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For a moment, it looked like Zach Wilson’s season was over before it ever started.

That was the early speculation after the second-year quarterback crumpled to the ground in the Jets’ 24-21 preseason win on Friday, forcing oddsmakers into a mad scramble to adjust New York’s team futures ahead of an official diagnosis.

Three days later, the prognosis isn’t so grim after an MRI on Saturday confirmed a bone bruise and a meniscus tear but not an ACL tear, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Still, Wilson’s status for Week 1 (and beyond) is in serious doubt – which leaves a valuable opportunity for betting on the Jets’ futures at FanDuel amid so much uncertainty.

Also read: New York Jets season preview

Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook

Ahead of Friday’s costly preseason debut, New York was among the more popular bets this offseason entering a second year with Wilson and head coach Robert Saleh. The Jets were aggressive in free agency, adding nearly a dozen potential starters on both sides of the ball and surrounding Wilson with an infusion of young talent to support his sophomore campaign.

The result was a flurry of bets on their odds to win the Super Bowl (+15000) and to win over 5.5 games, which was juiced as high as -175 in recent weeks. Even Wilson’s MVP stock was soaring – the second-year signal-caller saw his odds slashed to +10000 at BetMGM and FanDuel, and in the first half of July, he drew more bets to win the award at Caesars than former MVP winners Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady.

That seemed to come crashing down with Wilson’s tumble to the turf, which prompted early speculation of a season-ending injury and a massive hit to the Jets’ futures. Instead, he’s expected to miss just 2-4 weeks, though that’s still up in the air depending on how his upcoming surgery goes.

That alone has been enough to shift the juice on New York’s win total over to -135 at FanDuel – a significant departure from the aggressive pricing on the over pre-injury. The Jets are also 7-point home underdogs for their Week 1 clash with the Ravens, who initially opened as 6-point road chalk.

Whether or not you believe that this injury is relatively minor, there’s still some value on the over here at a cheaper price.

Wilson’s development was a key reason why bettors flocked to bet on the Jets this offseason, but it isn’t the only one. This roster was rebuilt this summer by general manager Joe Douglas, who has spent nearly his team’s entire cap space to reshape last year’s group that finished with just four wins.

That includes an overhaul on defense, which was the worst in the NFL a season ago. That won’t be the case this year. Carl Lawson is back after missing 2021, and he’ll anchor a unit that added two elite first-round prospects in Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (No. 4) and Jermaine Johnson (No. 26) while beefing up this defensive line in free agency.

New York’s schedule is also one of the easiest in the league – that alone could be good enough for a two-win bump from last year. That schedule is front-loaded, which insulates the impact of Wilson’s injury should he not be ready for Week 1. Even if you chalk up a few missed weeks for Wilson, which is far from a certainty at this point, there are enough “gimmes” later in the slate for this team to win a modest six games.

And even if Wilson misses extended time, the talent around backup Joe Flacco or Mike White – who showed brief flashes of brilliance last year – is enough to take a shot on this modest total for all the reasons we mentioned in late July. So grab the cheaper price on a team that should be one of the most improved in the NFL, with or without a healthy Wilson.