It was 16-3. Zach Wilson (9-for-18, 92 yards, 1 INT) looked on at the field at MetLife Stadium, having accounted for 93 yards of total offense and one turnover through nearly three-quarters of play. Enter Chris Streveler, certified gladiator and champion of men. Recently activated off the practice squad, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers star instantly reinvigorated the Jets offense, producing 144 total yards — 51 more than Wilson — in just one-quarter of play while not turning over the football. Newly minted as my hero, Streveler showed heart and grit, and, most importantly, he was willing to put his body on the line and do anything for the players next to him. That’s not something we have seen Wilson do.
Wilson doesn’t yet understand how to be a leader and, more importantly, can’t comprehend how to read a defense. He is not a starting NFL quarterback and never will be. Say all you want about arm strength and projectability, but it only goes so far. I have a bottle of ketchup in my fridge that has the size, shape and squirt to be an elite mustard, but what’s inside is simply never going to change. Last night should be a lesson Streveler’nd for us all. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be for Wilson. Anyway, here’s what else I saw in another riveting edition of Thursday Night Football.
The Stage
Matchup: Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) at New York Jets (7-7)
Line: NYJ -2.5
What Happened: Chris Streveler entered following Zach Wilson’s three quarters of ineptitude and attempted to resurrect the Jets from a 16-3 deficit, but the Jets were ultimately unable to push the ball into the endzone against a lackluster Jacksonville defense in a 19-3 home drubbing by Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne & Co.
Jaguars Pregame Outcome vs. Projections (Half-PPR)
QB Trevor Lawrence – 18.2 (PROJ 14.4)
RB Travis Etienne Jr. – 12.7 (PROJ 13.0)
WR Christian Kirk – 4.1 (PROJ 9.6)
WR Zay Jones – 1.6 (PROJ 9.3)
TE Evan Engram – 14.8 (PROJ 7.5)
WR Marvin Jones Jr. – 3.0 (PROJ 5.1)
WR Jamal Agnew – 1.3 (PROJ 3.8)
RB JaMycal Hasty – 2.6 (PROJ 2.2)
TE Dan Arnold – 2.2 (PROJ 0.9)
Jets Pregame Projections vs. Outcome (Half-PPR)
QB Zach Wilson – 1.7 (PROJ 13.9)
RB Zonovan Knight – 1.8 (PROJ 11.1)
WR Garrett Wilson – 3.0 (PROJ 10.0)
RB Michael Carter – 7.5 (PROJ 7.4)
WR Corey Davis – 2.4 (PROJ 6.7)
WR Elijah Moore – 2.5 (PROJ 6.2)
TE Tyler Conklin – 5.4 (PROJ 5.4)
WR Braxton Berrios – 0.0 (PROJ 4.5)
TE C.J. Uzomah – 3.5 (PROJ 2.4)
QB Chris Streveler – 9.0 (PROJ 0.0)
Fantasy Studs
1. Evan Engram – 7 receptions (8 targets), 113 yards. Engram led all Jaguars in targets, seeing two more than Christian Kirk’s six. He also paced the team in catches and receiving yards. Over the last four weeks, Lawrence has targeted Engram 40 times, and the result has been 17.7 half-PPR points/game for the Jags tight end.
2. Trevor Lawrence – 20-for-31, 229 yards; 7 carries, 51 yards, 1 rushing TD. Lawrence has found a groove as of late, producing 16-plus fantasy points in seven-straight games and averaging 26.3 points per game across the last three weeks. He was solid again last night, accounting for 280 yards of total offense and one score against zero turnovers.
3. Chris Streveler – 10-for-15, 90 yards; 9 carries, 54 yards. Recently activated from the practice squad, Streveler entered late in the third quarter and instantly provided a spark for the Jets’ offense. He completed 66.7% of his passes compared to Zach Wilson’s 50% and fell just two yards shy of matching the struggling sophomore’s passing yardage output. Oh yeah, and his 54 yards rushing led the team, with the next closest player, Ty Johnson, 47 yards behind.
Fantasy Duds
Zach Wilson doesn’t qualify as a fantasy dud. You’d have to be a moron to start him.
1. Christian Kirk – 3 receptions (6 targets), 22 yards; 1 carry, 4 yards. It could have been a much better night for Kirk, but he only connected with Lawrence on half of his targets. As a result, he mustered just 4.1 half-PPR points, falling 5.5 points shy of hitting his projections.
2. Garrett Wilson – 4 receptions (9 targets), 30 yards. Wilson saw a game-high nine targets but converted just four of those into catches as the Jets’ offense floundered from start to finish. He’s averaging 9.6 targets/game across the last five weeks, providing optimism so long as someone not named Zach Wilson is under center.
What We Learned
1. Not so much learned, but we were reminded that Zach Wilson is a waste of an NFL roster spot. He should not be rostered in any leagues.
2. Trevor Lawrence has solidified himself as an emerging NFL passer of elite caliber and is a back-end QB1 for the final two weeks of the campaign.
3. Evan Engram has emerged as Lawrence’s go-to option in the passing game. Lock him in as a top-six tight end for the remaining two weeks with the ability to finish at the TE1 overall at Houston and vs. Tennessee.
4. Chris Streveler is a dude, but unfortunately has no fantasy relevance moving forward.
5. Christian Kirk hasn’t eclipsed 14 half-PPR points since Week 7. In that span, he has scored in the single digits four times. He is a Flex option at best moving forward, but you won’t be winning any leagues with him in your lineup.
6. Fire up Garrett Wilson with Mike White under center for the Jets, but otherwise, the QB play in New York is too inconsistent to trust. Anyone ranking him as a surefire top-20 WR for the final two weeks needs their head examined. I love Wilson’s talent, but he’s another player you won’t be winning any leagues with.
Lingering Question
1. Where do we rank Evan Engram among fantasy tight ends in 2023? The veteran has undoubtedly reestablished value and could be in the conversation as a top-10 option (yet again) at the position heading into next year.
That’s all for this week, Razzball fam! As always, I’m happy to take this conversation into the comments section or on Twitter, where you can find me @WorldOfHobbs.
