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By Nate Lundy, EA SPORTS Fantasy Football Expert
Well, let's face it. Five months ago I don't think that any of us saw this coming. Brett Favre...a Jet? Having seen the crazy Jets fans at the NFL Draft every year I can only imagine how crazed they must be now.
If you have not had a chance to check out the Madden NFL 09 simulations regarding the Jets for the 2008-2009 season, make sure you do it here. But, for this article, let's look at the Fantasy Football implications Favre's move to New York has and where you might want to pay attention in your upcoming draft.
Based on the Madden NFL 09 predictions, we see Favre pulling in around 3900 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. While some might argue that the TD total is a bit high, the yardage seems right on and I think a 2 to 1 TD to INT ratio is probably close. I personally think there might be a couple extra INTs in the year-end total, but overall I agree with what we see. But, what about the guys around Favre?
Thomas Jones has big play potential. He's always been a decent running back, but he was challenged last year with New Yorks' inability to get the passing game going enough to spread the field. Favre connecting with Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery, and the rookie tight end Dustin Keller will allow for more running room for Jones. Defenses will be forced to watch downfield and I see no reason to believe that Jones won't improve on his 3.6 yards per carry number last year. In fact, that 3.6 was his lowest output since his sophomore season in 2001. Improvements on the offensive line with the addition of Alan Faneca and Damien Woody can only make things even better. Prior to the Favre trade, Jones was probably a low number 2 running back, but with Favre under center he's now a solid number 2 without question.
My predictions for the two big players around Favre:
Thomas Jones 1100 yards rushing, 6 TDs along with 200 yards receiving, 1 TD.
Laveranues Coles 1050 yards receiving, 7 TDs.
And don't count out the rookie tight end Keller, who should get 40 catches, around 400 yards, and 4 TDs. Those are not fantastic TE numbers, but he might make a nice BYE week replacement for you.
Overall, keep an eye on this Jets offense. There are some playmakers on this team that could be valuable for you in Fantasy Football. I'm certainly not ready to crown them Super Bowl champions, but this squad could make some noise this year. If nothing else, the media will be watching closely. Me too.
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