Who Should I Start? Israel Abanikanda or LeQuint Allen Jr.

Monday, September 9, 7:44 PM

New York Jets running back Israel Abanikanda is a healthy scratch for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener at Levi's Stadium on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Abanikanda enters the 2024 season as the team's RB4 behind starter and bell-cow Breece Hall and rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. As such, the 21-year-old is obviously off the fantasy radar in most single-year leagues for the time being unless injuries push him into a relevant game-day role. The former fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh last year was also buried on the depth chart in his rookie season and finished with 22 carries for 70 yards while catching seven passes for 43 yards in only six games. Abanikanda has breakaway speed but is once again buried on the depth chart and will have to wait for his opportunity beyond Week 1.

Wednesday, July 2, 2:48 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back LeQuint Allen landed in a crowded backfield after being selected by the team in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Syracuse. The Jags also selected Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten and already have Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby on the roster. Conventional wisdom would suggest Allen will face an uphill battle to make the roster, but team reporter John Shipley said he could have an early role in the offense. "Both Tuten and Allen make sense as potential fill ins on third downs thanks both to their abilities as pass-catchers out of the backfield and the success each had pass-blocking in college," Shipley wrote. "Allen might be the most versatile receiver of the duo, which could lead to a key role early on." Most teams do not carry four running backs on gameday, so if Allen does make the roster, it could point toward the organization shipping one of the veteran ball carriers. It's still early in the offseason, and training camp will give fantasy managers a better idea of how rosters will shake up, but the buzz around Allen puts him higher on the fantasy football radar. Allen caught 119 passes in three collegiate seasons, including 64 in 2024.