Plugging short-term gaps is the primary focus of waiver wire activity each week, but hitting the right long-term lottery ticket can win a league. Rookie Braelon Allen remains the clear backup behind fantasy football workhorse Breece Hall but has impressed in his small sample of touches so far. Entering Week 4, we take a look at how much fantasy managers should prioritize adding Allen on waivers.
Should Braelon Allen Be Added on the Fantasy Waiver Wire in Week 4?
Through three games, Allen is averaging 5.1 yards per rush, while also adding six receptions for 45 yards and a TD. That average isn’t the result of a single big game either, as Allen has averaged at least 4.7 yards per rush in every game so far. For the season, his yards per rush attempt ranks 13th among RBs, right behind Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry.
Let’s give Braelon Allen 300 touches on another team and see what happens pic.twitter.com/EmKhiX4DsL
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) September 20, 2024
Most promising is the fact that Allen has seen his touches increase each week. After receiving only two touches in Week 1, he’s seen that total rise to nine in Week 2 and 14 on Thursday versus the New England Patriots. He’s also gotten relatively consistent passing-down work, catching a pass in all three games (albeit mostly for low-yardage checkdowns).
While some of that workload in Week 3 was due to the favorable game script, Allen has established himself as the clear second running back behind Hall. Apart from Allen, No. 3 RB Isaiah Davis has only had three touches all season, and no one else in the backfield has touched the ball. Allen would not likely enjoy a 90% + backfield share without Hall, but he would certainly be among the highest-usage running backs in the NFL.
Allen has actually outperformed Hall this season, as the starter is averaging only 3.7 yards per rush. While that doesn’t mean he’s destined to cut into Hall’s workload at all, it does demonstrate that Allen is capable of taking advantage of the same offensive environment. Allen has produced five touches of 10+ yards this season, just two fewer than Hall despite receiving 37 fewer touches.
At this point, Allen should not be on waivers at all, as Hall’s shareholders should be stashing him on the bench as a handcuff. Given the distribution of touches, it’s likely that Allen would enjoy a Jordan Mason-type workload should Hall be unavailable for any reason.
While fantasy managers in need of a starter should not prioritize Allen, any Hall manager — or one with space on the bench — should add the Jets rookie to their roster this week.