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Fantasy alert: Jets expand to three-man backfield


Gas2No99

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Fantasy alert: Jets expand to three-man backfield

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets have decided six legs are better than four.

After an 0-2 start, they're switching to a full-blown committee approach at running back, according to offensive coordinator John Morton. He saw enough from rookie Elijah McGuire last week to make it a three-man rotation with Matt Forte and Bilal Powell.

The move, of course, has fantasy implications. With McGuire in play, Forte and Powell have less fantasy value.

"We did a good job with the backs, all of them playing," Morton said Thursday. "That's the way we want to do things. Guys had specific plays, specific roles. That was another encouraging thing we saw (on offense). Eli came in and did some good things, and Matt did some good things, even Powell. If we can keep that going and play by committee, that's a good thing."

After Forte and Powell combined for only 38 rushing yards in Week 1, the coaches decided to integrate McGuire, a sixth-round pick from Louisiana-Lafayette. This is the Year of the Rookie Running Back, so maybe the Jets wanted to join the party.

 

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In the Week 2 loss to the Oakland Raiders, the playing-time/ball distribution looked like this:

Forte: 27 snaps, nine carries for 53 yards, four catches for 38 yards.

Powell: 18 snaps, six carries for 13 yards, no catches.

McGuire: 11 snaps, six carries for 29 yards, one catch for seven yards.

This is a huge change for Forte, a workhorse during his days with the Chicago Bears. He signed with the Jets last season and remained the clear No. 1 back, but those days appear over.

Told that Morton liked the three-man rotation in Oakland, Forte said, "Obviously, it wasn't good enough because we didn't win the game. He's the OC and he has the decision to make on what guys he wants on specific plays. I felt pretty fresh during the game, so that's an added positive. I'm sure Bilal felt the same way, too."

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