Despite inconsistent quarterback play throughout his career, Garrett Wilson has consistently ranked as one of the NFL’s premier wide receiver talents, especially recently. While the New York Jets’ organization may be a mess, the 25-year-old keeps posting impressive numbers as one of few bright spots in an offense largely devoid of talent. After missing a couple of weeks due to a knee injury, he likely makes his return in Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns.
What can fantasy football managers expect from Garrett Wilson’s return on Sunday?
Analysis
Through the first few seasons of his NFL career, Garrett Wilson showed plenty of potential but rarely seemed to string together high-end performances in fantasy football. He averaged 12.7 FPPG as a rookie before posting 12.5 FPPG as a sophomore while catching passes from quarterbacks like Zach Wilson, Mike White, and more. Last year, he showed more consistent upside with 14.8 FPPG alongside Aaron Rodgers, setting new career-highs in receptions, yardage and touchdowns.
Fast forward to 2025 and the Jets’ top wideout is now in the midst of a full-on star turn. Despite Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor providing shaky play under center, Wilson has become one of the league’s elite target earners and now averages 16.6 FPPG across his six appearances. The fourth-year receiver slots in as the WR6 on a per-game basis, just ahead of Davante Adams and immediately behind George Pickens. Through those six games, Wilson boasts 36 catches for 395 yards and four touchdowns on 56 total targets — had he not suffered the knee injury a few weeks back, he’d likely be in line to shatter his previous career-highs across the board. Still, he’s proven himself as one of the NFL’s premier talents and shown an ability to produce regardless of who his quarterback is.
So, what’s to come for Wilson if he comes back for Week 10? Despite controversy in the Jets’ quarterback room between Fields and Taylor, it likely won’t matter which player gets the start. The team’s top pass catcher will see the potential to produce a difference-making day in fantasy football thanks to his role in this offense.
Wilson practically doesn’t leave the field since he’s firmly solidified as the WR1 in New York, and much like a true alpha receiver, he commands elite usage. He ranks sixth among all wideouts in target percentage with a throw heading his direction on 30.3% of his routes, and his team target share of 34.7% puts him third among all offensive players behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ja’Marr Chase. Moreover, his 9.3 targets per game also fall inside the top-10 players. The talent backs up the usage with a 94th-percentile grade against man coverage last season as well as an 82nd-percentile score against zone and 86th percentile against press (all via the good folks at Reception Perception).
For Week 10’s purposes, the matchup certainly isn’t a bad one either for Wilson. The opposing Browns allow the 13th-most fantasy points to wide receivers as well as the sixth-most touchdowns to the position. The Jets probably won’t fall behind big in this game, but in the event they do, game script only improves for pass catchers in the offense. Tyrod Taylor was supposed to start in Week 9 before an injury resulted in Justin Fields stepping under center, and he played an objectively good game by most metrics. It’s unknown whether Fields’ performance may impact the quarterback battle, but Wilson will see plenty of volume and projects as a low-end fantasy WR1 once more in Week 10. Start him with full confidence.
