Michael Carter

Carter’s 2021 rookie season looked promising.

Since then, the Jets have clearly wanted him out of a lead role.

Breece Hall arrived in Round 2 last year. Then came the selection of Round 5 RB Israel Abanikanda in April.

Perhaps Hall lands on the PUP list as he recovers from a mid-season ACL/meniscus injury. As of this writing, though, he’s been setback-free. It leaves Carter as just a deep-league flier.

What We Learned Last YearThe Jets used a 2022 Round 2 pick (36th overall) on Breece Hall.In six full games with Hall, Carter averaged 11.8 touches per game.Hall sustained a torn ACL and a meniscus injury in Week 7. From Week 8 on, Carter averaged only 7.6 touches per game. He was essentially phased out of a dysfunctional offense late in the year.Rookie UDFA Zonovan Knight averaged 12.1 carries per game over the final seven weeks.Overall, Carter finished as a top-24 PPR RB in only four games.Among 45 RBs with 100+ carries, Carter ranked 43rd in Pro Football Focus rushing grade, 45th in yards per carry, and 36th in yards after contact per attempt.
What to Expect in 2023Per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the Jets “think Carter will bounce back and also believe that Israel Abanikanda…can make an immediate impact.”Abanikanda arrived in Round 5 and brings a big-play skill set. That duo would likely work in a rotation if Breece Hall misses early-season games.Hall tore his ACL and suffered a meniscus injury on October 23. HC Robert Saleh has said he's optimistic Hall will play Week 1, but it’s far from a lock.The Jets let go of OC Mike LaFleur after the season.Nathaniel Hackett joined the club to call plays.While his tenure in Denver proved disastrous, Hackett brings familiarity with Aaron Rodgers from their time Green Bay. We expect this unit to approach a 60% pass rate – no help to the team’s rush volume.

Carter is back for his third season with the Jets after playing a situational role throughout most of the 2022 season. Carter impressed as a fourth-round rookie in 2021 (964 yards on 183 touches) but struggled for consistent usage last season even after Breece Hall was lost to a torn ACL. Hall played an expanded role during three games prior to his injury and Carter was limited to a total of 25 carries and six targets during that span. Once Hall went down, Carter averaged an underwhelming 6.1 carries and 3.2 targets per game the rest of the season. The 24-year-old is now buried behind both Hall and Dalvin Cook, so he's well off the fantasy radar.