Fantasy football is a game of inches and small decisions. Not every decision will turn out right, but some will be monumental. Starting Jets QB Mike White in Week 8 might be one of the best fantasy football decisions you could ever make. But what about this week against the Colts?
Mike White’s crazy road to fantasy relevance
Prior to last week, the only Mike White I knew was the writer of “Freaks and Geeks.” I’ll be honest — when I first heard mention of the Jets turning to White in Week 7, I just assumed he was a rookie I’d never heard of. But alas, I was very wrong.
Believe it or not, White isn’t a rookie
The Dallas Cowboys drafted White in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft as the eighth QB off the board. He made the team as a third-string QB but was cut just before the 2019 season. The Jets signed him to their practice squad, where he pretty much lived until he became the backup to rookie QB Zach Wilson this year.
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Once Wilson went down in Week 7, White stepped up in his place. The Jets lost the game against the Patriots, but White looked solid. He was a waiver wire darling in almost every superflex fantasy league heading into Week 8 just because he was getting the start. Boy, did that pay off.
White balled out against the Bengals
White threw 45 passes on Sunday against the Bengals, the 28th-most among all QBs in a game all season. He completed 37 of them for 405 yards, seventh-most in a game all season. White also added 3 touchdowns but threw 2 interceptions. He finished with 26.1 fantasy points, only behind Josh Allen and Jimmy Garoppolo for the week.
White essentially put the team on his back and dominated the Bengals’ defense for most of the game. While he did throw 2 picks, Cincinnati couldn’t get their offense moving well enough to make them pay for it. White got the victory in his first career start, but was that for real, or was it a mirage?
Looking ahead to Week 9
If you grabbed White off waivers and left him on your bench last week, you might seriously be considering starting him this week. Who could blame you? But given the short week, can he repeat against the Colts?
The Jets face the Colts on Thursday Night Football
The Jets were big underdogs to the Bengals on Sunday and came out victorious in a 34-31 game. It’s hard to predict that happening again. The Colts’ defense is middle of the road in almost every category. Through eight games, they’re allowing 22.6 points (14th), 243.6 passing yards (15th), and 352.4 total yards per game (12th). They’re not exactly a brick wall or anything.
White and the Jets outperformed these numbers against the Bengals, who are slightly worse in terms of yardage than the Colts on the season. Indianapolis does have one thing going for them — this is a short week. That tends to favor the defense.
The Jets might not have enough time to install their full offensive game plan in such a short time. Lastly, Jets WR Corey Davis missed Sunday’s game with a hip injury. It’s not certain as of right now if he’ll play Thursday night or not. If he does, that definitely helps White.
However, as we saw last week, White wasn’t afraid to dump the ball off to his running backs out of the backfield. That could be the game plan again, giving Ty Johnson and rookie Michael Carter another week of relevance as well.
Should you start Mike White?
All that said, the real question is whether or not you should trust White in your lineup this week. It’s hard to trust someone that has such a short résumé. Still, with all of the injuries and four teams on a bye this week, your options might be limited.
I doubt White is a top-12 quarterback this week, but he’s definitely got the upside to pull it off again. In 1QB leagues, I’m probably not starting him unless I’m up against a wall. However, in superflex, he’s almost a must-start option just because he’s got the potential to score 20+ points. Even in PPR, that’s hard to turn down. You might have to plug your nose when you submit your lineup, but the way this season’s going, it could be worse, right?