first-rounders or anything like that. No Pro Bowls. But that doesn't mean we can't get the job done. At the end of the day, we're playmakers and that's what we're going to do. I mean, watch the film and you'll find out. You'll just see."
The ESPN article makes the astute observation that the Jets are the only team in the league that currently has four wide receivers who’ve gone over 800 yards in a season. League-wide, 52 receivers have gone over 800 in the last two years, and New York has four of them (though one – Pryor – had his big season while with another team).
I’ve pulled up the list of said receivers. And I’m listing each guy just once, so you don’t see double mentions of guys like DeAndre Hopkins and Antonio Brown. (For each player, I’m showing only his best season, using standard fantasy scoring).
New York’s receivers seem reasonable enough to me. Certainly Robby Anderson has shown good ability to get downfield.
| WIDE RECEIVERS WITH 800-PLUS YARDS (2016-17) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | No | Rec | Avg | TD | 20-10 |
| 2017 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 96 | 1,378 | 14.4 | 13 | 215.8 |
| 2016 | Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 97 | 1,257 | 13.0 | 14 | 209.7 |
| 2017 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 101 | 1,533 | 15.2 | 9 | 209.3 |
| 2016 | Mike Evans, T.B. | 96 | 1,321 | 13.8 | 12 | 208.1 |
| 2016 | Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 101 | 1,367 | 13.5 | 10 | 197.6 |
| 2016 | T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 91 | 1,448 | 15.9 | 6 | 182.8 |
| 2017 | Keenan Allen, LAC | 102 | 1,393 | 13.7 | 7 | 181.3 |
| 2016 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 83 | 1,409 | 17.0 | 6 | 176.9 |
| 2016 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 75 | 997 | 13.3 | 12 | 173.7 |
| 2017 | Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 75 | 1,183 | 15.8 | 8 | 172.2 |
| 2016 | Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 78 | 1,173 | 15.0 | 8 | 168.3 |
| 2016 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 92 | 1,137 | 12.4 | 9 | 167.7 |
| 2017 | Marvin Jones, Det. | 61 | 1,101 | 18.0 | 9 | 164.1 |
| 2016 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 94 | 1,128 | 12.0 | 7 | 159.0 |
| 2017 | A.J. Green, Cin. | 75 | 1,078 | 14.4 | 8 | 155.8 |
| 2017 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 109 | 1,156 | 10.6 | 6 | 153.6 |
| 2017 | Adam Thielen, Minn. | 91 | 1,276 | 14.0 | 4 | 152.7 |
| 2017 | Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 112 | 987 | 8.8 | 9 | 152.0 |
| 2016 | Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 89 | 1,003 | 11.3 | 8 | 150.3 |
| 2016 | Amari Cooper, Oak. | 83 | 1,153 | 13.9 | 5 | 149.3 |
| 2016 | Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 65 | 945 | 14.5 | 9 | 148.5 |
| 2016 | Tyrell Williams, S.D. | 69 | 1,059 | 15.3 | 7 | 147.9 |
| 2016 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 90 | 1,083 | 12.0 | 5 | 140.3 |
| 2017 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 58 | 917 | 15.8 | 8 | 139.7 |
| 2017 | Robby Anderson, NYJ | 63 | 941 | 14.9 | 7 | 137.0 |
| 2016 | Julian Edelman, N.E. | 98 | 1,106 | 11.3 | 3 | 136.3 |
| 2016 | Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 63 | 941 | 14.9 | 7 | 136.1 |
| 2016 | Terrelle Pryor, Clev. | 77 | 1,007 | 13.1 | 5 | 134.8 |
| 2017 | Golden Tate, Det. | 92 | 1,003 | 10.9 | 5 | 134.5 |
| 2017 | Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 64 | 849 | 13.3 | 8 | 134.2 |
| 2016 | Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 79 | 1,032 | 13.1 | 5 | 133.6 |
| 2016 | Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 67 | 847 | 12.6 | 8 | 132.5 |
| 2017 | Devin Funchess, Car. | 63 | 840 | 13.3 | 8 | 132.0 |
| 2016 | Mike Wallace, Balt. | 72 | 1,017 | 14.1 | 4 | 130.8 |
| 2016 | Kenny Britt, L.A. | 68 | 1,002 | 14.7 | 5 | 130.2 |
| 2016 | Allen Robinson, Jac. | 73 | 883 | 12.1 | 6 | 126.3 |
| 2016 | DeSean Jackson, Wash. | 56 | 1,005 | 17.9 | 4 | 124.5 |
| 2016 | Pierre Garcon, Wash. | 79 | 1,041 | 13.2 | 3 | 122.1 |
| 2016 | Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 64 | 862 | 13.5 | 6 | 122.0 |
| 2017 | Kenny Stills, Mia. | 58 | 847 | 14.6 | 6 | 120.7 |
| 2017 | Dez Bryant, Dall. | 69 | 838 | 12.1 | 6 | 119.4 |
| 2016 | Willie Snead, N.O. | 72 | 895 | 12.4 | 4 | 117.5 |
| 2016 | Cameron Meredith, Chi. | 66 | 888 | 13.5 | 4 | 117.4 |
| 2017 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 62 | 869 | 14.0 | 5 | 116.9 |
| 2016 | Marqise Lee, Jac. | 63 | 851 | 13.5 | 4 | 116.6 |
| 2016 | Cole Beasley, Dall. | 75 | 833 | 11.1 | 5 | 114.0 |
| 2017 | Marquise Goodwin, S.F. | 56 | 962 | 17.2 | 2 | 112.6 |
| 2017 | Jermaine Kearse, NYJ | 65 | 810 | 12.5 | 5 | 111.0 |
| 2016 | Quincy Enunwa, NYJ | 58 | 857 | 14.8 | 4 | 110.9 |
| 2016 | Dontrelle Inman, S.D. | 58 | 810 | 14.0 | 4 | 105.0 |
| 2016 | Jordan Matthews, Phil. | 73 | 804 | 11.0 | 3 | 98.4 |
| 2016 | Alshon Jeffery, Chi. | 52 | 821 | 15.8 | 2 | 94.1 |
—Ian Allan