2022 Dynasty/Fantasy Preseason Week 3 Game Report: Jets 31, Giants 27
The Jets ran with their 1st-team for a while, on both sides of the ball. The Giants ran with a mix of 1st/2nd-team for a moment before going with backups.
The Jets 1st-team with Joe Flacco was not good against the NYG starter/backup defensive mix…the Jets picking up the scoring when their 2nd-team QB/offense came in and winning with their 4th-string QB battling NYGs future-to-be-cut backups, which is also when NYG started scoring…as the game devolved into a USFL/XFL showcase.
The Jets were the better team/personnel and played with good urgency/intensity while NYG muddled around. Davis Webb looked like the best QB on the field for either team…and that's not saying a lot (but I'm happy for Webb).
The Jets have a little something to their team, in that they are a step above the bottom teams, because of their defense…but their QB play has them stuck in the bottom 10 teams in the NFL most likely, unless Zach Wilson gets his s___ together off-and-on the field.
The Giants are definitely in that bottom tier of teams. This team is so poorly run…they kept five RBs in the roster, four of them are questionable to even be in the NFL. They also retained David Sills and Richie James at WR. This team needs to be blown up and remade, which is likely what will happen in October. They were building a little something on defense the past few years, but now that unit is getting shaky and changed with the new regime…and the offense will be so bad that the 'OK' defense can't get support anyway. An ugly year coming up for NYG. Their 53-man roster, and their waiver claims, and their depth chart looks like someone is purposely tanking -- but I think they think they are being brilliant.
Dynasty/Fantasy Player Notes…
-- The Jets WR report…
This MVP of this game, the best player on either side…Denzel Mims (7-102-1/8). In a shocking turn of events, it turns out Denzel Mims can play…really well.
This was the BEST that I've seen Mims play…and he was good during his rookie debut. Mims looked like a star potential here…he looked better than George Pickens, this moment and I'm picking on Pickens for a reason. Mims has been roughed up and is fighting back, and has his body in great shape/added the bulk Pickens might need to/will…which he will likely in time like all rookies.
All the news reports of Mims saying he thinks he's a starter -- he is right. He's better than Corey Davis. He's better than Garrett Wilson, today. But he won't get that opportunity, for whatever reason the NYJ regime is bobbling this.
And what are the Panthers thinking? They probably coulda got Mims for a 5th/6th pick and instead they got Laviska (waste of time) Shenault.
Bottom 10 NFL teams…NYG…NYJ…CAR…
I'm reengaged on Mims, but he's got roadblocks all over. He's better than Corey Davis but Davis has a contract that demands he play. Mims is better than Garrett Wilson (especially right now, rookie v. 3rd-year player) but rookies are magical unicorns and Mims already had his magical unicorn time, he's an ancient, boring 3rd-year player. If Mims gets to the starting lineup this year, he's got Flacco-Zach as the QB options to work with…another speed bump.
I don't know what the future holds for Mims…I'm just telling you, he's back healthy (from the food poisoning issue last year), looks better than ever -- looks like the legit WR talent we, and many, projected.
Other WRs here…
Garrett Wilson (1-12-0/2) is moving around well, but he's so passive/blends into the background right now, and this passing game is 'meh' that he just hasn't stood out -- but he's not been given much of a chance to. He's a rookie…it might take a few weeks before he punches the accelerator.
Elijah Moore (1-7-0/1) will be the NYJ WR to have for FF 2022, but unsure what the upside is…probably WR1.5-2.0.
-- The Jets RB report…
Michael Carter (4-10-0, 1-10-0/2) is going to 'start'…the preseason has shown that Robert Saleh isn't joking about it. Why? In part, because Breece Hall (5-13-0) continues to look uninspired this preseason.
Look at the Breece value hits for FF 2022 = poor preseason, Carter starting/splitting, bad O-Line made worse by Becton injury, bottom 3 QB play for Weeks 1-2-3(?) with Flacco. If you go Breece off the bat, you're not likely to be happy…and possibly not all season.
The best-looking Jets RB, to me, this preseason, is a rookie…rookie UDFA Zonovan Knight (4-31-0). Granted, he works against the lesser defenses later in games and I know he's buried behind Carter-Hall…but he's the one RB this preseason who is running with burst/energy/passion/aggression. You know the Jets see it because they have a million reasons not to keep a 4th RB, especially a UDFA one they could probably slide onto the practice squad…but ZK has been so good they wouldn't risk it. He made the 53-man roster, shockingly.
-- FYI, Joe Flacco (7-12 for 76 yards, 0 TD/1 INT) looks like an NFL QB with no pressure…but as soon as there was pressure he threw the most inexplicable panicked passes…doing so in a preseason game against mostly backup level talent.
The Baltimore-DST vs. NYJ/Flacco Week 1 is looking pretty tasty.
-- Matt Breida (3-1-0) 'started' here, because he is the handcuff…and it didn't look great. The thing about having the NYG handcuff is -- this team sucks, this O-Line sucks, this starting QB sucks…so how good will it be to have the handcuff guy if Saquon goes down? It has some value, but man…
NYG kept five RBs…and #3 on the depth chart is an old Daboll friendly RB Antonio Williams (2-6-0) -- a bigger back than Breida…maybe splits with Breida if Saquon goes down?
-- Wan'Dale Robinson (1-11-0, 1-4-0/2) has had zero interesting moments this preseason. He looks small and skittish at this point.
Kenny Golladay (0-0-0/1) looks disinterested and bogged down in the millions he stole from NYG.
Kadarius Toney (DNP) IS the NYG offensive hope/plan in the passing game. He's got mild injuries that allows him to skip meaningless practice, and like last year…he'll step onto the field with no practice and be the best WR on the field Week 1, for either team, most every week.
-- Daniel Bellinger (3-37-0/3), a rookie, is starting for NYG…another sign of the trouble with the new NYG GM/HC. The invested in Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins, and both are gone. Bellinger is just a generic TE that through attrition is forced to start. He's decent but stuck with Dan Dimes…so, 'no thanks' for FF 2022.
-- In a late breaking news, shocking news this week…Blake Martinez (1 tackle) was released. I went back and watched his play time in this game, and he's coming off a season-ending injury in 2021…but looks like he was moving around just fine in this game. He dropped into man-to-man coverage a few times and was fluid. I saw no real red flags…but knowing he'd been cut and then looking back at this game for him -- I thought I could detect he wasn't playing with the same fire/leadership. I think he knew he was not the new regime's guy and he likely refused to renegotiate his deal, and no one would trade for his contract, so NYG saved $3.7M in CAP space to release him.
Martinez is smart -- there's no reason to renegotiate to help this new regime that's treated him poorly, and to stay on this sinking ship with the last few years Blake has of playing in the league.
I will make a nickel bet he takes a low deal with incentives to join the Chargers -- and then that LAC team is even more loaded on defense. Players don't want to play in the Northeast, Midwest on perpetual loser or declining teams littered throughout that region. Martinez can now go play on the West Coast (a Stanford guy) and join a contender…if he goes to LAC.
Tae Crowder (1 tackle, 1 TFL) becomes the man in the middle now and rookie Micah McFadden (4 tackles, 1 TFL) likely steps into a starting role -- get ready to fire up your opposing RBs at the NYG defense.
