Table of Contents
You can watch Thursday Night Football: Jets vs. Patriots at 8:20 pm ET/5:20 pm PT on Amazon Prime
Thursday Night Football remains in the AFC East for the second straight week, as the Patriots travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the Jets. Gang Green fans (and Breece Hall/Garrett Wilson fantasy football managers) are no doubt hoping for a better first series in the home opener for Aaron Rodgers and the offense than the one in 2023. *shivers*.
While the Jets and Patriots haven’t exactly played a ton of exciting, fantasy games (the last time they had a high-scoring game was in 2021, when New England destroyed New York, 54-13), there are still some big names and fantasy nuances to keep an eye on in this matchup.
Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Prediction in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube either wherever you listen.
Does Breece Hall have a problem with Braelon Allen?
There was a lot of talk around the committee about the Jets’ Week 2 win over the Titans. Rookie running back Braelon Allen scored 18.6 fantasy points thanks to two touchdowns, just 2.3 fewer points than Hall scored that day. Fantasy managers were left perplexed as to why Hall had been substituted on the plays Allen scored on, as both seemed like plays Hall could have excelled on. Could the Jets be looking to mount a two-pronged attack in the backfield?
I don’t buy it
With Christian McCaffrey off the field, Hall could be one of the top three running backs in the NFL right now — a do-it-all player who can produce in any situation. You don’t just take the ball out of that type of player’s hands.
In fact, Allen getting some of the spotlight is probably a good thing for both Hall and his fantasy managers. With so many injuries spreading across the league, is it really so bad for Hall to take some snaps off, especially when he already has a season-ending injury? And despite all the tears, Hall still He scored 20.90 fantasy points, including a catch that looked more like a CeeDee Lamb than a running back. Not to mention Hall has had 42 touches in two weeks, compared to just 11 for Allen.
Count me in as part of Team “You’re not allowed to complain about a player scoring 20+ fantasy points.”
SummaryThis should be less about “is Breece Hall at risk of being placed on a committee?” and more about “add Braelon Allen (32% of roster) everywhere.”
Should fantasy managers start Hunter Henry?
This definitely feels like a put-the-stars-on-the-field-and-cover-your-eyes game (that means Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Rhamondre Stevenson are all staying in the lineups), but it behooves us to give Hunter Henry (48% of players on the roster) credit for delivering a 100-yard game in Week 2. Unless you have Brock Bowers (the season’s seemingly only big-name producer), George Kittle (last week), Isaiah Likely (Week 1), or Trey McBride (saved by a fumble recovery TD last week), you’ve probably been lamenting your TE spot up until now.
So why not give Henry a chance if you don’t feel comfortable in that position?
The gap between Henry and the Patriots’ next leading receiver is considerable. The TE leads the team in receptions (10), yards (127), passes targeted (15)—he threw, he even leads the team in YAC. Sure, most of that production came in Week 2, but the way this season is going, we’re going to have to take every week of data seriously. Not to mention, the Patriots’ offense has been a bit more aggressive than everyone probably expected so far this season. If they’re going to win this game, they’re probably going to look to Henry first when they go to the air.
Obviously, this is a tough matchup, but Henry’s position at tight end looks the safest of the season. Leave him as the starter if you need TE help this week.
Should fantasy managers add Ja’Lynn Polk?
The rookie receiver is on the roster in just 12% of leagues and could be worth a speculative addition heading into this game. The Patriots have stated that they want Polk to be more involved in the offense, and we saw Polk score his first touchdown in Week 2. It’s possible his workload could increase even more in a divisional matchup.
At worst, Polk’s workload would actually… decreases While the Patriots are trying to steamroll the Jets, you end up dropping it anyway. But there are advantages here and I’d rather get in early than late.
