Chris Ivory and Zac Stacy: A Potential Tandem?

When facing the New England Patriots, whether they are undefeated or not, with or without Dion Lewis, and despite Tom Brady looking like he was going to cry every time he watched the game from the bench, star players need to be 100% in order to beat them. It was Jets fans who were left crying after another tough loss to the rival Patriots, while running back, Chris Ivory, did not appear to be completely healthy.

After running wild against the Washington Redskins last week, mixing both speed and power for 146 yards, Ivory followed up with a subpar performance, settling for only 41 yards on 17 carries. It wasn’t necessarily New England’s defense that stopped him, but rather his own doing that impeded his usual effective ability to break tackles and make defenders miss. It isn’t clear as to when Ivory re-tweaked his hamstring, but whether during pre-game warmups or during the game proved to be irrelevant. Ivory was not himself, spending large chunks of the game on a trainers table and a stationary exercise bike, hurting the Jets chances of handing the Patriots their first loss of the season. Ivory did manage to find the end zone on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but his fantasy numbers dropped drastically from the past two weeks.

According to NJ.com, Ivory claims to be okay. “I didn’t pull it. I didn't strain it. Just a little tightness.” The tightness of Ivory’s hamstring brought backup running back, Zac Stacy, onto the field, but Stacy was ineffective as well, carrying the ball 7 times for only 19 yards. It would be nearly unthinkable to start Stacy in any fantasy league, but if Ivory continues to nurse his hamstring, Stacy could very well move up in the rankings. Normal backup running back, Bilal Powell, was inactive against the Patriots due to an ankle injury. Ivory has said that he will be ready to go against the Oakland Raiders Week 8, but it is definitely something to monitor. There could be worse options than Stacy, who would see plenty of touches and targets on an improved New York Jets offense, if Ivory can’t go. If, of course, being the key word. If Ivory is 100%, Stacy should remain on the waiver wire.