Breece

Hall

With the Jets falling behind 21-7 early in the second quarter and 31-10 at halftime, Hall ended up posting his second fewest rushing yards of the season as Gang Green lamentably had to dial up 33 pass attempts for UDFA Brady Cook. Stuck on one total touchdown over his past five games, Hall is having trouble rising above low-end, workload-based RB2 status. Hopefully that will not include for Week 16, where the Jets will be taking on a team more of their own size in the Saints.

Tough scenes for Hall as he’ll be the focal point of a Jaguars defense that was already a bit of a pass funnel. And now the pass part of the pass funnel is led by Brady Cook. Hall will be a low-floor RB2 in Week 15 based on the workload, but it won’t be pretty.

This will likely go down as a limited session for Hall. That is a step in the right direction after the team held him out of Wednesday’s practice entirely. This is likely just maintenance for a workhorse back who has been dealing with a knee issue for over a month. Hall should be good to go by Sunday, though the absence of Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor could tank the Jets’ offense. Brady Cook appears to be in line to start versus the Jags. The Jets will undoubtedly ride Hall, keeping him in the RB2 ranks even if the offensive environment is a disaster.

Hall’s recurring knee issues can be tricky to get a read on. He played through them for a time last year and could do so again this week. His practice participation is worth watching, though. On the plus side, the “soreness” listing suggests this is more of a pain-related issue than a new injury that requires rehab. Stay tuned.

Hall also failed to catch is only target of the day. In a pass-heavy game script with Brady Cook as the quarterback, Hall saw 14 carries in a limited offense. He did not see much red zone usage and ends up with a pedestrian 43-yard total as the run game had little impact against the Dolphins. His value will be tied to who the Jets’ quarterback is for Week 15, but Hall is in the RB2 range against the strong Jaguars run defense.

This has been close to both Hall’s floor and ceiling of late, but he has at least been consistently ending up in this range. That makes him a safe RB2, but the RB1 spiked weeks remain few and far between, with a poor likelihood they will increase down the stretch. That being said, the Dolphins are a plus Week 14 matchup. It remains a no-brainer to keep Hall locked in your 12-team league lineups even if you wish his offensive environment was better.

A productive day by Hall nearly ended with a touchdown. Instead, while trying to push through defenders on his way to a score, Hall saw the ball ripped from his grasp by Marlon Humphrey and recovered by the Ravens for his second lost fumble on the season. The star running back had been orchestrating an explosive drive all on his own before the fumble, ripping off a 40-yard reception, a 14-yard reception, and then 10-yard run before coughing it up. Hall will be on the RB1/RB2 radar in Week 13’s game against the Falcons.

Four straight three-and-outs in the second quarter didn’t do much to help Hall’s fantasy upside in Thursday’s loss. The Patriots held Hall to just 58 yards (4.1 YPC) on the day, and he was kept out of the end zone in the first quarter when Justin Fields topped off the Jets’ first possession of the day with a five-yard rushing touchdown. Hall’s volume will continue to keep him in the RB1 mix for Week 12 against the Ravens, but it’s hard to view him as anything more than a boom-or-bust fantasy asset who remains prone to underwhelming weeks given the Jets’ offensive struggles. Hall will be a fringe RB1/RB2 in Week 12 against the Ravens.

Hall’s 42-yard receiving score in the fourth quarter was the Jets’ only positive play of the day. He handled a dump-off from a zero-blitzed Justin Fields then went basically untouched to the house. His fantasy managers needed it badly, as efficiency was impossible to come by while play volume was limited by a pair of Jets special teams touchdowns. Hall has now bookended the Jets’ Week 9 bye with a pair of big fantasy efforts, but it’s difficult to see the hot streak continuing for Thursday’s short-week date with the Patriots, especially since Garrett Wilson’s knee aggravation further degrades the Jets’ bottom-three offensive environment. He’s a boom/bust RB2 whether it is Fields or Tyrod Taylor under center.

Hall was arguably the biggest trade candidate on the Jets heading into Tuesday’s deadline. In the middle of another lost season, the Jets were massive sellers, moving on from defensive stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. The fact that they were willing to axe a trade for over the difference between a third and fourth-round pick is almost stunning. Hall is an impending free agent and New York is at the ground floor of a rebuild. This could mean that they will try to re-sign him in the spring or that he is a candidate for the transition tag. Either way, Hall will close out his rookie contract as a member of the Jets. The Chiefs will move forward with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt splitting their backfield.