Thursday Night Preview – Week 9 – New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts

Week 9 is here and the NFL has gifted us with the stellar matchup of…. The Jets playing the Colts in Indianapolis. On the bright side, it looks like Mike White can actually play QB at an NFL level, as he just threw for over 300 yards against the Bengals, so maybe this game will be more of a nail biter than it looks on paper. 

As I mentioned, Mike White will be under center again as Zach Wilson continues to recover from his knee injury, but for all intents and purposes that appears to be a positive. He’s got a lot left to show if he actually wants to make a run at Wilson’s job when he’s healthy, but last week against Cincy was the first step. Indy, on the other hand, will play Carson Wentz, the seasoned vet who lost the game for the Colts last week in heartbreaking fashion with the most rookie-esque interception throwing with his off hand that you’ll likely ever see. Absolute tomfoolery that he will look to bounce back from and erase from his memory in Week 9. He needs to put together an elite showing against a weak Jets D if he wants to reassert himself as a top NFL QB. 

Alongside White will likely be Michael Carter, who looks like he is ready to make the leap to the surefire number one in the Jets backfield, with the intention of leaving Ty Johnson in the dust. Last week, you saw him post by far the best game of his young career, 15 carries for 77 yards and a TD with 9 receptions on 14 targets for 95 yards. A heck of a day that fantasy managers are hoping he can recreate more often going forward. 

Opposite him, Indy will trot out Jonathan Taylor, a bonafide stud who is a lock in your RB spot every week. You also have Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines rounding out that backfield, who as of late, seem to be the forgotten children in that Indy running room. You might see an uptick in their production in this matchup though, as the Colts should be leading early on, and a Thursday gameplan install is typically heavy on the running plays and checkdowns. However, Reich has been pretty steadfast in his commitment to running JT 20+ times and including Hines and Mack on only about 5 touches per game, which is more than a little problematic if you’re trying to find fantasy value out of either of them. 

Now onto the pass catchers for each side. The only must start I see on either team is Michael Pittman. You’ve seen what he can do in recent weeks, and his ceiling is growing higher by the game. Gamescript is the only thing to worry about with him in this one, but I think he will still put up good numbers. I am likely not starting Zac Pascal unless I need a flex play, but his 8 targets after Hilton went down last week are certainly encouraging. Mo Alie-Cox and Jack Doyle remain TD dependent TEs that I would not want to stake my fantasy success on most weeks. 

For the Jets, Indy’s secondary is BANGED up. So their receivers get a bit of a bump in this one, even tied to Mike White. Crowder is a solid start who could return flex play or higher potential, but has also shown us that he has a very low floor this year. But 8 catches on 9 targets for 84 yards is a solid week no matter how you dice it. However, with Corey Davis currently looking doubtful for Thursday Night, whoever the remaining corners are in Indy will be able to focus most of their attention on Crowder. There are also no viable fantasy TE’s for the Jets, so pass catchers will be at a premium in this one. 

Best of luck to both sides, and hopefully we will have a Thursday Night game void of injuries for a change, and even more hopefully let’s cross our collective fingers for a good game, because my expectations are low in this one. I would be hammering the under, even at the 46 point line they are giving right now. With the Colts as 10.5 point favorites, I don’t think I am betting the spread in this game either, but keep your eyes peeled for the Book Burners take on this, they’re still hot this season! 

And as always, remember to take your TNF players out of your flex spots!! Stay Fluid, Stay Loose.