Faceoff - Who is the Jets WR2?

Posted 8/12, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Chansi Stuckey - by Andy Hicks

Who will be the most productive receiver outside Jerricho Cotchery for the New York Jets? Well my answer is Dustin Keller, but the race to become the 2nd most productive wide receiver has to start and end with Chansi Stuckey.

Following the loss of Laveranues Coles to the Cincinnati Bengals, Stuckey is one of the leading candidates to become the No. 2. After missing his debut season with a broken foot, the seventh round pick from the 2007 season started last year with a bang, recording a touchdown in each of the first three games of the season. After that he continued his career development by being the third most targeted wide receiver behind Cotchery and Coles resulting in a healthy 32 catches for 359 yards for the season.

While it remains unlikely that Stuckey will become fantasy relevant in all but emergency circumstances in 2009, he is in a position where he will be given the opportunity to surprise us all. The No. 1 receiver in Cotchery is hardly a sure thing and as the Jets wave goodbye to Brett Favre and Eric Mangini, they'll have a new quarterback and new coach, which will bring new opportunities to those players trying to upgrade their roles. Stuckey ran nice routes, had good hands last year, and has pleased all those who have noticed his performance and development in the off season.

With little to no experienced competition for the ball, Stuckey could easily be a surprise packet. Although he is likely to be behind Cotchery, Keller, Leon Washington and maybe even Thomas Jones for targets, the next tier of competition is all his. David Clowney is his main rival for playing time at the moment and even if Clowney starts opposite Cotchery, Stuckey could be even more productive from the slot. Clowney has one career catch after registering none at Green Bay and only caught one late last year for the Jets after breaking a collar bone early in the season. The least likely of the three main contenders, Brad Smith caught 32 passes in 2007, but fell to 12 last year signaling the lack of faith the Jets have in his ability.

All told, Stuckey has a good chance to register more receptions than his chief rivals, but even that may not be enough for him to be anything other than a passing thought for your fantasy squad. He does however have that nice tagline of considerable upside for a very low draft pick.

David Clowney - by David Yudkin

The Jets lost Laveranues Coles to free agency and the Bengals in the off season, establishing Jerricho Cotchery as the team's top receiver and creating a void at the second receiver spot. Assuming the Jets do not go out and bring in one of the unsigned veteran receivers still on the market, Clowney could surprise and earn the starting gig.

Some people see Chansi Stuckey as the default option, but that may be based on a highlight real touchdown catch from early last season with Brett Favre as QB. Stuckey has 12 catches in the first three games (four per game), but seemed to disappear as the season progressed (20 catches over the remaining 12 games or a shade over a catch and a half per game).

Recent reports out of training camp indicate that Clowney has been practicing with the first team offense, not Brad Smith or Stuckey. Stuckey has been practicing as the slot receiver on three receiver sets, but Clowney, the fastest receiver on the Jets roster, has been working split wide opposite of Cotchery.

Clowney has 4.3 speed in the 40 and would make perfect sense starting for the Jets, with Cotchery running sideline and underneath routes and TE Dustin Keller manning the middle of the field. He played extremely well in the preseason last year, lighting up the Browns for 163 yards and two TD one week with both touchdowns over 70 yards long.

A fifth round pick out of Virginia Tech by the Packers, Clowney succumbed to a broken collar bone last year limiting him to two games played and one reception (for 26 yards). Clowney was a bit overshadowed by his Hokies teammates Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Ernest Wilford, and Justin Harper, all of whom were drafted in the same era as Clowney.

He earned praise and optimism from the new Jets coaching staff during OTAs and mini-camp this year, and it was speculated that the Jets did not sign another receiver to give Clowney a chance to play more and earn the full time job. For now, that option seems to still be in the offing, as New York has refrained from signing a more established receiver and Clowney has been getting important first time reps in training camp. He could be hovering under the fantasy radar and could be a deep sleeper in large leagues and WCOFF/Survivor style contests.