Breaking news for Braelon Allen holders and believers: The New York Jets announced that Breece Hall will miss Week 14’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Hall is sidelined with a hyperextension and MCL issue in the same knee that required ACL surgery in 2022.
This opens the door for rookie Braelon Allen to dominate touches in the Jets backfield. The fourth-round pick is set to make just the second start of his NFL career, stepping into a prominent role against a tough Dolphins defense. With Hall out, Allen’s increased workload makes him a compelling option for fantasy lineups in a week where running back depth is stretched thin due to injuries and byes.
Can Allen capitalize on this opportunity and deliver for fantasy managers in Week 14? Let’s dive into his fantasy outlook and upside as the team’s bell-cow.
BRAELON ALLEN FANTASY OUTLOOK: SHOULD WE BE OPTIMISTIC?
Breece Hall entered the season with sky-high expectations after an impressive 1,585-yard, nine-touchdown campaign in 2023. While he’s been a solid fantasy contributor, his 2024 production hasn’t quite lived up to the hype.
Through 12 games, Hall has rushed for 692 yards and four touchdowns on 164 carries, averaging a career-low 4.2 yards per attempt. His pass-catching has added value, with 46 receptions for 401 yards and two touchdowns, but fantasy managers had higher hopes after taking him in the top-five of drafts.
Enter Braelon Allen. Serving as Hall’s primary backup, Allen has quietly carved out his own role, rushing for 240 yards and two touchdowns on 67 carries. He’s also caught 12 passes for 97 yards and even found the end zone as a receiver earlier in the season. While his opportunities have been sporadic, Allen showed flashes of fantasy relevance earlier this year. From Week 2 to Week 4, he totaled 170 yards and two touchdowns, offering a glimpse of what he can deliver when given a more significant workload.
Despite Hall’s slight dip in efficiency, he remains valuable thanks to volume and a strong presence in the passing game. Allen, on the other hand, isn’t as polished as a pass-catcher but has shown he can step up when called upon.
Could Week 14 be the start of something for the Jets’ rookie running back? Stay tuned.
BRAELON ALLEN ATHLETIC & COLLEGIATE PROFILE
Allen boasted the second-highest career dominator rating (28%) in his draft class, following a stellar three-year career at Wisconsin. He made an immediate impact at age 17 after securing the starting role in 2021, rushing for nearly 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns. Allen concluded his career with nearly 3,500 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns on 597 carries.
After the Jets drafted Allen in the fourth round, he made an immediate impact during the team’s OTAs. During those practices open to the media, Allen stood out, particularly as a pass-catching option.
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt highlighted Allen’s impressive performance, noting his emergence as a legitimate pass-catching threat—something he did not do much of at Wisconsin. Allen’s receptions mostly come on short throws out of the backfield, but in a particular seven-on-seven drill, he caught a deep pass, showcasing his ability to make plays downfield. Although he only caught 49 passes during his Wisconsin career, his pass-catching and pass-protection skills should let him carve out a role.
Allen’s potential to take on a third-down role and his skills in pass protection made him a valuable late-round flier in fantasy redraft and best ball drafts as Hall’s backup.
SHOULD YOU START BRAELON ALLEN IN FANTASY WEEK 14?
With Breece Hall out of the lineup, Braelon Allen will take over as the team’s RB1, with rookie fifth-rounder Isaiah Davis clearly behind him on the Jets’ depth chart. Expect Allen to get a workhorse role in Week 14 against a tough Miami defense.
While this matchup against the Dolphins doesn’t guarantee anything for Allen, he will benefit from the projected heavy volume. Late-season fantasy breakouts are what we target, and Allen has the potential to be a league-winner as the fantasy playoffs loom– especially if this Redditor has the inside scoop:
Although the volume will be there, the matchup presents its challenges. Miami’s defense has been stout, allowing just 82.5 rushing yards per game, 4.13 yards per carry, and only one rushing touchdown since Week 10. The Jets enter the game as 6.0-point road underdogs, which could limit their ability to establish the run against an offense that plays well at home in the friendly confines of Miami.
Snap counts from Week 13 offer some clarity to how this backfield could shake up. Allen saw a 28% snap share compared to Davis’s 18%, and it’s worth noting this came after a bye week where the Jets likely re-evaluated their backfield usage. However, Allen’s recent efficiency leaves much to be desired. He hasn’t eclipsed 4.0 yards per carry in eight consecutive games and sits at a disappointing 3.58 YPC on the season. On the bright side, he was the definition of a workhorse in college and may need to be a full-time starter to get things on track.
Still, volume is king in fantasy football, especially during the season’s final Bye Week Hell. Based on his workload alone, Allen projects as a solid RB2 option, albeit a low-ceiling one in this matchup. For managers who can afford to bench him, Allen remains a valuable stash if Hall were to miss multiple weeks. While not a must-start, he’s worth consideration for those navigating injuries or bye-week chaos.
The rookie lands at RB20 (+1 vs ECR), a comfortable RB2 slot, on The Wolf’s Week 14 Rankings.
