Braelon Allen Fantasy Profile: Can the Jets RB shake up the New York backfield in Year 2?

The New York Jets used the No. 134 pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen. At the time, Allen was looked at as a depth addition behind star running back Breece Hall. In the season before Allen was drafted, Hall had a career-high 994 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 76 receptions, 591 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns for the Jets.

However, after a strong debut season in the NFL, Allen has emerged as a player to watch ahead of the 2025 campaign. Last year, he was still firmly the Jets' RB2, but his role in the offense grew as the season progressed. As a result, there is a belief that the Jets could deploy a committee approach this year, with Allen potentially challenging Hall for the RB1 role.

Should you draft Braelon Allen in fantasy football this year?

To put their share of workload in perspective, Hall amassed 209 carries for the Jets while Allen only had 92 last season. While Allen had fewer than half the number of carries as Hall, it was much higher than many were anticipating when he was picked in the 2024 NFL draft.

Furthermore, the Jets have a whole new coaching staff this year, led by Aaron Glenn. Should Allen have a great start to the campaign, he may be given a much larger role on the offense.

Allen finished the 2024 season with 334 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In the passing game, Allen had 19 receptions on 27 targets for 148 yards and one touchdown. He finished the fantasy football season as the RB51 in PPR (points per reception) leagues, averaging 5.0 points per game.

This has led to Fantasy Pros projecting Allen as the RB46 and the No. 142 overall player available in PPR fantasy football leagues this year. This indicates Allen will likely be selected near the final few rounds of drafts this summer, profiling as an RB5 on your squad.

As a result, given his low draft projection and his growing role in the Jets' offensive unit, selecting Allen could be a very smart decision.

Braelon Allen's 2025 fantasy football outlook after strong rookie season

Although there is a chance that Allen does not become the starting RB in New York and remains a perennial backup to Breece Hall, 2025 feels like the perfect time to take that risk and attempt to acquire Allen for your team.

Allen is a powerful running back who is quick and agile, has great vision, and can make sharp cuts with the football. On the receiving side, Allen has strong hands, has proven to be talented in pass protection, and has also shown flashes of top route-running abilities. With the new coaching staff in New York, there is a big chance for Allen to take control of the Jets backfield in 2025 and moving forward.

Breece Hall has a much higher ADP (average draft position) than Allen in drafts this year. While this is justified given Hall's career success and role in the offensive unit, Hall did have the worst statistical campaign of his career last year in seasons where he played more than eight games. As a result, this may be the time for Allen to capitalize on the situation and gain more playing time and opportunities.

With his low projection and ranking, you will likely not need to use any prime draft capital to pick Allen. At the end of the majority of drafts, most managers should be looking for the best options with the highest upside. Allen has major upside and could form a committee with Hall this year, making him someone who should be targeted by fantasy football managers.