2 Jets training camp battles fantasy football managers must have their eye on

The New York Jets are not going to win the Super Bowl this season. Optimism is the word throughout the 32 NFL training camps and every team has hope of a memorable season. However, championship dreams will disappear as the days remaining in training camp dwindle, and once regular-season games are played, reality will set in.

The Jets have finished in last place seven times since the start of the 2016 season and they have not been a playoff team since 2010. Head coach Aaron Glenn would never admit it publicly, but he would be better off in his old position as the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions than he is as he enters his second season as head coach of the Jets.

There are problems on both sides of the ball for the Jets, but the issues on offense are far more significant than the ones on defense.

Start with quarterback Geno Smith. He is certainly a far more talented passer than Justin Fields was for the Jets and he can throw a beautiful ball when his offensive line gives him time. That will be one of the issues facing the Jets this season as the interior members on the offensive line are not as talented or as effective as left tackle Olu Fashanu and right tackle Armand Membou.

Even if Smith gets ideal protection this season, he is going to take chances. Too many chances and those often result in interceptions.

Smith threw a league-worst 17 interceptions in his 15 starts last year for the Las Vegas Raiders. While he was much more effective the year before for the Seattle Seahawks, he still threw 15 interceptions for that team. Jets fans need to prepare themselves for a season in which their quarterback makes too many risky throws that often result in game-changing turnovers.

Smith’s position as QB1 is secure, but receivers must step up

Despite his tendency to put the ball at risk and make questionable throws at the wrong moment, Smith is the team’s starting quarterback and he will remain the starter as long as he remains healthy. Backup quarterbacks are often lauded on troubled teams, and that is certainly the case with fourth-round draft pick Cade Klubnik, but it’s clear that Smith does not have to worry about his understudy.

The tight end position features one of the most notable battles that fantasy football general managers want to follow closely. Second-year tight end Mason Taylor is supposed to be challenged by first-round draft choice Kenyon Sadiq, but the position appears to belong to Taylor.

Sadiq has not recovered from his offseason hernia surgery and that means he hasn’t been able to show off his remarkable speed and athletic ability. Glenn believes that Sadiq should be ready to contribute when the Jets line up against the Tennessee Titans on the road in Week 1, but Taylor will be the man throughout the first part of the season.

Taylor has very solid credentials as he caught 44 passes for 369 yards and 1 touchdown as a rookie with a substandard quarterback throwing him the ball. He should be far more productive with Smith under center. This could make Taylor a viable middle- to late-round selection in upcoming fantasy football drafts.

Wilson needs to become a dominant star

There’s little doubt that the Jets have big needs at the wide receiver position. It looks like Adonai Mitchell, Omar Cooper Jr., Tim Patrick and Isaiah Williams are all going to have a chance to figure in the Jets’ passing game, but it is up to Garrett Wilson to step up and dominate this season.

He was limited to 7 games last year by a pair of knee injuries — neither of which required surgery — and his production was limited. He caught just 36 of 59 targets for 395 yards and 4 TDs.

The Jets need him to get back to the level he was at during his first three years when he exceeded 1,000 yards in each of those seasons. He had his best season 2024 when he caught 101-1,104-7. He believes the Jets will have a new look this year and that the team’s defeatist nature is a thing of the past.

“There’s certain guys that just don’t have any past association with the blunders of the (recent) past,” Wilson said, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. “Because of that, they’re bringing a winning mindset, a winning energy that young guys can latch onto and get a better idea of what it takes to win at that level.”

Wilson is going to face double-coverage on an every-game basis until one or more of the other receivers can step up and show they can be game breakers. It could Sadiq when he is fully healthy. But until that time, it will be up to Wilson to step up and deliver on an every-week basis.

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