Even at just shy of 32 years old, Davante Adams is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He’s put up at least 1,100 yards in each of the past four seasons despite switching teams and quarterbacks more than once in that window.
Adams has missed the last three weeks with a hamstring strain he suffered at practice. Despite still dealing with the injury, the Jets traded for the future Hall-of-Famer. Will Adams be ready to rock in his first game with his new team on Sunday night?
The Latest on Davante Adams’ Injuries
Adams has been out of action since Week 3. He first strained his hamstring at practice ahead of Week 4. Unsurprisingly, he was not able to play merely a couple of days after the injury occurred. It also kept him out of Week 5.
Ahead of Week 6, there were reports Adams might be ready to return. Those reports happened to coincide with his trade request. When no trade was completed, Adams was still not healthy enough to return. Were the two related? You be the judge.
Earlier this week, the Jets traded for Adams, who immediately got rolling with his new team. He even made an appearance with Aaron Rodgers on the Pat McAfee show.
On Wednesday, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said he expects Adams to play this week. His hamstring shockingly healed in a more desirable location, and Adams received no injury designation after being a full participant in practice all week.
No injury designation for Adams. Miracle recovery! Reed will be a game-time decision. Conklin is expected to play. #Jets pic.twitter.com/B6xvHJFBzr
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) October 18, 2024
This means Adams will make his Jets debut on Sunday against the Steelers, the first Jets game after the trade.
Adams’ Fantasy Outlook
Players getting traded midseason is usually not a great thing for fantasy football. For example, it’s unlikely Amari Cooper is able to hit the ground running as he not only has to learn the Bills’ playbook, but develop a rapport with Josh Allen.
However, the circumstances surrounding Adams are not the same. While he may not know the Jets’ offense, he certainly knows Rodgers. That rapport still exists and should enable Adams to be far more effective than a new WR should be right out of the gate.
The trickiest part of Adams’ fantasy value is figuring out how much he and Garrett Wilson will eat into each other’s production. Wilson should be No. 1 because he is younger and probably the better player at this point in their respective careers. However, Rodgers likes his guys, as we’ve seen with Allen Lazard. Fantasy managers should expect Adams to supplant Wilson as the guy getting the quick slants and the back shoulders, especially near the goal line.
Surprisingly, the Jets have actually been one of the more pass-heavy teams in the league. Their 63% neutral game script pass rate is third in the league. If you’re wondering whether that changed last week with Nathaniel Hackett being removed from play-calling duties, it did not.
In each of Adams’ last two seasons in Green Bay, he was a first-team All-Pro, accruing 29 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards over those campaigns.
Rodgers also won MVP in both of those seasons, and statistically, he has not been the same since. His interception rate, which was the best in the league for four straight seasons ending in 2021, nearly tripled in the first season after Adams’ departure and hasn’t recovered at all since joining the Jets.
Adams, however, hasn’t really slowed down. In his first season as a Raider, Adams put up over 1,500 yards and scored a league-leading 14 touchdowns en route to another first-team All-Pro nod. Last year, he slowed down a bit after Vegas lost longtime quarterback Derek Carr, but still cracked the thousand-yard plateau with a game to spare.
The Jets’ current top receiver is Garrett Wilson, who has been one of the most targeted receivers in the sport with a 30.3% target share.
Based on Rodgers and Adams’ relationship — and Adams’ track record, in a vacuum — it’s hard to imagine Wilson remaining the top option after this move. However, it could potentially be something of a 1A/1B situation in New York with a relatively even split between the two.
All in all, don’t expect Adams to be as prolific as he was in Green Bay or even at his best in Vegas. He’s not as much of a clear-cut top target, and this offense isn’t as pass-heavy in general.
However, he’s still one of the best receivers in the league and is once again playing with a quarterback who is more than capable of delivering him the ball. Fantasy managers should view both Adams and Wilson as mid-WR2s for now. Just keep in mind that may change once we see how Rodgers distributes the ball with both on the field.