Who Should I Start? Emari Demercado or Braelon Allen

Friday, July 3, 6:39 PM

New York Jets running back Braelon Allen played in just four games in 2025 in his second year in the league due to injuries and finished with 18 rushing attempts for 76 yards and one touchdown, adding two catches for 17 yards. The 22-year-old former fourth-round pick in 2024 out of the University of Wisconsin attacked his rehab process with "hunger and a whole lot of motivation," according to Amanda Vogt of the team's official website. Allen is motivated to turn things around going into the 2026 campaign, and at 250 pounds, says he's the biggest, strongest, and fastest he's ever been. "I played 238-240 [pounds] last year," Allen said. "The most recent [DEXA scan] I did was by far my best. The most lean muscle mass I've ever had, the lowest percentage of body fat, perfect symmetry in both my legs and my arms; everything looked exactly how we wanted it to." According to head coach Aaron Glenn, the Jets have "a three-headed monster" at RB with Allen, Breece Hall, and Isaiah Davis. However, Hall is the Jets' clear RB1 after agreeing to a three-year, $45.75 million contract extension and reaching 1,000 rushing yards in 2025 for the first time in his career. At best, Allen will be hoping for a short-yardage/goal-line role in New York, which makes him mostly a handcuff option for Hall's fantasy managers in deeper leagues.