Jets' Week 4 Stock Portfolio: Linebacker and Offensive Guard Rising ahead of SNF Matchup
It's certainly a bear market when it comes to the New York Jets' postseason chances, even if it's only Week 4.
In terms of this week's betting line, we are not advising anyone to invest in the Jets even if the point spread climbs to double digits.
When it comes to individuals, however, there are still some smart investments to be made with multiple players on the rise despite the recent disappointing results. The stock to buy includes a veteran linebacker and a rookie offensive lineman.
On the flip side, it's time to sell any remaining shares of the current starting quarterback and a high-priced edge rusher.
Here are two players trending upwards and two on the decline heading into the Sunday Night Football matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on October 1 at 8:20 pm ET.
UP: Quincy Williams, LB 📈
After getting paid during the offseason, the veteran linebacker has taken his play to the next level. Flying to the ball against both the run and pass, Williams leads the team with 23 solo stops through three games.
"What’s really cool is that he gets rewarded with a good contract, and as we all know, guys can go one or two ways," said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on Thursday. "He’s gone the way of ‘I’m going to become even better’, ‘I’m going to become the best linebacker in this League.' In all honesty, you’re seeing signs of that."
Williams has 2.0 tackles-for-loss and two passes defensed, one of which denied Buffalo's James Cook a potential touchdown on a wheel route. He showed his speed in pass defense against New England, too, forcing Rhamondre Stevenson out of bounds after a three-yard screen and dropping receiver Kendrick Bourne after a two-yard catch.
The 27-year-old linebacker, who is the older brother of All-Pro tackle Quinnen Williams, was Pro Football Focus's third-highest graded Jet overall for his Week 3 performance (77.9).
"I’m so happy for Quincy and his individual development. He’s a guy who came here, like you said, raw in some ways, but was absolutely willing to learn, and be coached and developed," said Ulbrich.
UP: Joe Tippmann, OL 📈
The second-round rookie came off the bench when left tackle Duane Brown went to Injured Reserve ahead of the Patriots game. Tippmann, who spent his last two college seasons as Wisconsin's starting center, slid in as the right guard and took all 63 offensive snaps there against New England.
"A guy like Tipp [Joe Tippmann], jumping in there at right guard, I thought he did a fine job, and I think he’s going to get better as we move forward," said offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on Thursday.
Tippmann, who was dubbed as a "plug-and-play" prospect by multiple draft analysts, looked the part in his first NFL against a Bill Belichick defense. According to PFF, the No. 43 overall draft pick allowed no pressures in 42 pass blocking reps.
DOWN: Carl Lawson, DE 📉
Lawson has been practically invisible through the season's first three weeks. After a back problem caused him to miss practice time during August, the veteran edge rusher was inactive for the season opener against Buffalo.
"I feel like after he had missed a couple weeks of practice leading up to the season, I feel like he’s finally starting to get his legs underneath him. I feel like this week, we finally started to see the Carl we all know," said Ulbrich looking ahead to Sunday Night Football.
The 28-year-old Lawson made his season debut in Week 2 at Dallas and was active again in Week 3 against New England. He saw only 24 percent of defensive snaps in those two games and has yet to log a QB hit.
"I think every game will kind of be different in how we utilize him. I think early in the season, obviously he did have the back stuff, so we were very cognizant of that," said Ulbrich.
Lawson started all 17 games in 2022, finishing with 7.0 sacks, but it appears that the starting spot now belongs to Jermaine Johnson.
DOWN: Zach Wilson, QB 📉
Not to pile on the beleaguered quarterback, but Wilson seems like a lost cause.
The former No. 2 overall draft pick has shown great indecisiveness with the offense scoring only one touchdown in each of the three games he's been at the controls.
"I mean if you take our body of work these past three games, it hasn’t been pretty. That’s facts. And again, like anybody that questions us, we have the right to prove everybody wrong, but in the end, we have to do it," said Hackett.
Individually, Wilson ranks 34th out of 34 qualifying passers in quarterback rating (57.0). He's completing a league-low 52.4 percent of his passes. Twenty-five games into his NFL career, Wilson, who is averaging only 5.8 yards per attempt this year, still looks like an unsure rookie in too many instances.
"With regard to Z [Zach], we all acknowledge he has to play better. We all acknowledge that. He acknowledges it, teammates acknowledge it, he acknowledges it himself, but the key is to have confidence in yourself," said head coach Robert Saleh.
Now that Trevor Siemian is on board, Wilson could be playing for his job, and even his NFL future, on Sunday night.
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