The New York Jets acquiring veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall was one of the best trades in recent years. Fantasy owners drooled over his stats all season. Can he do it again?
Father Time hasn’t been able to catch up to Brandon Marshall as of yet. Marshall just had one of his most productive seasons of his career, finishing with 109 receptions (tied for fifth in the NFL), 1,502 yards (fourth), and 14 touchdowns (tied for second). The 14 touchdowns were the most in his career. The veteran wideout turned 32 back in March.
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This type of dominance cannot be understated. He was one of the biggest surprises of the fantasy season. Let’s not forget that his quarterback was journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. Also, it was his first year with Fitzpatrick and his first year in offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s system. There is no reason for a letdown season in 2016.
I’m here to tell fantasy owners that Marshall’s fantasy stock is up, regardless of his quarterback. If and when Fitzpatrick returns (I believe he’ll be there for training camp), they will be able build on the quick chemistry they gained last season. With a whole off-season of preparation, Gailey is intelligent enough to find even more ways to incorporate their best offensive weapon.
Now, if by chance Fitzpatrick doesn’t return, it is not doomsday for Marshall fantasy owners. Backup Bryce Petty or rookie Christian Hackenberg will not be the starter. It will be Geno Smith. When Smith filled in against the Raiders last season when Fitzpatrick went down, he targeted Marshall a ridiculous 18 times. That was Marshall’s highest amount of targets for the year. He ended with nine receptions for 108 yards in that game.
Marshall obviously trusts Smith. Prior to the start of last season, they were even living together. Marshall told Judy Battista of NFL.com last year “I was really shocked at the intelligence, how smart he was, I had known him as a player from afar. I didn’t know his football IQ was so high. He had crazy passion. When I talked to him, I fell in love with the conversation.”
Again, this probably won’t mean much as Fitzpatrick should be back. It would hurt the Jets’ playoff chances if he’s not, but it won’t hurt fantasy owners’ playoff chances. Putting aside the quarterback position, the Jets offense as a whole should be better this year. Replacing the aging D’Brickashaw Ferguson at left tackle with Ryan Clady will pay major dividends for the team if he can stay healthy.
There are also a few new passing toys in the fold that should help take off the focus of Marshall. Matt Forte was a perfect addition to the offense. Jace Amaro was not able to play one down for the Jets last year and should be able to come in and produce as the pass catching tight end they desperately need. Seventh-round pick Charone Peake has the talent to contribute right away. Finally, if healthy, the return of Devin Smith could help immensely with an entire off-season of learning the system.
According to FantasyPros.com, the consensus of fantasy experts show Marshall’s fantasy stock right now as the #20 player overall, and #11 wide receiver. This is a pretty fair ranking considering his age, but I believe he will again be a top 10 fantasy wide receiver. Age is really the only thing holding him back, and at this point he has shown no signs of slowing down.
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When you start doing your fantasy football preparation, don’t forget to keep #15 high on your list. Marshall’ stock will only keep rising as the season wears on. Keep in mind that the Jets have a much easier second half schedule, and face the lowly 49ers and Dolphins defenses during fantasy playoffs.