Fantasy Football Team Preview: Jets

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the ...
Offense in transition. With a new head coach along with rookies at quarterback and time-sharing running back, the best work of the Jets' offense will be in 2010 and beyond. They'll look to win with defense and taking care of the football in 2009, and you know that doesn't bode well when it comes to garnering massive amounts of fantasy points.

There are finds to be had on any team, but no Jets should be taken in the first three rounds of your draft -- and that's being conservative.

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The Breakout
There's very little separation between the three running backs, but I like Shonn Greene to emerge. As we already said, the Jets offense is looking to the future, with Sanchez at quarterback and a young group of receivers. Both Leon Washington and Thomas Jones have expressed frustration with their current contracts at different points this offseason and the new administration wouldn't have drafted Green unless they really believed he was special. There's still a three-headed monster here, but Green easily has the most long-term potential out of the three.

The Bust
Mark Sanchez will likely become a quality NFL quarterback at some point, but the odds of him emerging as a good fantasy option this season are not great at all. Due to the fact that he went to USC, got drafted by a New York team, and has been making the national rounds in the spotlight, his name is going to carry tons more ilk than his production in 2009. Plus, there will be those who look to Matt Ryan's success as a rookie to justify why Sanchez can be so successful as a rookie. He hasn't even beaten out Kellen Clemens for the job yet -- though I'm compelled to note I believe he will. There are about 30 quarterbacks I'd rather have this year. What do you want to bet he gets drafted way higher than that in nearly every fantasy draft?

The Depth Chart
QB1 - Mark Sanchez
QB2 - Kellen Clemens
RB1 - Thomas Jones
RB2 - Leon Washington
RB3 - Shonn Greene
WR1 - Jerricho Cotchery
WR2 - Chansi Stuckey
WR3 - David Clowney
WR4 - Brad Smith
TE1 - Dustin Keller
K - Jay Feely

The D/ST
The Jets were a great fantasy defense in 2008, finishing as high as third in some scoring formats. They finished seventh in sacks and eighth in takeaways. Add in the explosive return game provided by Washington and seven defensive touchdowns, and they did it all. Heading into 2009, though, expectations are even more ramped up. New head coach Rex Ryan is a defensive guru. The Jets also added Bart Scott and Lito Sheppard. There is also talk about how much Vernon Gholston -- the 2008 first-round draft pick who had a subpar rookie campaign -- will grow with the presence of Scott and tutelage of Ryan.

Really, nothing bad has been said about the Jets fantasy D/ST at all. I'm worried they'll get too much hype and be selected too high, actually. Look at their schedule. Here's a sampling of the good offenses they face: Houston, New England (twice), Miami (twice), New Orleans, Atlanta, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. The Carolina Panthers aren't too shabby, either, and the Bills -- who the Jets play twice -- have added Terrell Owens.

Also, Calvin Pace has now been suspended for four games.

Look, they are still a D/ST1, but don't get too focused on the first paragraph above without considering the second one. Being a bust is based more upon draft slot than production. If the Jets go in the top three, they'll probably be a bust.

The Skinny
• Jones and Washington are going to be very unpredictable picks. With a new coaching staff, Greene's presence, Jones' age and Washington's lack of every-down size, the mix of the three is a complete unknown until they start playing games. Jones will be 31 and he's coming off a 13-touchdown season on the ground. He averaged less than six in the previous four campaigns. Washington had 803 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns. He makes the most of his touches, but he won't see an increase in touches with Greene now in the mix.

• Keller quickly became a solid tight end in his rookie season and will continue to grow. After the elite options are off the board, he's a good value selection.

• Cotchery took a huge step backward last season, and that was with an experienced -- incredibly experienced -- passer at the helm. Sanchez-to-Cotchery will eventually be a very solid combination, but don't expect it to happen until the midpoint of this season.

• Stuckey has a chance to be a good value pick, but he's gotta go awfully late. He only had 32 catches for 359 yards and three scores last season.

• Clowney has lots of talent but has reportedly thus far disappointed in offseason activities.

As I alluded to in the intro, though, the most successful fantasy football teams won't be chock full of Jets in 2009.