Both Braelon Allen of the New York Jets and the New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson are backup running backs on their respective teams. Each is coming off productive Week 2 performances and could be giving fantasy football managers serious thoughts about starting in Week 3.
Should You Start Braelon Allen or Antonio Gibson This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Allen is the player to start. His projected 6.5 points include a projection of 32.9 rushing yards, one reception, and 10 receiving yards. While that doesn’t seem like a big stat line, it outperforms, albeit narrowly, the consensus projection for Gibson (5.7 points, 19.8 rush yards, 1.5 receptions, 11.1 receiving yards).
Both players are backups in this game, so it is hard to project exact numbers for either. Barring injury to the starter on their team, both are likely to have to make the best of a relatively minimal workload. Therefore, you are ideally looking for either a touchdown or a big play to provide any significant level of value.
Braelon Allen Fantasy Outlook This Week
The rookie out of Wisconsin had a slow start to the 2024 season, with just two touches in Week 1. If you started him then, you would have been very disappointed with just 17 yards and one reception returning 2.7 fantasy points in PPR scoring.
Week 2 saw his opportunities grow to nine touches, with seven carries and two receptions. In total, he had 13 opportunities, with two further targets that he did not turn into a reception. Allen saw either a carry or a target on 55% of his snaps in Week 2, which is a very good usage rate for the rookie.
We know that Breece Hall has been dealing with an injury issue this week, so there is a chance that we could see Allen’s snap share go up. Last week, he played 20 of the 56 snaps, compared to 40 for Hall. If that balances out more this week, and Allen retains his usage rate from Week 1, then he could potentially be looking at double-digit touches in Week 3.
Antonio Gibson Fantasy Outlook This Week
While Rhamondre Stevenson continues to be the dominant running back for the Patriots, it’s worth reminding people that it was Gibson, not Stevenson, that led the Patriots in rushing last week — 96 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Traditionally one of the most versatile running backs in the league, Gibson only has one reception for seven yards this season. But given New England’s weapons right now, there’s reason to expect Gibson to get more playing time moving forward.
He must if he’s going to factor into fantasy conversations since he’s only been on the field for a total of 30 offensive snaps in two games.
But Gibson is a player who had a career-high 48 receptions last season with the Washington Commanders, the third straight season he has seen his receptions total increase. If the Patriots throw the ball more or walk back Stevenson’s volume, Gibson will be the beneficiary.