Fantasy Football Expert Says Regression Likely Hits New York Jets Star RB

New York Jets' RB Breece Hall led all NFL players at his position with 76 receptions last year, but the feat may be too difficult to repeat in 2024.
November 24, 2023 -- Breece Hall of the Jets on the bench at the end of the game as the Miami Dolphins defeated the NY Jets 34-13 at MetLife Stadium on November 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, NJ to play in the first  Black Friday NFL game.
November 24, 2023 -- Breece Hall of the Jets on the bench at the end of the game as the Miami Dolphins defeated the NY Jets 34-13 at MetLife Stadium on November 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, NJ to play in the first Black Friday NFL game. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA
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New York Jets running back Breece Hall was a top-tier performer at his position last year, in part, due to his ability to catch passes.

Despite coming off an ACL tear, the 2022 second-round draft pick led all NFL ball carriers with 76 pass receptions in 2023. Hall also accounted for a team-high four touchdowns as a receiver.

One fantasy expert suggests that, even with Aaron Rodgers providing the Jets' offense with a major upgrade at quarterback, Hall is bound to experience regression as a pass-catcher.

Identifying 20 fantasy football individual statistical feats that likely won't be repeated in 2024, Sports Illustrated's Michael Fabiano placed New York's RB1 on a list that also featured Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert's 21 touchdowns and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s 1,575 yards through the air.

From 20 Fantasy Football Stats From 2023 We Won't See Again in 2024:

Breece Hall’s 95 targets and 76 receptions

"Hall finished last season as the RB2, due in part to a serious statistical run in the second half that saw him emerge as a huge option in the Jets pass attack. In his first eight games, Hall averaged 3.9 targets and 2.9 catches. He went off in his final 10 games, however, averaging a stout 6.8 targets and 5.7 receptions.

That rise in targets and catches came in large part because of the quarterbacks the Jets were using. Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle started a combined five games (played in eight), and they targeted Hall a ton out of the backfield. The duo combined to target running backs on nearly 30 percent of their pass attempts! By comparison, Aaron Rodgers targeted his runners as receivers in just 20.7% of his passes in his last season in Green Bay."

The 23-year-old Hall, who finished second only to Jets star wide receiver Garrett Wilson in targets and receptions, would likely disagree with the SI prediction.

"It's our second year in the offense with [offensive coordinator Nathaniel] Hackett and everything, so now I can play with more accelerator vision. I'm a lot more confident with everything," said Hall after last week's first minicamp practice. "I feel like I can see stuff before it's happening even more now, so that'll help me a lot."

Hall has totaled 809 yards and 36 first downs on 95 receptions over his first 24 NFL appearances.

"I caught a lot, but I also had some drops, too, which comes with just like concentration and stuff, trying to make a play and everything," said Hall.

In his final season with the Green Bay Packers (2022), Rodgers connected with RB1 Aaron Jones 59 times on 72 targets.


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Ralph Ventre
RALPH VENTRE

Ralph, a former college football conference administrator, brings 20 years of media experience to the New York Jets beat. Prior to concentrating on Gang Green, he covered the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for NFL Draft Bible on FanNation. Ventre remains as an official voter for the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the annual legacy awards. The Fordham University graduate is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. The veteran sports media professional resides in his native state of New Jersey.