NFL Today: Jets Seeking Answers
The Raider offense remains a dynamic situation with the starting QB gig up in the air and the ongoing Davante Adams trade rumours; New England safety Jabrill Peppers is facing some serious legal charges; and Cleveland Head Coach Kevin Stefanski is mulling changes to playcalling duties with the team mired in a three-game skid.
Be Patient With Breece Hall
Given the team’s 2-3 start, there are many questions surrounding the New York Jets right now. Aaron Rodgers is getting picked right, left and centre; the team has been struggling to get off to quick starts within their games; and the offense has been having issues scoring in recent games.
The team’s running back situation has not been immune from scrutiny.
The Jets’ backfield looked like a crowded place at the beginning of last season when Breece Hall returned from a torn ACL, but at the end of the day, he was clearly the No. 1 option and wound up flirting with 1,000 yards.
With good reason, there was plenty of excitement about what Hall could accomplish this season, with the Jets’ supposedly improved pass attack expected to create more opportunities for him, not to mention him being fully healthy heading into training camp. Um, ya… about that…
Hall’s performance has vacillated between passable (14 carries, 62 yards in Week Two) to downright catastrophic (10 carries, four yards in Week Four). He’s no longer dominating the carry load to the extent he did last year, his touches per game are dropping slightly and his YPC has again fallen off the table.
Plenty of owners are panicking and wondering if they’ve drafted a bust; should you join them?
Well, let’s be fair. Hall’s back-to-back duds have come against top run defenses, so realistically, he remains a solid buy-low candidate, one capable of helping in the passing game, too (see video below).
We’re talking about a stud running back here; it’s just a matter of time before he figures things out. Consider Hall a mid-range RB1 for Week Six.
Chicago Finally Finds Deep Threat Game
The Chicago Bears look like a team on the rise. After bottoming out with a three-win campaign in 2022, they improved to seven victories last year and are off to a good start (3-2) so far in 2024.
The NFC North looks extremely competitive this year, with all four teams boasting winning records through Week Five, but the Bears remain right in the thick of the chase for the final NFC postseason slot. In fact, FanDuel is fairly bullish on this team’s chances of earning its first playoff spot since 2020 (+225).
No doubt, back-to-back wins have boosted Chicago’s chances, and among the best signs from Week Five was that WR DJ Moore finally enjoyed a breakout game.
Last year, we thought his addition to the Bears would help Justin Fields take a major step forward. Okay, so that didn’t happen, even if Moore enjoyed the finest season of his career (96 receptions, 1,364 yards, eight TDs).
Flash forward over a year later and the Bears are now being led by rookie QB Caleb Williams, who is showing progress nearly every week and in Week Five, he finally figured out how to use Moore as a deep threat, connecting with him for a 34-yard TD pass among the pair of scores they hooked up for.
For Moore, the 105-yard explosion marked his first game topping even 80 yards receiving this season and he now has his first three touchdowns of 2024 over the last two games. He’s averaged over 14 yards per reception in four of his first six seasons, but had yet to have a game with better than 9.8 this year before Week Five (21 yards per catch).
Okay, this offensive explosion came against a weak and hurting Carolina defense. However, if this signals that big plays will become a more common component of the Bear attack, it’s great news for Fantasy owners of both Williams and Moore.
With Jacksonville and its 31st-ranked pass defense on tap in Week Six, consider Moore a high-end WR1 for Fantasy purposes.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
English pop band Dead or Alive were active from 1980 to 2016, but never duplicated the success they had with the 1985 hit “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).” We were looking for a techno mix of the song that’s just over 4:45 long, but this will have to suffice…
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