When the New York Jets came to Orchard Park on opening weekend, their matchup with the Buffalo Bills was thought by many to be a “tank bowl” of sorts. Buffalo has since rattled off a 5-2 record, and the Jets have remained respectable as well, pulling together a 3-5 record that includes some tight losses. One benefit of the Jets’ unexpected competitive play is that there are players on their roster that are readily available in fantasy football leagues. With six teams on a bye this week, there are some Jets who could be decent plug-in players for the week, even with the tough task of facing Buffalo’s defense.
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
The big tight end has been a solid starter for the Jets since making his season debut in Week 3. He’s already set a career-high in receptions for a season (31), and his 201 yards and 3 touchdowns are solid for the tight end position. Buffalo has allowed the 9th-most fantasy points to tight ends, so it’s possible that Seferian-Jenkins puts up some good numbers this week. He’s available in only 18% of Yahoo! leagues, but if you have him, he isn’t a bad option.
WR Jermaine Kearse
Buffalo is in the middle of the pack as it relates to fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, but they do a fantastic job taking away the deep throws (as Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said after last week’s game). With that in mind, the possession-type receivers tend to be the ones who put up counting stats against the Bills, and the solid veteran Kearse fits that mold. He had 7 catches for 59 yards in the first game between these two teams, and a duplication of that stat line would put him in decent flex-play territory when considering byes. Kearse is available in 40% of Yahoo! leagues, so he will be easier to snag than Sefarian-Jenkins.
QB Josh McCown
Hopefully, you have a better option to play at quarterback. But if your guy is on a bye, you could certainly do worse than the wily veteran. He is completing 70.5% of his passes this season, which is just .1% less than the league-leader, Drew Brees. He averages 230 passing yards a game, and the Bills have allowed 300 or more yards in three consecutive weeks. They do such a good job shutting down the run that they force other teams to pass often, and while it’s probable that McCown will turn the football over at least once, it’s also probable that he scores some fantasy points while doing so.