Who Should I Start? Phil Mafah or LeQuint Allen Jr.

Thursday, July 23, 12:48 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back LeQuint Allen Jr. does not need a huge rushing role to become useful, but there is not enough here yet to call him a redraft sleeper. He played 259 offensive snaps as a rookie, 44 more than Bhayshul Tuten, even though Allen handled only 33 touches. Jacksonville trusted him in pass protection, and that may be his quickest route back onto the field. He also caught 64 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns during his final season at Syracuse, so the passing-down fit is not difficult to see. The rest of the backfield complicates things. Tuten is the favorite to lead the group, Chris Rodriguez Jr. should compete for early-down and short-yardage work, and veteran Ameer Abdullah gives Jacksonville another option. Allen could carve out a weekly role without seeing enough touches to help most fantasy managers. RotoBaller ranks him RB80 in redraft, leaving him outside the standard-league draft pool for now. Deeper dynasty leagues are different. Allen is only 21, catches the ball well, and has already earned the coaching staff's trust in an area that keeps young running backs on the field. He is worth holding while Jacksonville sorts out the backfield, but redraft managers can wait.