John

Metchie

The good news: Metchie has now caught at least four passes in four consecutive contests. The bad: He has not exceeded 34 yards in any of the past three weeks. Throw in the Jets’ ongoing quarterback carousel, and you have a No. 2 wideout struggling for WR4 relevance in fantasy football. There are worse 14-team league plays, but far, far better 12-team league options.

Pacing all Jets receivers by playing 56-of-58 snaps, Metchie tied for the team lead with eight targets. He was involved in both of Brady Cook’s red zone drives, with Cook looking his way on a red zone interception and Metchie dropping a pass that would have been a sure-fire touchdown in the second half. It was his second straight week dropping a potential touchdown. Neither he nor Adonai Mitchell are enticing WR1 options for the Jets offense, but they are both slated for heavy opportunity with Garrett Wilson out. Metchie has WR4 upside for Week 15 against the Jaguars.

With AD Mitchell finally going off for 8/102/1 on a whopping 12 targets, it was Metchie’s turn to disappoint as he dropped a probable score on a fourth quarter third down. Frustrating, though this Gang Green offense is now revolving around seeing what Mitchell and Metchie have down the stretch. Metchie is a WR5 who could have a WR3 day, especially in matchups like next week’s date with the Dolphins.

After failing to see a target in the first quarter, Metchie connected with Tyrod Taylor on the Jets’ fourth drive of the game, hauling in a 19-yard pass on the second play of the drive, and a 13-yard reception four plays later. The fourth-year receiver would make another 13-yard catch late in the drive, this time finding the end zone to score for the second week in a row. Metchie has now gone for 110 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions over the last two weeks and looks like the best receiver in a room that largely devoid of talent at the moment. He’ll make for an interesting play in deeper leagues as a WR4 in Week 13 against the Falcons.

Glenn confirmed that Justin Fields would once again be benched after his abysmal Week 11 outing against New England. Taylor will take over the Jets offense for now, starting with a tough matchup against a now-healthy Baltimore defense. Taylor’s insertion into the starting lineup likely means more drop back volume for Jets pass catchers. It could make Mason Taylor and perhaps AD Mitchell interesting in deeper formats, along with John Metchie, who last week against the Patriots had three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Metchie’s three targets aren’t anything to write home about, but the third-year receiver made the most of one of his looks when safety Craig Woodson slipped in coverage, allowing Metchie to secure a wide-open target for a 22-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Metchie is finally on the board for the 2025 season, but is a long way from being a reliable fantasy option. Metchie led the Jets with 23 routes run in Thursday’s contest, but we need to see a little more target volume before we can consider starting him as a deep play. We’ll see if he has any more to offer in Week 12 when the Jets take on the Ravens.

Glenn was also non-committal on John Metchie suiting up. Metchie was acquired from the Eagles back on October 29th and was called a “master” route runner from the slot by Glenn. The Jets are in desperate need of help at receiver behind Garrett Wilson, and may get that much-needed help from both Mitchell and Glenn at some point in the season. Even if they do suit up this week, fantasy managers shouldn’t count on either receiver offering much upside. The Jets remain one of the most run-heavy teams in the league and also boast one of the worst passing attacks.

Metchie provides the Jets with much-needed depth in the pass-catching corps, and there is a chance he starts in Week 10, post-bye. Jets No. 1 WR Garrett Wilson has been sidelined by a knee injury, forcing the team to rely on wide receivers like Allen Lazard, Arian Smith, Josh Reynolds and Tyler Johnson. Metchie would be tough to trust as a FLEX option right away, though.

Jordan Schultz reports that the 49ers were also trying to trade for Metchie but the Eagles made a stronger offer. Metchie missed his 2022 rookie season, battling acute promyelocytic leukemia. He debuted in 2023 and has since caught 40-of-66 targets for 412 yards and one touchdown through his two active NFL seasons. He could compete with Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson for the Eagles’ No. 3 wide receiver role.

After Houston added Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the draft, the wideout depth chart is getting a little crowded. Alexander had the Texans keep six receivers, and Metchie is projected to be squaring off with Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios, and Justin Watson for the final two jobs behind Higgins, Noel, Nico Collins, and Christian Kirk. Metchie may be a trade candidate at the roster cutdown entering the final year of his rookie contract. He’s still only 25, but has cracked 50 yards just once in a game in his career.