Report: Zach Wilson cleared, expected to start Week 12 vs. Texans

New York Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson has been cleared of his knee injury and is expected to start in Week 12 vs. the Houston Texans on Sunday, per The Athletic. Wilson has been sidelined since Week 7 vs. the New England Patriots due to a knee injury. The Jets have used Mike White and even brought back veteran QB Joe Flacco to start last week vs. the Miami Dolphins.

White and Flacco have both been placed on the Covid-19/Reserve list. So Josh Johnson will serve as the backup QB to Wilson in Week 12.

Fantasy football implications

With Wilson back, it’s unclear how much of a boost it is for the Jets offense. New York hadn’t been moving the ball well with Wilson under center. White did OK in a pinch and had his moments, but also turned the ball over a ton. Flacco may be old, but had a pretty decent game last week with 291 yards and 2 TDs. Rookie WR Elijah Moore also had his best game of the season playing with Flacco, catching 8 passes for 141 yards and a TD.

While it’s tough to expect much from Wilson in his first game back, it is an ideal matchup vs. a weak Texans team. Moore appears to be coming into his own. Michael Carter is injured and won’t play in Week 12. Ty Johnson will likely take over as the lead back with Tevin Coleman mixing in. With Wilson back, the Jets could lean more on the run game to take pressure off the rookie QB. Wilson also may be hesitant to push the ball downfield, which bodes well for Johnson seeing dump-offs. Jamison Crowder is also in a good spot out of the slot. He had 6 catches for 44 yards and a TD last week.