After a 2-4 start to the season and the firing of their head coach just a week ago, the New York Jets made a big move, trading for wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders for a conditional third-round pick. The acquisition of Adams reunites the receiver with a familiar face in Aaron Rodgers from their time together on the Green Bay Packers.
The Jets, who had been connected to Adams since the star requested a trade from the Raiders weeks ago, could be looking for the dynamic duo of Adams and Rodgers to spark an offense and team that has had its fair share of issues through six games.
How will this trade affect fantasy teams? What should you do if you have Adams, Rodgers or any of the other Jets players? Does the addition of Adams have betting implications? Eric Karabell and Doug Greenberg dive into the ramifications of the trade from both a fantasy and betting perspective.
Eric Karabell: Acquiring Adams is good for the Jets, I guess, but it is hard to see how this trade suddenly solves all the team’s problems. Fantasy managers should think similarly. Rodgers was a top-5 fantasy QB in 2021 (and in eight seasons prior) but has not played well since then. Adding Adams can’t hurt, but it presumes that Allen Lazard or Mike Williams was statistically holding Rodgers back. The Jets still boast two very relevant, young running backs, so don’t expect them to ditch that part of the offense.
I moved Rodgers up several spots in my end-of-season rankings, but not into the top 15 at the deep QB position. He averages an ordinary 14.3 PPR fantasy points per game, 23rd among QBs. He is not going to suddenly average 20 PPG. Adams should fulfill the expected obligations of a WR2 option, but I consider teammate Garrett Wilson more valuable. While the Jets offense is certainly betting today, these are not the same versions of Rodgers and Adams that played in Green Bay, so it is best to keep expectations well in check
Doug Greenberg: It’s been a tumultuous 12 hours or so for the Jets as far as betting odds go. Before Monday Night Football, New York was +105 to make the playoffs, +1800 to win the AFC, and +3000 to win the Super Bowl at ESPN BET. After a close defeat to the Buffalo Bills, those odds dropped to +155, +2000 and +4000, respectively. Then, when the Jets traded for Adams, those odds improved back to +145 for the playoffs, +1800 for the conference and +3500 for the Super Bowl — meaning the odds to win the AFC returned right back to where they started before MNF.
The Adams trade had a brief, but transient, effect on the upcoming Jets-Steelers game on Sunday night as well. NYJ opened as 1.5-point underdogs and got as long as +2.5 before flipping to -1. Then, immediately following the Adams news, the Jets made a quick jump to -1.5 before coming back down to -1. The total for the contest moved up from 36.5 to 37.5. If the spread holds, it would be the first time New York was favored against Pittsburgh since 2003, breaking an underdog streak of 11 straight matchups, according to ESPN Research. As for action, ESPN BET reports that since Tuesday morning, the Jets have taken 29% of bets and 44% of handle to win the Super Bowl. They are also the only team to take any wagers to win the AFC or AFC East on Tuesday morning.