Fantasy Alert: Breece Hall Could Play Week 1 After Injury; Jets' Saleh 'Optimistic'

Fantasy managers keeping tabs on New York Jets running back Breece Hall's recovery from a torn ACL got some good news Wednesday.

Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters he is "optimistic" Hall will be ready for Week 1 and he's been clocked running 22 miles per hour on the GPS at practice this week.

Hall looked to be on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year before injuring his knee in the second quarter of New York's 16-9 win over the Denver Broncos on Oct. 23.

Prior to the injury, Hall had 463 rushing yards, 218 receiving yards and five total touchdowns. He was coming off back-to-back games with 100 receiving yards in Week 5 and 100 rushing yards in Week 6.

Saleh has maintained a positive outlook for his young running back throughout the offseason. He told reporters Hall looked "fantastic" in April.

It's unclear if Hall will be ready to go when Jets veterans are due to report to training camp on July 26. They have four preseason games, starting with the Hall of Fame Game against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 3.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats (h/t ESPN's Rich Cimini), Jets running backs ranked 11th in rushing yards over expected from Weeks 1 through 7 when Hall was healthy. That production dropped to 27th over the final 11 weeks with Hall out of the lineup.

New York likely won't be as reliant on the running game in 2023 with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, but an improved aerial attack could also open up more opportunities for Hall and the other backs to get yardage with opposing defenses focused on stopping the pass.

If Hall is limited to start the season, Michael Carter and fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda could receive the bulk of the carries for the Jets.