The New York Jets announced that Justin Fields will miss the Week 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to the concussion he suffered on Sunday. Tyrod Taylor will start in Fields’ place.
It has been a tale of two games for Justin Fields in New York. The Ohio State product is at his third NFL stop and still looking to find his footing as a full-time starter in the league. He played arguably his most convincing game of his NFL career in Week 1 in a matchup with the Steelers. Fields completed 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 218 yards and a touchdown while adding 48 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns with his legs. In Week 2, Fields was limited to just 3-for-11 passing for 27 yards before the concussion occurred.
Garrett Wilson’s Fantasy Football Outlook with Justin Fields Injured:
The variable play of Justin Fields has directly impacted Garrett Wilson’s fantasy football output. In the opening week, he pulled in seven receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. This came out to 22.5 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring, which ranked eighth among wide receivers. Wilson pulled in four receptions for 50 yards in Week 2, which came out to 9.0 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring. This ranked 54th among wide receivers in fantasy output last week, and he ranks 17th on the season overall.
Tyrod Taylor will step in at quarterback this week in Fields’ absence. He provides a higher floor of expectations compared to many of the backup quarterback options across the NFL. The 36-year-old has suited up for 95 games in his career, including 58 starts. Taylor brings an encouraging level of competence, and he has spent the past two years with the Jets. While the sample size is limited, he completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts last year for 119 yards and three touchdowns in relief duty. After replacing Fields last week, Taylor completed seven of his 11 pass attempts for 56 yards and a touchdown while adding 21 rushing yards.
Wilson finished Week 2 with four receptions for 50 yards, but three of these receptions for 33 of the yards were once Taylor stepped in as quarterback. The two will line up together and take on the Buccaneers this week. Tampa Bay enters with a 2-0 record, but it has needed some high offensive outputs and late-game magic for this to be the case. The Buccaneers have been susceptible to opponents’ passing offenses to this point. Currently, they rank 23rd in passing yards allowed and 26th in net yards per pass attempt.
If you invested an early round fantasy football selection on Garrett Wilson, you should not give much thought to putting him on the bench. Wilson is one of the most talented pass catchers in the league, and the questions surrounding the quarterback have been the biggest concern with his output throughout his career. Despite the rotating QB options, Wilson has tallied over 1,000 receiving yards all three seasons he has been in the league and has 15 touchdowns in his career.
Fields still has plenty of questions to answer individually regarding his output. The opening week was impressive, but the 26-year-old still needs to prove he can consistently look like a starting-caliber quarterback. To be fair, Tyrod Taylor has never quite met this requirement either. But Taylor has had some positive flashes, and it feels like a relatively similar bet for which quarterback benefits Wilson more.
Ultimately, we are backing Garrett Wilson’s talent level and expecting his production to continue following Fields’ injury. Expect his production level to be on par with his normal level and for Wilson to capitalize on the plays that Taylor throws up for him to make. With Tampa Bay having a relatively pass-friendly defense, expect the chances to be there. Don’t have your expectations shift much for Wilson in Week 3 and count on him to continue being one of the biggest parts of the Jets’ offense.
