2016 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: New York Jets team outlook

Jamey Eisenberg breaks down what Fantasy owners can or should expect from the Jets this season.

The Jets head into 2016 ready to compete for the AFC East title, and this could be the year to overthrow the Patriots for the division crown. New England won't have Tom Brady for the first four games due to a suspension, and the Jets have most of their main players back from last year's 10-6 team.

The biggest offseason move was re-signing quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick just before training camp. It would have been ugly for the Jets to deal with Geno Smith or potentially rookie Christian Hackenberg as the starting quarterback, but Fitzpatrick gives them stability at the position.

He's also a potential Fantasy sleeper since he was the No. 12 Fantasy quarterback in 2015, and he's being drafted with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues -- if he's drafted at all. But the best thing about Fitzpatrick is what he does for his receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.

With Fitzpatrick's help, Marshall finished as the No. 3 Fantasy receiver in standard leagues last year, and Decker wasn't far behind at No. 10. We feel much more comfortable about their outlook this season with Fitzpatrick back.

His presence also should help the running game, and there's a changing of the guard for the Jets backfield with Matt Forte replacing the departed Chris Ivory (Jacksonville). We hope Forte still has something left to offer at a high level despite being 30 and with a lot of mileage on his body, but that's a concern, including changing teams after eight seasons with the Bears. He will also share touches with Bilal Powell and Khiry Robinson, and that's another red flag for Forte in 2016.

On defense, the Jets have a standout unit, led by defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who signed a huge contract extension this offseason. And hopefully the addition of rookie linebackers Darron Lee and Jordan Jenkins improves what the Jets were able to accomplish in 2015 under first-year head coach Todd Bowles.

We expect the Jets to compete for a playoff spot this season and maybe they can challenge the Patriots for the division title. Fitzpatrick obviously isn't the best quarterback in the NFL, but his return is the best thing for the Jets this season.

It's also the best thing for Marshall and Decker, which is important for Fantasy owners on Draft Day. You should still expect quality production from both receivers in 2016.

It was a banner year for Marshall and Decker in 2015, and we expect both to play well again this year. Marshall had 109 catches for 1,502 yards and a career-high 14 touchdowns. It was the sixth time he's had at least 100 catches, and this was the second-best total of his career. He also missed his career high in yards by only seven. Marshall was among the most consistent players at any position with double digits in Fantasy points in a standard league in 13 games, and he failed to score a touchdown or gain at least 100 yards in just two outings. He has proven time and again, with multiple quarterbacks on different teams, that he can post dominant stats even as he continues to get older (he turned 32 in March). At some point he'll start to slow down, but you should still draft Marshall as a low-end No. 1/high-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver in Round 2 in the majority of leagues. As for Decker, he had 80 catches for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are almost identical stats to what he had with the Broncos in 2012 (his first season with Peyton Manning) when he had 85 catches for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he now has at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns in three of the past four seasons. He should once again post quality stats, and he appears to be underrated by Fantasy owners this year. He remains a solid No. 2 Fantasy receiver to draft in Round 5 or 6 in the majority of leagues.

There's a lot to like about Forte this season. He's had at least 1,200 total yards in each year of his career, and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has coached a running back to at least 1,200 total yards and score at least eight total touchdowns nine times in 13 seasons as a coordinator or head coach. Both are good track records, but those aren't the numbers to focus on with Forte. Age (30), career carries (2,035) and total touches (2,522) and years in the NFL (eight) are all troublesome, including sharing touches with Powell and Robinson. Maybe last year was the start of the decline when he missed three games with a knee injury, and it's likely the days of him being an elite runner are over. I've seen Forte get drafted in the third round or higher this offseason, and that's incredibly too soon for an aging running back in a timeshare. We recommend drafting Forte no sooner than Round 6 in standard leagues and Round 5 in PPR. If someone else drafts him before then so be it.

In the early part of training camp, the Jets were giving Forte and Powell an even workload in practice, which shows how much the Jets value Powell as more than just a backup. Last season, despite Ivory having a career year, Powell still averaged almost 11 touches a game and was the team's third-leading receiver with 47 catches. Forte and Powell have a similar skill-set, which could impact Powell's receiving stats, but he's also playing behind an older back who missed three games last season. If Forte were to miss any time then Powell could be a Fantasy star, and he's definitely worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. It's clear Gailey likes him, and Powell could easily be the better value pick among the Jets running backs this season.