New York Jets

Big NFL injury news broke Saturday as Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods (torn ACL) is out for the remainder of the season, while Tennessee Titans wideout Julio Jones (hamstring) will miss at least three games after being placed on injured reserve.

Hopefully, the talented Woods (45 catches, 556 yards, four touchdowns) comes back in time for the beginning of the 2022 season.

As for Jones (21 catches, 336 yards), the hope is that he misses only the three-game minimum before contributing for the Titans during the stretch run.

From a fantasy perspective, anyone who rostered Woods needs a waiver-wire replacement. The same goes for Jones, though that one may be more temporary with the wideout potentially returning in early December.

Here's a look at the best waiver-wire wide receiver options out there. All players listed are available in at least half of Yahoo leagues.

Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (Available in 50 Percent of Leagues)

Baltimore Ravens rookie wideout Rashod Bateman isn't an option this week after he played on Thursday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins, but the former Minnesota star should be a popular pickup for the last eight games of the regular season.

Bateman has averaged seven targets in his four games, and he's turned that into 18 catches for 241 yards. He's proved to be an explosive, playmaking wideout that has actually garnered the third-most receptions out of any Ravens pass-catcher since his debut on Oct. 17.

He missed the first chunk of the season to recover from groin surgery, but Bateman has looked great ever since. Bateman also has the added bonus of being available every week with the Ravens' bye in the rearview mirror.

Having one of the game's best offensive talents in quarterback Lamar Jackson also helps matters. He's been dominant with his legs in his four-year NFL career and has proved capable of keeping plays alive and finding his receivers downfield in the face of ferocious pass rushes.

In sum, the best of Bateman is probably yet to arrive, and he's already off to a great start anyway, so he's worth a shot.

New York Jets WR Elijah Moore (Available in 50 Percent of Leagues)

Moore has seen as many targets (20) over his last three games as he did in his first four. The rookie out of Ole Miss has made the most of his looks lately, catching 14 passes for 164 yards and two scores.

He's been the Jets' top wideout with Corey Davis absent, although the Jets' big free-agent acquisition is expected to return Sunday against the Buffalo Bills after a hip injury that sidelined him for two games.

That may mean fewer targets for Moore, especially considering that the team already has a crowded wideout room with Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims, Keelan Cole and Jeff Smith.

Still, Moore has shown more than enough to earn playing time over the past two weeks. He's a dynamic, shifty, playmaking receiver, someone the Jets desperately need to play consistent snaps.

New York has averaged just 18 points per game this year (27th in the NFL), but Moore's two-game outburst has helped the team post 64 points over its last two contests. The 2-6 Jets can't afford to keep him on the bench.

Like Bateman, Moore is past the bye, so anyone rostering him would have him for the remainder of the season barring unforeseen absences.

New York Giants WR Kadarius Toney (Available in 53 Percent of Leagues)

Adding Giants rookie wideout Kadarius Toney is a boom-or-bust proposition.

He showed what he's capable of when targeted, catching 16 passes for 267 yards on 22 targets over a two-game stretch in October versus the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. Toney then started a game against the Los Angeles Rams with three catches for 36 yards in fewer than four minutes of action before leaving with an ankle injury.

However, he's been quiet ever since. Toney missed the Giants' 25-3 win over the Carolina Panthers with the ankle ailment, but he's only amassed five catches for 35 yards on six targets in the two games since.

A short-handed offensive line that hasn't given quarterback Daniel Jones much time to work with hasn't helped, nor has the conservative play-calling of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

The latter might be the more serious concern, as Toney somehow only had one target in the Giants' 23-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. The Giants had 31 rushing attempts versus 20 passes.

Still, if your fantasy team is in a bind, Toney is worth a shot to add to your bench and at least consider as a flex option moving forward.

Five of the Giants' eight remaining games are against losing teams, so the schedule is going to soften up and give Toney chances to do work.

The Giants are in a bye this week but return Monday, Nov. 22, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New York Jets quarterback Mike White, a fifth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2018 NFL draft, isn't sure why he didn't generate more respect as a college prospect.

"I couldn't tell you. That's definitely the scouting departments across the league and what their interpretation of me is," White told reporters Thursday. "I have 100 percent confidence in myself. So if you ask me, I should have been a first overall pick. But that's neither here nor there. That's four years ago. I try to get my mind off that and be in the here and now and execute what my job is right now."

The 26-year-old Florida native split his collegiate career between South Florida and Western Kentucky. His numbers exploded after he transferred to the Hilltoppers, completing 66.4 percent of his throws for 8,540 yards with 65 touchdowns and 15 interceptions across 27 games in two seasons. He added six rushing scores as a senior.

Yet he didn't receive a ton of hype leading up to the 2018 draft and then spent his rookie campaign buried on the Cowboys' depth chart behind starter Dak Prescott.

