The New York Jets are starved for offensive playmakers, and they made a significant addition in the first wave of free agency. The Jets agreed to terms with former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis on a 3-year/$37.5M contract. He will immediately slide in as the team’s most established pass catcher for whichever young quarterback is under center. The deal contains $27 million in guaranteed money and should tie Davis to the Jets for the next two years at a minimum.
Corey Davis is Coming Off a Productive Season
The Western Michigan Product enjoyed his best professional season to date in 2020, and the Jets have to be hopeful it was the beginning of things to come for the fifth-year wideout. He reeled in 65 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns, all of which were career highs. Davis has yet to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season, but he only played in 14 games in 2020. If we extrapolate those numbers over an entire 16 game season, he would have ended around 1,100 receiving yards and 74 receptions. In 2018 Davis looked set to break out after catching 65 passes for 891 yards from Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert. Expectations were much loftier than the on-field results for the former fifth overall draft pick, but context is critical when looking at some of those early seasons in Tennessee. The Titans have long centered their offense around the running game, and Mariota has not become the prolific passer many expected after being selected second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Davis came into his own during 2020 with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, registering 10.7 yards per target, which was good enough for eighth in the league.
Fantasy Reaction
Opportunity is king for fantasy football relevance, and Corey Davis will have it in spades in New York. It’s unknown at this point if the Jets will look to run it back with Sam Darnold or select another young signal-caller with the second overall pick. Regardless of which route they go, Davis has a skill set to mesh well with a young quarterback. His size (6’3”, 209 pounds) and catch radius will make him a significant contributor in the short and intermediate game the Jets are likely to feature under new offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
Davis will immediately slide in as a starter in the Jets base offense, which will see at least 60 vacated targets following the departure of Breshad Perriman. The former fifth overall selection looks to be a target monster in 2021, and should be featured in a scheme significantly more quarterback and receiver friendly than what we saw in the past few seasons in New York. Now is the time to hold Davis in dynasty formats. If you are rostering him currently, now is not the time to sell. On opportunity alone, Davis projects as top 36 wide receiver in 2021 and seems more likely to find his way into the top 24. He finished 2020 as top 30 option at the position in 14 games, and he projects to see an even greater target share as the lead option at receiver for the Jets.
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