You can watch Thursday Night Football: Jets vs. Patriots at 8:20 p.m. ET/5:20 p.m. PT on Amazon Prime
Thursday Night Football remains in the AFC East for a 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 drive in the home opener for Aaron Rodgers and the offense than the one they had in 2023. *shivers*.
While the Jets and Patriots haven’t exactly played many exciting, fantasy games — the last time they played a high-scoring game was in 2021, when New England defeated New York 54-13 — there are still some big names and fantasy nuances to keep in mind in this matchup.
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Do Breece Hall’s managers have a Braelon Allen problem?
There was some whining about the committee after 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 than Hall scored that day. Fantasy managers were baffled as to why Hall was substituted on the plays that Allen scored on, since both seemed like plays that Hall could have excelled on. Would the Jets want to field a two-way backfield offense?
I don’t believe it.
With Christian McCaffrey on the board, Hall is arguably one of the top three running backs in the NFL right now — a do-it-all guy who can perform in any situation. You don’t just take the ball out of that type of guy’s hands, like that.
Actually, it’s probably a good thing that Allen is getting some attention, both for Hall and his fantasy managers. With so many injuries plaguing the league, is it really that bad for Hall to miss a few plays, especially when he’s already nursing a season-ending injury? And despite all the crying, Hall still scored 20.90 fantasy points, highlighted by a catch that looked more like something CeeDee Lamb would make than a RB. Not to mention, Hall has 42 touches through two weeks, compared to just 11 for Allen.
Add me to Team “You can’t complain about a player who scores 20+ fantasy points.”
TL,DR:It should all be less about the question of “Let Breece Hall be tied down by committee” and more about the question of “Add Braelon Allen (32% of the roster) everywhere.”
Should fantasy managers draft Hunter Henry?
This definitely seems like a show-your-stars-and-cover-your-eyes game — that means Hall, Garrett Wilson and Rhamondre Stevenson remain in the lineup — but it’s in our best interest to acknowledge that Hunter Henry (48% selection) had a 100-yard game in Week 2. Unless you have Brock Bowers (seemingly the season’s only big producer), George Kittle (last week), Isaiah Likely (Week 1) or Trey McBride (saved by a fumble-recovery TD last week), you’ve probably been complaining about your TE spot up until now.
So why not give Henry a chance if you’re lacking in that position?
The gap between Henry and the Patriots’ next leading receiver is significant. The TE leads the team in catches (10), yardage (127), targets (15) — shooting, he even leads the team in YAC. Sure, the bulk of that production came in Week 2, but given the way this season has been going, every week of data has to be taken seriously. Not to mention, the Patriots offense has been a bit more aggressive than anyone expected so far this season. If they’re going to win this game, they’ll likely look to Henry first when they get to the air.
This is clearly a tough matchup, but Henry’s floor looks as safe as it gets at tight end this season. Start him if you need TE help this week.
Should fantasy managers add Ja’Lynn Polk?
The rookie receiver is drafted in just 12% of leagues and could be a speculative addition ahead of 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 that his workload will be further increased in a divisional matchup.
In the worst case, Polk’s workload is even higher decreases if the Patriots want to run the Jets into the ground, and you end up dropping him. But there is an upside, and I’d rather be early than late.
