New York Jets RB Breece Hall carried the ball just six times for nine yards in the first half against the Tennessee Titans, leaving fantasy football managers wanting more from their first-round pick. Adding to the frustration was an increased role for talented rookie Braelon Allen.
Relax, people.
Breece Hall’s Slow Start in Week 2
The running back position is especially difficult to count on week-over-week, and it doesn’t get any easier when you add moving pieces to the profile. In addition to welcoming a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers back from an Achilles injury, the team spent a fourth-round pick this April on Allen, a prospect out of Wisconsin that totaled over 3,700 yards and ran for 35 scores across three collegiate seasons.
New York can be working through some growing pains and Hall can be the offensive fulcrum. Both things can be true and, in this case, very much are.
Hall touched the ball on New York’s first four plays from scrimmage in Week 2, proof that the scripted portion of the game plan is still built around the explosive third-year back who racked up 1,585 yards and scored nine times in a mess of an offense last season.
The Allen touchdown, albeit irritating, isn’t something I’d sweat. He’s a talented running back who is capable of picking up work as this season wears on, but there is nothing in Hall’s profile to suggest that he is at all a risk of losing his primary role (21 touches in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers).
Case in point? The 26-yard TD catch to open the second half that showed the level of confidence Rodgers has in his bellcow back.
The schedule doesn’t lighten up in the short term, but part of the logic behind spending up on Hall this summer was the finishing kick. In theory, the Jets will be battling for a playoff spot with a healthy and in-form version of Rodgers.
- Week 10 at Cardinals
- Week 11 vs. Colts
- Week 12 BYE
- Week 13 vs. Seahawks
- Week 14 at Dolphins
- Week 15 at Jaguars
- Week 16 at Rams
- Week 17 at Bills
It’s too early to panic. Allen can work into a decent role without cutting the legs out from Hall’s fantasy value, and that is what I would project to happen with time. Allen needs to be rostered — Hall needs to be held onto and treated like the elite asset he is.
Be patient.