Fantasy Football fallout: Jets' Corey Davis retires from NFL

In what has been a bit of a surprise, veteran New York Jets wide receiver Corey Davis announced his retirement from the NFL on Aug. 23. Davis, 28, signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract with the Jets on March 18, 2021, and was heading into the last year of that contract. The former Tennessee Titan had two of the least productive seasons of his career in New York, which were only marginally better than his 375 yard campaign as a Titans rookie in 2017.

With Davis now out of the picture in the Big Apple, sophomore Garrett Wilson (WR8) is the only wide receiver remaining from last year's group. Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios are with other teams, and Denzel Mims remains a free agent. In 2023, the Jets will deploy nearly an entirely different receiving core, headlined by former Green Bay Packers standout Allen Lazard (WR59).

Lazard figures to benefit the most from Davis' departure, and can now be immediately considered a WR3/flex player. The 27-year old has spent his whole career catching passes from new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and is also familiar with offensive coordinator Nathan Hackett. Last season, Lazard had career-highs in catches (60) and yards (788), and also notched six scores, guiding him to a WR34 finish in PPR.

The 6-foot-5 pass catcher is currently ESPN's WR59, behind the likes of Nico Collins, Darnell Mooney, Kadarius Toney, and Michael Gallup. Lazard was already undervalued to begin with, but with the recent news surrounding Davis, he is a potential fantasy football league-winner at his current ADP.

Jets tight ends could also see a boost in volume behind the likes of Lazard and Wilson. Tyler Conklin (TE20) had a decent, albeit maddeningly inconsistent, 2022 campaign where he finished as fantasy football's TE16 - a streaming option for most formats. Second-year pro Jeremy Ruckert could also benefit from more snaps in targets, but he had just one catch in nine games last year. Ruckert has had a great summer, but it is probably best to avoid both him and Conklin until one of them shows enough consistency to warrant a spot on your fantasy team.

Newcomers like Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb could also have an opportunity to see the field more, but they will remain behind Lazard, Wilson, Breece Hall, and Dalvin Cook in the offense's pecking order. The two veteran receivers make for nice targets in the short and intermediate field, but it is unlikely they get enough of the ball to be fantasy-relevant outside of deeper leagues and other formats.

The rest of the Jets offense figures to perform around the same, with Lazard seeing the biggest benefit. Losing Davis could be a blow to Rodgers' stock, but at this point it is safe to assume that Davis' loss will be negligible to the four-time MVP. Wilson had already vaulted into the top-10 wide receivers, and the Jets' tight end and running back situations are as murky as ever. The main takeaway? Draft Lazard in fantasy football with confidence.