Since Aaron Rodgers went down just four snaps into the 2023 season, Garrett Wilson has been out here fighting for his life to remain a fantasy-relevant wide receiver with Zach Wilson under center. The returns through the first five weeks of the season were mixed, with the standout second-year receiver catching five or fewer passes in all but one of his games - but in his last three games, Wilson has suddenly become the focal point of the Jets’ offensive attack. While that switch hasn’t been reflected in the W/L column, fantasy managers have enjoyed three straight weeks of relatively solid production given the circumstances.
Two things have been consistent with Zach Wilson under center – the Jets offense struggling, and Garrett Wilson getting plenty of targets. Wilson’s 31.4% target share since Week 6 ranks third in the NFL among all wide receivers, trailing just Ceedee Lamb and Tyreek Hill in that span while ranking higher than his fellow AFC East pass catcher Stefon Diggs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Further, Wilson has seen target totals of 12, 13, and 13 in his past three games. The target share has not been a mirage like those we’ve seen historically in offenses like Tennessee’s (five targets with Ryan Tannehill under center was enough to amount to a 25% target share), as the Jets have been dropping Zach Wilson back to pass at the highest rate (71%) of any team since Week 6!
What does this prove? It proves that once Aaron Rodgers is healthy, Garrett Wilson is going to be a fantasy monster. Until then, though, we’re going to have to ride out the Zach Wilson storm.