Before last Sunday, I thought there was a great possibility that the 2012 New York Jets could have the worst combined fantasy football prospects in the entire league? And why not? Gang Green was coming off a preseason in which their starters didn't score a touchdown, with a shoddy offensive line and one proven receiver. And oh yeah, there was that whole Mark Sanchez/Tim Tebow quarterback controversy thing.
Well after Week 1, the Jets looked like fantasy all stars. Those unproven receivers, Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley combined for four touchdowns. Embattled running back Shonn Greene racked up over 90 yards (on 27 carries but shhh...that doesn't matter in fantasy) and found the end zone in garbage time. Even Sanchez was one of the top fantasy QBs with a completel 266 yard, three touchdown performance. Much like the Jets' in actual football, the fantasy Jets shocked everyone in Week 1.
But now Week 2 provides a much more stern test as the Jets travel to Pittsburgh for a date with the Steelers. As you prepare your fantasy team for Week 2, here's what you should do with any Jets you have on your roster.
Start
Santonio Holmes - WR: Holmes is going back to his old stomping grounds, and while he didn't reach the end zone in Week 1, he caught 4 balls for over 60 yards. He also nearly hauled in what would have been a highlight-reel touchdown grab, so it looks like the Jets are trying to make a more concerted effort in finding him consistently. He's a solid WR2 or flex play.
Shonn Greene - RB: Expect this to be a pretty close, defensive battle, which means Greene should get a lot of carries. He has to do a better job of holding onto the ball and he was lucky to not lose either of his two fumbles last week, but he's unquestionably the Jets' top back without much competition from Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight. His biggest competition for carries this week might be Tebow, oddly enough.
Jets Defense/Special Teams: The Steelers' offensive line allowed five sacks last week to the Broncos. The Jets don't have as dynamic a defensive front as Denver, but expect Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine to make a conerted effort to get to Ben Roethlisberger. While historically the Jets don't have a ton of success against Pittsburgh, they've always kept Roethlisberger in check.
Nick Folk - K: I thought last week was a good time to play Folk because I thought it would be a close, defensive battle where the Jets would have trouble getting in the end zone. That didn't happen last week, but I think it'll happen on Sunday.
Sit
Mark Sanchez - QB: Sanchez looked great in Week 1, but there are still too many top fantasy quarterbacks that you'd rather have unless you're in some sort of really deep league. He's solid as a bye-week play, but this early in the season, I'd pass.
Stephen Hill - WR: Hill was so good in his pro debut last week, but I wouldn't expect the Steelers to leave him as free as Buffalo did. Hill did struggle in the preseason, and what separates the top players from the rest is that they can perform at a high level week in and week out. Maybe Hill will be that type of guy, but you need to see him do it for a few weeks in a row in order for him to be a slam dunk start.
Jeremy Kerley - WR: Essentially the same thing can be said about Kerley in terms of consistency. We still need to get a long-term idea of what this Jets offense is really like before we think about starting their 3rd wide receiver in fantasy.
Dustin Keller - TE: Keller only had one catch last week. Unless you're in a really deep league, you can probably find a better option somewhere in the league.