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With four teams on a bye and injuries at every corner, fantasy owners may have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find some viable options in Week 5. And while the last place you’d look for a fantasy sleeper is in New York, wide receiver Jeremy Kerley has a strong opportunity to make a fantasy splash on Monday night.
Anyone who plays fantasy football obviously understands that more volume usually equals more fantasy production. So, with both Stephen Hill and Santonio Holmes expected to miss this game, Kerley will line up alongside Clyde Gates as the starting wide receivers for the Jets. Sure, it’s ugly, but the volume is going to be there, and the matchup is favorable as well. The Falcons, while their offense is awesome, have had an ugly defense thus far. This pass defense ranks 26th in football through four weeks, allowing 301 passing yards per contest and nine scores. From a fantasy perspective, Atlanta is currently allowing the 4th-most fantasy points per contest. As for the other side of the ball, you know Atlanta is going to score their fair share of points, and considering the Jets will more than likely be playing from behind, rookie quarterback Geno Smith will be airing the ball out quite a bit in this contest. The fact that Kerley has seen target totals of four, five and five in three games with all the other receivers on the field with him is encouraging. Now, owners could expect double-digits in this contest with him as the top guy in the passing game.
When Hill went down last week, Kerley did a fine job filling in, catching four of five targets for 65 yards, averaging over 16 yards per grab. Typically a slot guy, Kerley won’t go up and get it, but he is capable of breaking one, which is exciting for fantasy owners. If you are hurting at the wide receiver position, Kerley is most likely the most logical fill-in option based off of volume.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
