Boise State’s otherworldly running back star, Ashton Jeanty, is now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. Fantasy football managers are undoubtedly excited about the pick, considering the context. The Raiders have offensive potential — Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers are a solid 1-2 punch in the pass game, and new QB Geno Smith has proven himself worthy of keeping fantasy football value afloat. But most importantly, the Raiders have a glaring hole at running back. The top of their depth chart is held by the likes of Raheem Mostert and Sincere McCormick.
Basically, Jeanty is about to receive the keys to this backfield, along with a do-it-all workload. Hard not to get excited about that.
Advertisement
Advertisement
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
But just how early will Jeanty’s name be called come fantasy football draft season? Yahoo Fantasy analyst Andy Behrens sees Jeanty already among the biggest names in fantasy:
Pete Carroll wants to run the ball all day, every day. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly wants to establish the run, too. Jeanty is a tier-of-his-own running back in an incredible class at the position. Good luck landing him in a fantasy draft without paying a first-round price.
While we wait for Jeanty to take the field for his first NFL snap, let’s recall just what an incredible prospect he is, as told by fantasy football analysts, Andy and Matt Harmon.
Ashton Jeanty’s storied college career has finally come to an end but his journey as a future fantasy monster is just beginning.
Advertisement
Advertisement
If you’re looking at any statistics list for collegiate running backs last season, Jeanty’s presence might make you think you’ve made a mistake and filtered for two seasons. He had 2,601 rushing yards (including the College Football Playoff loss) last season, No. 1 in the FBS and besting the second-place finisher, Cam Skattebo, by almost 1,000 yards. He scored 30 total touchdowns.
The tape backs up the production for Jeanty. He’s a powerful, compact runner who maintains excellent contact balance. His stout frame doesn’t create a large strike zone for tacklers and he’s difficult to track down in congested traffic at the line of scrimmage. His whopping 5.25 yards after contact per rush attempt shows just how electric he was at creating plays on his own. — Matt Harmon
This year’s running back class features both extraordinary depth and outrageous talent at the top. It includes seven different backs coming off 1,500-yard collegiate rushing seasons, three of whom gained over 2,000 scrimmage yards. This is legitimately a phenomenal class, loaded with accomplished runners, led by top-ranked running back Ashton Jeanty.
This man has no screaming weaknesses and many obvious strengths. Zero questions about his future as a featured runner with every-down ability. He was a bit fumblier than other top backs, but he also handled an absurd 397 touches in his final season. Jeanty is the rare running back who plainly deserves Round 1 consideration in fantasy drafts. — Andy Behrens
