MasonTaylor

Oct 12

Sadiq suffered a concussion and didn’t return to the game.

Sadiq broke out in Week 3 with 23. 5 fantasy points, in large part thanks to Mason Taylor missing time with a thumb injury. Sadiq didn’t record a catch last week, but his role in the Jets' offense increased. This week, Taylor was a full participant in practice all week and back in the lineup. This meant the Jets were back to a ridiculous four-man rotation at tight end, and it was like Sadiq’s Week 3 never happened. Taylor was the primary tight end in 11 personnel, and all four received notable time in 12 personnel. On the first seven drives, Taylor played 23 of a possible 46 snaps, while Sadiq played 13. Jeremy Ruckert also played 13, while Jelani Woods played 11. Sadiq only ran a route on eight of 27 pass plays. After the concussion, Taylor was more consistently on the field, playing 18 of the final 24 snaps, including running a route on eight of the 10 pass plays. While it’s fine to hold on to Sadiq because he’s a first-round pick who could see more playing time in the second half of the season, no one should expect Sadiq to be in fantasy starting lineups anytime soon. Sadiq will need a significant increase in snaps before he can be trusted again.

Oct 5

The Jets started the season with a four-man rotation at tight end between Sadiq, Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods. Taylor was inactive last week with a thumb injury, allowing Sadiq to see more playing time. He took advantage of the opportunity, catching seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Taylor also missed this week, but the Jets' other tight ends weren’t 100%. Sadiq (back) and Ruckert (knee) were limited in practice all week. Despite this, Sadiq’s snap rate was up. On early downs, he played 63.6% of 11 personnel snaps, similar to last week. He only played half of the third-down snaps in 11 personnel. The big difference was in 12 personnel, where he played 78.6% of snaps. He only played 47.6% of those snaps last week. That left Sadiq with a 68.8% snap rate, up over 10% compared to last week. His route participation rate was also up nearly 10% to 68.7%. His target rate was still a promising 25%, although not as high as Week 3. The problem is none of Sadiq's targets were catchable this week, and New York only ran 32 plays. Some fantasy managers may overreact to the goose egg and drop Sadiq, but he is still a rookie in the first month of his career. The improved utilization should be viewed as a positive sign for how he might perform over the second half of the season. In the leagues where he isn’t dropped, he should be a considered buy-low candidate.