Dallas waived White following the 2019 preseason, and he joined the Jets practice squad, where he'd spend much of the next two years aside from brief elevations to the active roster.

He's finally received his first extended NFL look in recent weeks with New York starter Zach Wilson sidelined by injury, and he's played quite well.

White has completed 72.7 percent of his throws for 702 yards with five touchdowns and four picks across three games. His 60.3 Total QBR would rank ninth in the NFL if he had enough passes to qualify.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday that White would get another start this week against the Buffalo Bills and wouldn't say whether Wilson would get the starting job back once he's fully recovered from a knee injury.

"If Mike is playing phenomenal football, it is what it is," Saleh told reporters. "You might call it a controversy or not. I can pull up an article from every single one of you guys that has mentioned that the best thing for a young quarterback is to watch, so there's no harm in either way."

White will face his toughest test to date against a Bills defense that ranks first in the NFL in both passing yards allowed per game (177.0) and passer rating allowed (62.9) this season.

If he plays well under those circumstances, it will be hard for Saleh and Co. to remove him from the lineup in the short term.

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson hasn't played since a Week 7 loss to the New England Patriots because of a knee injury, and he isn't worried about the starting QB job despite the emergence of backup Mike White. 

"No, definitely not, and the reason is I've played only five games," Wilson, who's appeared in six contests, said, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. "I just got here. I'm supposed to be a senior in college right now. You have to understand, it's going to be hard. I'm not making excuses, but that's where growth comes from.

"I definitely didn't come here thinking this would be the greatest thing ever and we're going to go undefeated. I knew it was going to be tough, and that's part of the process. That's what makes football so fun. My time is going to come."

Wilson returned to practice this week but told reporters Thursday that his knee still doesn't feel 100 percent. As a result, White will start his third consecutive game when the Jets host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. 

White relieved Wilson in Week 7 and has been impressive since. In two starts, he is 1-1 and has completed 44 of 56 passes for four touchdowns against two interceptions. 

With White playing well, it's unclear if Wilson will return to New York's starting lineup when he comes back from injury. Jets head coach Robert Saleh declined to say whether the BYU product would be his starting QB, per ESPN.

Wilson struggled when healthy this season. He completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 1,168 yards and four touchdowns against nine interceptions. 

Even if White continues to start over Wilson this year, the latter said there will be no hard feelings: "We both understand this is part of the business of football. I want to play, he wants to play. It's just how it is. What's the point of butting heads when we can help each other out? I think we can both benefit from the situation."

It's hard to imagine the Jets will continue to rely on White long-term because they drafted Wilson second overall to be their quarterback of the future. 

Gang Green enters Sunday's game against the Bills third in the AFC East with a 2-6 record.  

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced Wednesday that Mike White will start at quarterback for the third consecutive week when they host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Saleh also announced Joe Flacco will serve as White's backup instead of Josh Johnson.

Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson has missed the past two weeks with a sprained PCL in his knee, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted that the Jets are going with White as the starter again this week so Wilson can take more time to recover.

White started last week's 45-30 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but he was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a forearm injury and was replaced by veteran Johnson.

The 26-year-old White has been something of a journeyman early in his NFL career, as the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft out of Western Kentucky before parting ways with him the following year.

White had never appeared in a regular-season NFL game before this season, but he hit the ground running as the replacement for the injured Wilson.

In his first career start two weeks ago, White led the Jets to a 34-31 upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

White went 37-of-45 for 405 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in what was one of the best debut performances for a quarterback in NFL history.

The 37 completions were an NFL record for a quarterback making their first career start, and his 405 passing yards were the second most in a debut start since 1950 behind only Cam Newton's 422 in 2011.

White was off to another good start last week before getting injured, as he was 7-of-11 for 95 yards with one touchdown and no picks.

Saleh is undoubtedly hopeful that White will be able to lead the Jets to another huge upset win this weekend, this time against a divisional rival.

The Bills have been considered the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for much of the season, but they shockingly fell 9-6 on the road to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.

Buffalo's offense couldn't get anything going, as quarterback Josh Allen was constantly under siege because of poor offensive line play.

The Bills figure to be motivated to bounce back in a big way Sunday, which figures to make an already tall task even tougher for the Jets.

If White turns in another good performance and upsets the Bills, however, Saleh may have to give serious thought to keeping him as the starter even when Wilson—the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft—is healthy enough to play.

New York Jets safety Marcus Maye suffered a season-ending torn Achilles during Thursday night's Week 9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Robert Saleh announced on Friday.

That news confirms a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who had previously tweeted it was feared that Maye would miss the rest of the season due to the injury.

Maye left Thursday's game in the third quarter after suffering the non-contact injury and didn't return.

