Breece Hall (quad) officially inactive vs. Raiders

Breece Hall, returning from his quad injury, led the New York backfield with 15 carries while adding three grabs out of the backfield. It was Allen, however, who led the Jets backfield in pass routes, 21 to 10. That sort of pass game usage could keep Allen viable in deeper formats since the Jets are going to be chasing points more weeks than not. Both Jets running backs average 4.1 yards per carry against an elite KC front seven. Allen plays the Bills in Week 10.

Finally returning from his multi-month quad injury, Hall took over as the Jets’ lead back even after Braelon Allen had a nice run as the team’s RB1. Allen ended up with 10 touches on the day, including eight carries. Hall looked spry, dodging would-be tacklers and creating yards after first contact on a handful of his touches. It seems Jets coaches were serious when they said Hall would resume lead back duties upon his return. Hall’s role in the Jets offense should make him a locked-in top-24 option, including next week against the Bills.

While the Jets traded young players for draft picks last season, don’t expect New York to do that again this year. A team source told Jones the Jets moving Hall is “very unlikely to happen.” Hall appears ready to return from a quad injury in Week 9 against the Chiefs, but is difficult to trust in fantasy with Braelon Allen potentially cutting into his workload after a strong showing in Hall’s absence in recent weeks.

This comes a day after Hall said he expects to play, so this news isn’t all too surprising. Hall’s return could somewhat complicate the Jets’ backfield situation on Sunday, however, as Braelon Allen has played well in Hall’s absence, making a strong case for more touches even when Hall is healthy. Glenn declined to get into how he plans to divvy up his running backs’ touches next week, saying “both guys will play,” when asked about his plans. This was already shaping up to be a tough fantasy matchup on the road against the Chiefs, but a potential backfield split would only further complicate matters. Until we see how things shake out, both Hall and Allen should be viewed as mid-to-low-end RB2s.

We expect to see Hall listed as a full participant on today’s injury report. An update will be provided if that is not the case. Earlier today, Jets OC Frank Reich discussed Hall and Braelon Allen’s expected usage, saying having the two players is “a great problem to have,” referring to the duo as “two No. 1 backs.” That said, Reich added that Hall “is obviously the bell cow,” but the backfield usage will be a “mix” of both players. Jets coach Aaron Glenn will reportedly share his ideal backfield split with Reich, who will work with the position coaches to make it happen. Hall likely belongs in the high-end RB2 tier while Allen remains FLEX-viable.

Hall is expected to return this week, but a full practice might be required before the team gives him the go-ahead. Hall logged three limited practices last week before being ruled out on Sunday. Barring a setback, we’re still expecting Hall to ramp up to a full session over the next two days. Assuming he does, Hall will likely split work with Braelon Allen, who has been extremely effective as the Jets’ workhorse running back in his absence. Both backs will sit in the RB3 ranks for their Week 9 date with the Chiefs.

Hall, barring setbacks in practice, should be OK for Week 9 against the Chiefs. What his workload will look like is another question entirely. Braelon Allen has established himself as an efficient, tough runner over the past few weeks, and could remain the Jets’ lead rusher while Hall takes on most pass-catching opportunities. Though Hall should have some kind of floor in Week 9, he probably doesn’t have much of a ceiling unless the Jets decided to phase out Allen.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has knocked down suggestions that the Jets would trade Hall before the league’s trade deadline, as Braelon Allen continues as one of the NFL’s most productive rushers. When asked about how the backfield might look when Hall returns from his quad injury, Reich seemed to say Hall would remain the de facto lead runner. “Well, that’s obviously coach’s decision, but they’re both the guy … I mean, that’s a good problem to have,” Reich said. “That’s coach’s decision, but to me … Breece is our guy. I’m assuming Breece is our guy, you know what I mean? He’s one of the best in the NFL, but I think what’s been so excited is like, oh my gosh, we’ve got two of them. I mean, we’ve got two. This Braelon guy, he’s a beast as well.” Allen this season ranks third among running backs in rushing success rate; 11th in rush yards over expected per attempt; eighth in yards after contact per rush; and over the past three weeks he ranks eighth among RBs in expected fantasy points per game, proving the haters wrong along the way. Hall is expected to return to action this week against the Chiefs.

It was reported on Sunday that Hall was “hoping for next week,” which is now here, as the Jets prepare to take on the Chiefs in Kansas City. After logging a week of limited practices and entering last weekend as questionable, Hall was still scratched from Week 8’s game against the Raiders, leading some to believe he had suffered a setback in his recovery. Hopefully that was more of a case of the Jets exercising caution with their RB1, especially with Braelon Allen playing well in his absence. Hall’s status will still be one to monitor, but this is a very optimistic report on him to start the week.

The Jets are 2-6 and Braelon Allen has put together a solid few weeks in Hall’s absence. As a result, there has been some speculation as to whether or not the Jets would consider moving Hall, who has missed the last five games with a quad injury. In addition to saying the Jets are “in the business of keeping good players,” Glenn also was sure to remind the media that Hall is “one of our better players,” suggesting there are no plans to move the 25-year-old back at this year’s deadline. If he’s able to play next week against the Chiefs, Hall would fall somewhere in the RB2 ranks in his return.