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 stays in the AFC East for the second week in a row 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 in 2023 *shivers*.
While the Jets and Patriots haven’t exactly played many exciting, fantasy-wonderland games — the last time they had a high-scoring game was back in 2021, when New England destroyed 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 managers have a Braelon Allen problem?
There’s been some committee chatter coming off 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 on the day. Fantasy managers were left befuddled as to why Hall had been subbed out on the plays Allen scored, as both seemed like plays Hall could have excelled in. Could the Jets be seeking to mount a two-pronged backfield attack?
I don’t buy it.
With Christian McCaffrey on the shelf, Hall might just be one of the three best 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 guy’s hands just ’cause.
In fact, Allen getting some showcase is probably a good thing for both Hall and his fantasy managers alike. With so many injuries running rampant across the league, is it really so bad for Hall to take a few plays off, especially when he already has a season-ending injury under his belt? And for all the crying, Hall still scored 20.90 fantasy points, highlighted by a catch that looked more like something CeeDee Lamb would do than an RB. Not to mention, Hall has 42 touches through two weeks 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.”
TL,DR: This whole thing should be less about, “Is Breece Hall at risk of a committee” and more about, “Go add Braelon Allen (32% rostered) everywhere.”
Should fantasy managers start Hunter Henry?
This definitely looks like a start-your-stars-and-cover-your-eyes type of game — that means Hall, Garrett Wilson and Rhamondre Stevenson stay in lineups — but it behooves us to recognize that Hunter Henry (48% rostered) delivered a 100-yard game in Week 2. Unless you have Brock Bowers (the seemingly only big-name producer of the season), George Kittle (last week), Isaiah Likely (Week 1) or Trey McBride (saved by a fumble-recovery TD last week), you have probably been lamenting your TE spot thus far.
So why not give Henry a shot if you’re hurting at the position?
The gap between Henry and the next Patriots’ leading receiver is a sizeable one. The TE leads the team in catches (10), yardage (127), targets (15) — shoot, he even leads the team in YAC. Sure, the majority 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 feistier than probably anyone expected thus far this season. If they’re going to win this game, they’ll likely look Henry’s way first when they go to the air.
This is obviously a tough matchup, but Henry’s floor looks as safe as it comes this season at tight end. Start him if you need TE help this week.
Should fantasy managers add Ja’Lynn Polk?
The rookie receiver is rostered in just 12% of leagues and could be worth a speculative add prior to this game. The Patriots have claimed to want Polk more involved in the offense, and we saw Polk score his first touchdown in Week 2. It’s possible his workload could be further increased in a divisional matchup.
Worst-case scenario, Polk’s workload actually decreases as the Patriots try to run the Jets into the ground, and you end up dropping him anyway. But there’s upside here, and I’d rather be early than late.