"I'm more concerned for Marcus than what we'll do defensively to try to fill that void," Saleh told reporters on Thursday. "He's a fantastic young man. He's done everything we've asked him to do. I'm sick for him."

The 28-year-old University of Florida product recorded 46 total tackles, two passes defended and one sack in six appearances this season. He received a 62.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

"It's huge," Saleh said about the impact of Maye's injury. "Marcus, you look at that secondary, he's the vet. You've got a lot of second-year and rookie players in that back end, and Marcus was kind of that settling force back there and obviously a heck of a football player."

The injury also comes at an unfortunate time for the versatile safety, who's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end after playing 2021 on the one-year contract associated with the franchise tag, which New York applied in March.

Maye has spent his entire career with the Jets since being selected in the second round of the 2017 draft. He stepped into a larger role in 2020 after the departure of Jamal Adams.

In all, the Florida native has tallied 312 tackles, 24 passes defended, six interceptions, four forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks across 60 career games.

His name popped up in the rumor mill ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, but the veteran defensive back made it clear he wanted to remain in New York.

"They know I want to be here," Maye told reporters. "They know I'm 100 percent with my guys."

Now it wouldn't be a surprise to see him sign a short-term contract extension with the Jets so he can prove his health after recovering from the Achilles injury, and then he can potentially hit the free-agent market at a more opportune time.

Meanwhile, Sharrod Neasman figures to fill the defensive void when New York returns to action Nov. 14 against the Buffalo Bills.

Coming into Thursday night's matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets rookie wideout Elijah Moore hadn't registered a touchdown catch on the year. 

Now he has two. 

The question for fantasy players after Moore's breakout performance—seven receptions for 84 yards and the two scores—is whether he should be on everyone's waiver-wire radar next week, and going forward. 

The answer is...complicated. 

Consider that Moore was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and a player whose talent the Jets were clearly excited about. It's hard to blame him for fairly pedestrian numbers—15 catches for 146 yards in six games—coming into Thursday.

He missed the preseason with a quadriceps injury, and he's stuck on a woeful offense that for much of the year had a rookie quarterback (Zach Wilson) guiding the way and now might be looking at Josh Johnson or Joe Flacco starting at QB with Wilson and Mike White injured. 

The Jets are a mess. When have we heard that one before?

Plus, Moore is a rookie. And rookie wideouts, outside of outliers like Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, tend to adjust slowly to the NFL game. 

So Moore has the sort of tantalizing athleticism that should excite fantasy players. The Jets are desperate for playmakers. There's potential for big numbers here, right?

Maybe. It would be hard to knock anybody for making Moore a speculative stash add. Maybe his breakout game is a sign of things to come. Maybe the Jets will keep throwing the ball around enough in garbage time that he'll continue producing. They certainly should involve him in the offense more regularly.

But again, this is a rookie wideout who started slowly on a dreadful offense with major questions marks at quarterback. The red flags are numerous. Just because Moore looks like a player who could address a playmaking vacuum for the Jets doesn't mean the team, or whoever is playing quarterback for them on a weekly basis, will give him the chance to do so.

In dynasty formats, he's very intriguing and should be rostered. Ditto for deeper redraft and keeper leagues. If you are devastated by injuries and upcoming bye weeks, Moore has tantalizing upside. 

But don't expect Moore to emerge as a reliable starter for you. He's still a speculative add, at least for the moment. 

The Indianapolis Colts are starting to look like possible playoff contenders.

Indianapolis defeated the New York Jets 45-30 in Thursday's AFC battle at Lucas Oil Stadium. Jonathan Taylor and Carson Wentz led the way for the victors, who improved to 4-5 overall and 3-1 in their last four with the only loss in that stretch coming in overtime.

Josh Johnson was forced into the game after Mike White left with a forearm injury for the Jets, who dropped to 2-6 and were unable to win a second straight game with quarterback Zach Wilson sidelined.

Notable Player Stats

• Carson Wentz, QB, IND: 22-of-30 passing for 272 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
• Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND: 19 carries for 172 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches for 28 yards
• Nyheim Hines, RB, IND: 6 carries for 74 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches for 34 yards
• Josh Johnson, QB, NYJ: 27-of-41 passing for 317 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
• Elijah Moore, WR, NYJ: 7 catches for 84 yards, 2 TDs

Colts Put on an Offensive Show in Victory

If the Colts are going to turn the corner and contend in the AFC, Thursday's game was frankly one they needed to win.

They were at home against a 2-5 squad and needed to stack some victories before daunting games against the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. The offense clearly got the memo from the start.

Indianapolis marched its way to four touchdowns on four possessions in the first half with Nyheim Hines, Taylor, Jack Doyle and Michael Pittman Jr. all scoring. The Jets had no answers for the rushing attack with Taylor picking up yards between the tackles and Hines bouncing to the outside.

