Don't judge a book by its cover can apply to fantasy football, too. Though a more apt saying might be: don't judge a player by his box score stats.
If fantasy managers look only at the rushing numbers for Ashton Jeanty last year, they may come to the conclusion that he was a disappointment. The Las Vegas Raiders' No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft rushed for fewer than 1,000 yards as a rookie while averaging fewer than four yards per carry in the first 17 games of his career.
Despite those struggles, Jeanty finished as a top-15 running back in total points in half-PPR scoring formats last year – and still top-20 in points per week in the same scoring system – thanks to his contributions to the passing game.
Heading into 2026, the second-year
running back appeared poised for a massive leap in production. The Raiders invested in their offensive line and improved their quarterback situation in big ways. Las Vegas also brought in head coach and offensive guru Klint Kubiak to overhaul Jeanty's side of the ball.
Before Jeanty could show off his full potential in a Kubiak-run offense, he suffered an injury in training camp. Is he still worth drafting in fantasy football?
Ashton Jeanty injury update
During the Raiders' training camp practice on Sunday, Aug. 23, Jeanty went down with a lower-body injury. ESPN's Ryan McFadden reported at the time that the second-year running back had to be helped off the field and couldn't put any weight on his right leg.
Later that day, multiple reports broke that Jeanty sustained a sprained ankle in practice – avoiding a potentially more serious injury. On Tuesday, Aug. 25, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Jeanty's ankle sprain was "more low than high," which could indicate he could return to the field sooner rather than later.
As of Aug. 31, the Raiders have not officially given Jeanty an injury designation or a timetable for his return. Levi Edwards, a reporter for Las Vegas' official team website, reported on Aug. 28 that Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said the team is "counting on [Jeanty]" to be ready for Week 1.
The team did not place Jeanty on injured reserve ahead of its mandatory roster cutdown to 53 players and opted to keep just three running backs on its active roster. Both decisions indicate that Jeanty should be available to play soon – if not by Week 1, then shortly thereafter.
Should you draft Ashton Jeanty in fantasy football?
Despite landing in a less-than-ideal offensive situation in 2025, Jeanty still managed to be a worthy producer in fantasy football. Not quite in the RB1 tier, but near the top of RB2s last year.
In the offseason, the Raiders invested heavily in improving the offense around the former Heisman Trophy runner-up. Jeanty will share the backfield with a couple of new quarterbacks – veteran Kirk Cousins and, likely eventually, rookie Fernando Mendoza – get better blocking up front from top free agent center Tyler Linderbaum, and develop in an offense run by a head coach who just helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl.
All signs were pointing toward an improvement in Jeanty's fantasy production in Year 2 until his injury, which may have served to scare some fantasy managers away from drafting him in one of the early rounds. But all indications are that Jeanty will be ready to play soon. If not by Week 1, then by Week 4 at the latest – given that he avoided an IR stint to begin the year.
Verdict: Given the information that's available right now, Jeanty is still worth drafting relatively early. He may not still be deserving of first-round status given the injury concern, but the second-year back won't – shouldn't – fall past the second round. There's real RB1 upside from Jeanty this year if he returns early and stays healthy.
2026 fantasy football running back rankings
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should you draft Ashton Jeanty in fantasy? Injury update, outlook for Raiders RB
