When Breece Hall went down with a torn ACL in Week 7 against the Packers last season, Michael Carter was set to take over as the lead back in New York's offense. 

But undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight was surprisingly a big part of the Jets' backfield group. Despite starting the season on the practice squad and fourth on the depth chart behind Hall, Carter, and Ty Johnson, Knight climbed the ranks and made the most of his opportunity. 

So, will Carter or Knight be the RB2 in New York? Will they provide any fantasy value behind Hall? Let's dive in.

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Carter and Knight's 2022 Splits

Carter and Knight appeared in six games together last season in Weeks 12 and 14-18. In those games, here's how each runner performed.

Carter: 21 carries for 53 yards, 15 catches for 94 yards

Knight: 70 carries for 210 yards and one touchdown, eight catches for 72 yards

In the six games that Carter and Knight suited up together, the latter was the far more efficient playmaker in the Jets' backfield. He played roughly 39.2% of the Jets' offensive snaps compared to Carter's 38.7% in those games.

The undrafted rookie was getting the majority of rush attempts in the offense, and Carter was used more in the receiving game. Knight had 10-plus rushes in four of those six games, while Carter didn't have more than six rush attempts in any game.

Zonovan Knight looking like the real deal. pic.twitter.com/GqNE8rhyWJ

— Wyatt 🥃 (@WyattB_FF) December 11, 2022

On the season, Knight had 85 carries for 300 yards (3.53 yards per carry) and one touchdown, while Carter added 114 carries for 402 yards (3.53 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. Carter also had 288 yards on 41 catches compared to Knight's 13 catches for 100 yards in the receiving game. 

Is Carter or Knight the Jets' RB2 behind Breece Hall?

Breece Hall making some smooth cuts & running a little at #Jets practice today

“Breece is already hitting over 22 on the GPS . I’m very optimistic he’ll be ready for week one. He looks strong. He looks powerful. He looks freaking good.”- Robert Saleh
pic.twitter.com/PSUe3g6qKz

— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) May 31, 2023

There's no doubt that Knight was the better back between the two last year. But with New York getting Hall back this season from injury, it would make more sense for the team to go with Carter in the RB2 role. 

Hall will be the primary runner in New York, meaning Carter would fill in on third downs as a receiver and occasionally as a runner. The latter has more experience working in the passing game than Knight does, which helps his case to be the RB2 in the Jets' offense. 

From a fantasy perspective, though, neither player will be relevant behind Hall. Unless the superstar running back were to miss games during the season, there won't be enough volume for Carter or Knight to shine, even as an occasional flex play.

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