When they attempted to adjust, Wentz picked the secondary apart and expanded the lead with the aerial attack.

It felt like the biggest question of the second half was whether the Colts would score on every possession, but it was answered in dramatic fashion when the Jets stuffed Taylor at their own 1-yard line on a fourth-down attempt. Indianapolis got cute on the goal line on its ensuing possession and had Wentz throw a touchdown pass to offensive lineman Danny Pinter.

The trick play underscored the gap between the two teams on a night when the Colts were completely dialed in and the Jets were on their third quarterback of the season. And it became even clearer when Taylor exploded for a 78-yard touchdown run on the home team's next offensive play.

Indianapolis looked like a powerhouse college football program getting ready for conference play against an FCS opponent for extended stretches. It won't always be this easy, but the Colts will take it as they try to make the playoffs.

Mike White's Injury Sets Stage for Jets Loss

Winning and losing figured to take something of a backseat for the Jets this season with the long-term focus on the development of Wilson into a franchise quarterback after they selected him with the No. 2 pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

However, the campaign took a turn when White stepped in for an injured Wilson and led New York to a stunning victory over the contending Cincinnati Bengals in his first career start with 405 passing yards. Thursday was an opportunity to build on that and perhaps even create some quarterback controversy when the rookie is ready to return.

It looked like that was exactly what would happen when White dropped a perfectly placed touchdown pass into the arms of Elijah Moore on the team's second possession, but all the momentum disappeared when he suffered the forearm injury.

That paved the way for Johnson to take over, but one of his drives ended when Darius Leonard punched the ball free from Ty Johnson as the Jets fell behind by three scores by halftime.

It got even uglier early in the second half with garbage time coming quickly.

The defense didn't have a chance against the Wentz and Taylor combination, and the offense was fighting an uphill battle after losing its feel-good story in the first half to injury even though Johnson eventually established a rhythm with multiple late touchdown passes after the game was largely decided.

It figures to be a long rest of the season for New York, and Thursday's blowout will likely shift attention back to Wilson's development.                   

What's Next?

Both teams are home for divisional games in Week 10 when the Jets face the Buffalo Bills and the Colts play the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The New York Jets' injury issues at quarterback continue to get worse. 

Backup QB Mike White suffered a right forearm injury during the first quarter of Thursday night's game against the Indianapolis Colts and was replaced by third-string signal-caller Josh Johnson. 

White appeared to suffer the injury on a 19-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore. 

White's injury is an awful blow for the Jets. The 26-year-old was thrust into the starting lineup after rookie quarterback Zach Wilson suffered a knee injury in Week 7 against the New England Patriots.

White was impressive in a Week 8 start against the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 37 of 45 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions in a 34-31 victory. He also tossed the winning score with 3:45 to play.

The performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and his game-day jersey and football were sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Dallas Cowboys selected the Florida native in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. After being waived by the Cowboys in 2019, he joined the Jets' practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract.

Johnson, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, also appeared in last weekend's win over Cincinnati, completing two of four passes for 17 yards.

The 35-year-old spent the 2020 season in the XFL and the 2019 season in the Alliance of American Football. Before last weekend's game against the Bengals, he hadn't played in an NFL contest since Week 17 of the 2018 campaign.

If Wilson and White can't play in Week 10, veteran Joe Flacco, whom New York recently acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, would likely be in line to start. The one-time Super Bowl champion spent the 2020 season with the Jets before signing with the Eagles in March.

In five games (four starts) for the Jets last season, Flacco went 0-4 and completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 864 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.   

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that it was honoring the historic performance by quarterback Mike White in the New York Jets' 34-31 upset victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8.

The HOF tweeted a photo of White's jersey and a game ball from a contest that produced several unexpected results:

The Hall of Fame also noted that White set an NFL record for most completions in a debut start with 37.

All told, White went 37-of-45 for 405 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Most notably, he threw the winning touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Kroft with 3:45 remaining.

White started the game in place of rookie No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, who was out because of a PCL injury suffered the previous week against the New England Patriots.

Little was expected from White in Week 8, as he was a fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys out of Western Kentucky in 2018 and hadn't seen any regular-season game action during his career before replacing Wilson in Week 7.

White's 405 passing yards were the second-most in a player's first career NFL start since 1950, behind only then-Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who threw for 422 yards in Week 1 of the 2011 season.

Newton followed that with 432 yards the next week. With Wilson out for Week 9, White will get a chance to repeat the feat as well Thursday night when the Jets go on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts.

Wilson remains the Jets' quarterback of the future, but if White continues to produce at this level, head coach Robert Saleh will have a difficult decision when the No. 2 pick returns.