Stop me if you've heard this one before, but New York Jets running back Breece Hall is expected to play in Week 9. He has been out with a quad injury since Week 3 with a quad injury, but is expected to return this week.

However, Braelon Allen has been lighting it up and is coming off his best game of the season. In Week 8, he carried the ball 21 times for 147 yards and a touchdown, for 7.0 yards per carry. This begs the question of how this backfield looks once Hall returns with Allen playing so well.

Fantasy Impact

RB Breece Hall, New York Jets

It does sound like Hall should be back this week, but we don't know if he'll be eased into action. There is no real reason to force him back into a heavy workload coming off a soft-tissue injury, given how well Allen has been playing.

Even before getting injured, Hall was averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, while Allen averaged 5.0. We would only expect Hall to see about half the workload in his first game back, and we aren't sure that won't be the case moving forward as well.

With the Jets' season clearly going nowhere once again in 2026, Hall could be an interesting trade piece for the team before the NFL Trade Deadline next week. Hall is 25 and much more expensive than the 22-year-old Allen. Moving Hall could go a long way in helping the rebuild in New York.

RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets

Allen has been too good to ignore. He has rushed for over 100 yards in three of his last four games, and topped 100 yards for scrimmage in four consecutive games. The 235-pounder has proven he can handle a full workload and can wear down opposing defenses.

It's not fair to say that he is better than Hall; they actually complement each other well, but he has been better in his five starts than Hall was in his three starts. The Jets rolling with Allen and trading Hall would make a lot of sense for the franchise.

Hall's cap hit next season is $14.5 million, while Allen's is just over $1.3 million. Allen is three years younger and will still be in his prime when the Jets are hoping to be a real threat to compete for the AFC East, while a 25-year-old Hall is much more costly and probably won't be the centerpiece of their rushing attack if they get to where they are hoping to be in a few years.

Focusing on the immediate future, we expect this to be a split backfield, which could be the worst-case scenario. Assuming Hall is fully healthy moving forward, this backfield will probably be a 60/40 split in favor of Hall after Week 9, making Allen a very risky flex option at best.

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