NEW YORK JETS
• Inside the Locker Room
With Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News
Can Shonn Greene handle being a workhorse feature back?
The Jets coaching staff firmly believes that the physical Greene will be the centerpiece of the team’s ground-and-pound attack. LaDainian Tomlinson, the team’s leading rusher a year ago, will transition into a third down role to pave the way for Greene, who could consistently get 18-20 carries each week. He proved last season that he could remain healthy from start to finish, but the expected heavier workload (250-275 carries) will surely test his bruising style.
Who has more fantasy upside — Mark Sanchez or Dustin Keller?
Keller, the fourth-year tight end, is coming off career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He thrived when Holmes was out for the first month of the season due to suspension. Keller, a matchup nightmare for smaller safeties and slower linebackers, averaged five catches for 64 yards and scored five touchdowns during that four-game stretch. Sanchez has proven he can win big games, but don't expect him to air it out consistently from week to week.
How would you rate the Jets defense, from a fantasy standpoint?
Thanks to Rex Ryan’s exotic blitz packages, the Jets unit will remain one of the top-five fantasy defenses in 2011. An injection of youth along the defensive line should bolster sack totals. Ryan’s ball-hawking philosophy produced an AFC-best 18 fumble recoveries last year. That won’t change.
• Fantasy Playoff Run — Weeks 14-16: KC, @PHI, NYG
The Chiefs, the Jets’ Week 14 opponent, were middle of the road against basically all positions. The Eagles, however, gave up the eighth-most points to QBs (19.6 ppg) and the most points to TEs (12.4 ppg). Expect little on the ground in your title game with Jets players, but the Giants gave up 18.0 points per game to the QBs and 26.3 to WRs.
• Athlon Best Bets
Sleeper: Plaxico Burress, WR
Deep-Sleeper: Joe McKnight, RB
Overvalued: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB
Top Rookie: Scotty McKnight, WR
Bounce-Back: Shonn Greene, RB
Top IDP: David Harris, LB
• Try to Avoid
Darrelle Revis, DB
Quarterbacks avoid Revis, and so will we. The NFL’s best cornerback went from the No. 33-ranked DB in IDP leagues in 2009 to No. 172 in this scoring format in 2010. With QBs shying away from him, Revis is not able to produce numbers worthy of being on your roster.
WAIT UNTIL: Never
• Draft Class Fantasy Impact
The Jets owned one of the NFL’s top defenses last season and spent their first two picks on upgrading the depth. The addition of Muhammad Wilkerson and Kenrick Ellis to the line only adds more potential to a top-five fantasy defense. The Jets have question marks about the receiving corps, but Jeremy Kerley will likely make his biggest impact on special teams this year. Bilal Powell possesses a good combination of power and speed, but carries will be few with Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson and Joe McKnight ahead in the pecking order.
More Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets and Rankings:
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 280
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 240 w/ IDPs
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defense/Special Teams
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Two contrasting AFC teams will meet on Monday Night Football when the New York Jets host the Houston Texans at 8:30 pm EST on ESPN. The Texans are off to a stellar start, standing at 4-0 and topping their opponents by a combined 70 points on the year. On the other hand, the Jets enter the game at 2-2 but have been outscored 81-33 since their Week 1 victory over the Bills.
Inside the Locker Room
