New York Jets RB Breece Hall showcased his top-tier talent in 2022 before an injury derailed his season. Fantasy football managers have high hopes for him coming off of his ACL tear, but he has some competition for touches in his backfield now in 2023.
Should fantasy football managers trust Hall in their lineups? Is he even set to suit up in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills?
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Latest News Surrounding Breece Hall
A second-round pick by the Jets last season, Hall was on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year before suffering a torn ACL against the Denver Broncos in Week 7. Hall missed the remainder of the season; his teammate, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, ended up taking home the award.
Whether Hall will be ready to play in the Jets’ 2023 season opener has remained unclear throughout the offseason. Hall began training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list but returned to practice on Aug. 15. He’s continued to trend in the right direction and appears on track to make his 2023 debut on Monday Night Football.
Will Hall Play This Week?
Jets head coach Robert Salah told local reporters on Monday that Hall, along with veteran running back Dalvin Cook, will both play in New York’s season opener against the Bills on Sept. 11. Cook, who signed with the team in training camp, is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Salah said the Jets won’t have Hall or Cook on a snap count, but the team will be smart with the usage of both running backs.
“I don’t know if I want to call it a snap count, but we are gonna be smart with them,” Saleh said. “We’ll continue to evaluate and build up what we think Monday needs to be, but it’s not that we’re putting a snap count on it.”
Hall will play in the Jets’ opener, but do Salah’s comments allow fantasy owners to trust the second-year running back in their lineups?
What Does This Mean for Hall’s Fantasy Ranking?
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Hall’s injury recovery, the 22-year-old has been selected in the middle RB2 range in most fantasy drafts. According to FantasyPros, Hall’s average draft position (ADP) has been 39th overall as the 15th running back selected.
While it might be difficult to trust Hall early on in the season, his production as a rookie pre-injury is enough to justify spending a late third, early fourth-round fantasy pick on him. Hall led all running backs in yards per carry (5.8) before his injury and was one of the most electrifying players in the NFL.
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While the Jets plan to take it slow with Hall early on in the season, Salah’s comments suggest the running back will get a bigger workload as the year goes on. Hall has a true high-end RB1 upside and could be one of the best value picks at his current ADP.
The fact that Hall is even playing in the Jets’ opener is a positive sign for fantasy managers. Yes, running backs coming off ACL injuries usually struggle to repeat their pre-injury production, but Hall could certainly be an outlier in this case. It’s been over 10 months since he tore his ACL, and he’s still only 22 years old.
In order to win fantasy leagues, managers must take some risks. Drafting Hall is a risk worth taking.