After a promising Week 1 performance, New York Jets running back Breece Hall had just four touches in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. Is it time for Hall’s fantasy football managers to panic?
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Breece Hall’s Rest-of-Season Fantasy Outlook
Hall entered the 2023 season with some uncertainty, mainly due to questions surrounding his health following an ACL tear last season. Yet, Hall quieted his critics in Week 1 — his first game back from injury — with 127 rushing yards on just 10 carries against the Buffalo Bills.
THERE GOES BREECE HALL! 83 YARDS!
📺: #BUFvsNYJ on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/6SstXq1rq7 pic.twitter.com/17LZRdnNQw— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2023
But on Sunday in Dallas, Hall touched the football just four times and finished with nine rushing yards in the Jets’ blowout loss. Hall voiced frustration after the game over his lack of usage, saying his limited involvement in the offense was a significant reason they struggled.
Breece Hall weighed in on the Jets 30-10 loss in Dallas 😬 pic.twitter.com/KdURJYofs5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2023
The game script didn’t work in Hall’s or the Jets’ favor, but there’s no excuse for the second-year veteran to have just four carries the entire afternoon. Don’t expect the Jets to make the same mistake again, beginning this week against the New England Patriots.
Despite Sunday’s debacle, fantasy managers should still remain confident in Hall’s value for the rest of the season. Besides arguably Garrett Wilson, Hall is the Jets’ best offensive skill player and needs as many touches as his body will allow.
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With Aaron Rodgers out for the season and Zach Wilson back under center, the Jets need to lean on their run game the way they did with Hall in the first half of the 2022 season. As a rookie, Hall averaged 5.8 yards per carry and was already one of the NFL’s most explosive running backs.
It’s understandable why the Jets want to limit Hall’s usage early on in the season after returning from an ACL injury, but four touches is simply not enough. Hall should have a much larger workload moving forward and should be viewed as an RB2 with RB1 upside.
Should I Trade Hall?
No Hall fantasy manager was happy with the 22-year-old’s performance in Week 2. Regardless, it’s too early to hit the panic button and trade Hall at this time. The return simply won’t be worth it — no fantasy manager is giving up fair value for Hall after a 0.9-point performance.
Hall has proven he’s a difference-maker with the football in his hands, both as a rookie in 2022 and in Week 1 of this season. He should only get better as the year goes on as he gets more comfortable and further removed from his injury. He’s currently in a timeshare with Dalvin Cook, but Hall is the better back and should have the majority of the workload deeper into the season.
Hall is the perfect buy-low candidate this week if his fantasy managers are panicking. But for those who do currently have Hall on their roster, it’s not the right time to trade him.