Garrett Wilson Practices Again in the Concussion Protocol as the Jets Host Buffalo: Start or Sit the Jets' Top Receiver in Week 10

Garrett Wilson was back at practice on Thursday for the New York Jets, listed as a limited participant for the second straight day as he works through the NFL's concussion protocol. Head coach Aaron Glenn said this week he is very hopeful that Wilson will play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, while adding that the team will see how the rest of the week plays out. Wilson has not been cleared yet, and until he is, fantasy managers are holding a high-upside receiver with real uncertainty attached.

How Wilson got here

Wilson was injured in the closing moments of the Jets' 38-33 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8, taking a helmet-to-helmet hit. He did not clear the protocol in time for Week 9 and missed the Jets' loss at Kansas City.

His practice progression this week has followed the normal path for a player working back from a concussion: limited participation on Wednesday, limited again Thursday, with the next step being full participation and clearance from an independent neurological consultant. Glenn has said Wilson would be eased through walkthroughs and evaluated throughout the week.

The Friday report is the one that matters. A full session would strongly suggest clearance is coming. Another limited session, or a "questionable" tag, keeps this a Sunday-morning decision.

What the Jets looked like without him

The Jets' passing game was rudderless in Kansas City. Omar Cooper Jr. stepped in as the top receiver, but the depth behind him struggled badly: Adonai Mitchell caught none of his seven targets. That gap between Wilson and everyone else on the depth chart is the strongest argument for starting Wilson the moment he is cleared. When he plays, he soaks up targets because no one else on the roster demands them.

It is also why Wilson drew trade interest at the deadline, with multiple contenders reportedly calling about him before New York decided to keep its top receiver.

The matchup: Buffalo

The matchup is not easy. Buffalo is 7-1 after beating Minnesota on Monday night, and the Jets enter as heavy underdogs against their division rival. Big underdogs often throw a lot, though, and a negative game script is not bad news for a target-hog receiver. If the Bills jump ahead, the Jets will be forced to throw, and Wilson is the first read on most dropbacks.

The concern is efficiency. Buffalo's secondary is well coached, and the Jets' offense has struggled to sustain drives. Expect Wilson's floor to be driven by volume (eight or more targets is a reasonable expectation in a trailing script) and his ceiling to depend on whether the Jets can create a couple of explosive plays.

Buffalo has also owned this series recently, winning eight of the last 10 meetings, including a 35-8 rout in Buffalo in January. Bettors should not expect Wilson's return alone to change that history.

Fantasy fallout

If Wilson is cleared: Start him as a WR2. Fantasy outlets have him projected as a top-24 option in Week 10 if he plays, and that is the right tier. Concussion returns do not typically carry a snap limit the way soft-tissue injuries do, so if he is active, expect a normal workload.

If Wilson is ruled out: Omar Cooper Jr. moves into flex consideration as the Jets' de facto top target. Avoid the rest of the receiving corps; the Week 9 results showed how thin it is.

Late-game contingency: Managers with Wilson should identify a fallback from a later kickoff window (a late-afternoon receiver, or one playing Sunday or Monday night) before the Jets kick off in case his status is not resolved until inactives are posted about 90 minutes before the game.

Betting angle

Wilson's status has a modest effect on the side and a bigger one on the Jets' team total. Without him, New York's passing offense has little that threatens a defense, which supports Jets team-total unders and Bills defensive props. With him, the Jets have at least one player who can turn a broken play into a score. Watch his prop market: receiving yardage lines for a player returning from a concussion are often posted conservatively, and in a projected negative game script, overs on his receptions line are worth a look if he is cleared.

For Verdexed's model view on Bills at Jets, see the weekly NFL picks page and /nfl/predictions.

What to do in your league

Wilson managers: Keep him on your roster and in your lineup plans. Check the Friday report and the official inactives list on Sunday. Have a later-window pivot ready.

Bills managers: Nothing changes. Buffalo's offense was built to win games like this one, and the Bills' stars are every-week starts.

DFS: Wilson is likely to be under-owned on main slates because of the uncertainty, which makes him a leverage play if he is cleared Saturday. Pair him with a Bills stack in game-script builds where Buffalo jumps out early.

What's next

The Jets need Wilson both for this season and to understand their own future: he is the one receiver on the roster opposing defenses must account for. Once he is cleared, he should return to his usual role immediately. If he is not, the Jets' offense becomes one of the easiest in the league for fantasy defenses to stream against.