Mason Taylor
Taylor is the Jets' preferred tight end for now, but the role is low-volume and shared with first-round rookie Kenyon Sadiq, so he looks like a depth receiving option for the rest of the season.
Role
NBC Sports (Oct. 18) has him at 7 catches on 9 targets for 57 yards in two games since returning from a thumb injury, with 4 of 6 targets for 33 yards against the Patriots in Week 6. NBC also reported he led Jets tight ends with a 59 percent route rate against Cleveland in Week 5, after Sadiq left that game with a concussion. His Week 1 snap share was 66% (RotoBaller). I found no current full-season snap or target-share table that I could date. Competition is Sadiq, who is in concussion protocol and practiced in a limited capacity on a Wednesday, per NBC. Jeremy Ruckert is also in the tight end rotation per RotoBaller's Week 1 note. Jets X Factor (Oct. 20) suggests a 12-personnel look with both Sadiq and Taylor on the field.
He is a sure-handed, well-rounded TE1 with solid blocking and contested-catch toughness. Jets X Factor says he has caught 11 of 16 career contested targets and had no drops since returning. He gets the work when Sadiq is out or limited, and NBC calls him the preferred option for the time being. Coaches can also use both tight ends together.
Sadiq is the higher-upside, first-round athlete, and ESPN's preseason projection said Taylor would not see enough targets to matter. His yardage is thin: 33 yards on 6 targets in Week 6, and he caught 2 passes for minus-2 yards in Week 1 on a very shallow average depth of target. NBC says the recent production is still only desperation TE2 value. Sadiq's concussion absence inflated Taylor's recent route share.
Where analysts split
The question is whether Taylor's recent edge is real or a product of Sadiq's concussion absence. NBC says the battle will swing back and forth, with Taylor ahead for now. The preseason view (ESPN, Rotowire) expected Sadiq to take most of the pass-catching work. Nobody I found has shown how the split looks once Sadiq is fully healthy.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at TE
Fantasy Memo reads your league and answers that every Tuesday, and checks again before kickoff.
Connect your league: 14 days free