In Week 7, the Jets slid to 2-5 with a home divisional loss to the Dolphins, who got their first win of the year. The Jets will look to bounce back in Week 8 when they host the Las Vegas Raiders, who have also been stumbling a little bit lately. In that matchup, the Jets could get star running back Breece Hall back in the lineup, but Braelon Allen has been effective in his absence. What will the timeshare look like in Week 8 and how should you plan on using Hall or Allen in fantasy football lineups?
Let’s look at the latest info on Hall’s injury and status for this week and preview the Jets’ backfield against the Raiders on Sunday.
Breece Hall injury update
Hall sustained a quadriceps injury in Week 3 against the Lions and missed the Jets’ next four games. He seemed close to a return last week, and was even expected to workout pregame before the final decision was made. Monitor this week’s practice reports to see whether Hall can progress to full participation ahead of Sunday’s game.
Before the injury, Hall had a monster workload in Week 1, racking up 22 carries for 102 rushing yards and a touchdown. He had 16 carries for just 29 yards in Week 2 against the Packers but still had a solid fantasy day by adding five catches for 63 yards. He played 58% of snaps in Week 1 and 65% of snaps in Week 2.
When he was healthy, he was the clear lead running back and focal point of the offense, but he has missed a significant amount of time and may need more time to get back to full speed.
Braelon Allen’s Emergence
While Hall has been out, Allen has stepped up, especially in the last three games. He had 24 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown in the rain against the Browns on his way to 21.6 FPTS, and he followed that up with 12.4 FPTS in a solid showing against the Patriots. In Week 7, he had a season-high 22.4 FPTS in the loss to the Dolphins, catching six of seven targets for 30 yards while running for 104 more yards on 17 carries.
Allen has played over 75% of snaps in every game Hall has missed, and he has excelled in the workhorse role.
Allen played 40% of snaps in Week 1 and 31% of snaps in Week 2 with Hall fully healthy, so he did have a role even before Hall’s injury. After so much success in the last three weeks, though, he could have an even larger part of the timeshare going forward.
Jets RBs Fantasy Football Outlook
Both running backs will be in a good matchup this week against the Raiders defense, which has allowed the seventh-most FPTS to running backs this season. Running backs have seven rushing touchdowns against Las Vegas in seven games this season, and they have averaged 124.9 rushing yards per game. Last week, both Rams running backs had big games against the Raiders, with Kyren Williams running for 99 yards and a touchdown while Blake Corum ran for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Since no one can be certain how ready Hall is for a full workload, it’s likely to be a timeshare of some sort this week. I’d lean towards Allen getting more of the work. Both running backs are RB3 or FLEX play options in this matchup, with Hall bringing a higher ceiling but Allen being a safer play.
Down the road, Hall is likely to take back over the majority of the work in the backfield, giving him more value for the rest of the season. However, Allen still brings plenty of value to hold on to. He could get the main job back if Hall aggravates the injury or if Hall is moved at the NFL Trade Deadline, opening up the full-time role for Allen. Before he can be dealt, though, teams will want to know he’s healthy and ready to return from this injury.
The Bottom Line: Breece Hall is likely to regain his RB1 role, but Braelon Allen still has value as well
If Hall gets full practice in this week, he should be started in almost all formats, unless your lineup is stacked with other stud options. Allen is still viable in a FLEX spot this week as well, especially in a favorable matchup against the Raiders.
In Week 8, the Jets RBs also have the potential to offer value in DraftKings DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]. Allen’s salary has climbed to $6,100, while Hall is at $6,000. If Hall is ready, he will be a boom-or-bust play that is worth considering, especially in GPP formats where his upside in this matchup is worth the added risk of him returning from injury.
