With fantasy football playoffs approaching, managers are mapping out their Week 13 waiver wire targets. After running backs Zonovan Knight and JaMycal Hasty each had a strong performance in Week 12, let’s take a look the fantasy football value of both backs.
JaMycal Hasty, Zonovan Knight Fantasy Football Week 13
With New York Jets running back Michael Carter leaving the Week 12 game against the Chicago Bears with an ankle injury, and James Robinson being a healthy scratch, Zonovan Knight stepped up. The undrafted rookie out of North Carolina State carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards, adding three receptions for 34 yards in his NFL debut.
“I think everyone saw Bam [Zonovan Knight] had some fresh legs,” Jets coach Robert Saleh told the New York Post. “He was juicy as a runner, getting north and south. …. He gets north and south quick, so he’s a one-cut runner, which is kind of the staple of our scheme, and he played fast, he played physical, lot of effort to gain yards after contact. The thing for Bam, and it’s not to compare, everyone’s got their own unique running style, but Bam just getting north and south quick. They’re NFL runs where the O-line blocks it for 2 [yards], but you grind for 4.”
Saleh would go on to say that Robinson could still be a factor in the coming weeks, but Knight certainly showed some positive signs against a weak Chicago defense. The Jets could need both Knight and Robinson going forward given the uncertainty surrounding Carter’s injury. Diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain rather than something much more serious, Carter could miss Week 13. Knight‘s fantasy football value hinges on whether or not Carter suits up this week.
Similarly, JaMycal Hasty was given an opportunity in Week 12 thanks to an injury to Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. Playing 78% of offensive snaps, Hasty ran 12 times for just 28 yards against a tough Baltimore Ravens defense but added a touchdown in the 28-27 upset win. When speaking to reporters, Etienne said his foot injury was nothing serious.
“I’ll be straight for next week,” he told reporters Tuesday.
Though Knight and Hasty each showed some fantasy football worth in Week 12, it’ll come down to the injury status of the players in front of them on the depth chart before they can be considered starting options this week.
