When the Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty #6 overall, they expected him to anchor their backfield. How much can fantasy managers still trust him to deliver?
The fantasy market sometimes assumes first-round RB draft picks will be strong fantasy assets for years. It happened 14 years ago, when the Browns selected Trent Richardson #3 overall. Cleveland had endured four consecutive losing seasons, along with eight of their previous nine. By year 2, it was clear Richardson wasn't the answer, and the franchise shipped him to the Colts, where he played his final NFL snap a year later.
Similarly, Jeanty joined the Raiders after the franchise had endured three consecutive losing seasons, along with eight of their previous nine. Jeanty did not meet high preseason
fantasy expectations as a rookie; a poor passing attack and a questionable offensive line might have contributed to his struggles. But he was also coming off a 397-touch college campaign, so it may have taken a year for him to snap back.
But despite reasonably strong fantasy numbers aided by a relatively massive target share (he's on pace for a whopping 107 look), Jeanty has not snapped back. His 3.1 yards per carry pale in comparison to ascending rookie Mike Washington Jr.'s 4.9. Maybe most notably, Jeanty's carries -- which hit 23 in Week 1 -- dropped to 21 in Week 2, 19 in Week 3, 14 in Week 4, 10 in Weeks 5 and 6, and then eight in Week 7.
His ground efficiency is almost identical to Richardson's at this stage of the latter's career. That doesn't mean they're remotely the same kind of player. But it points to a larger issue: managers sometimes put too much weight on draft capital and not enough on whether that player is truly elevating his offense.
Jeanty might still have plenty of time to produce elite or near-elite numbers. For now, however, keep tabs on his usage, especially compared to Washington's. Jeanty's starting job is no safer than any other first-round draft pick's.
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This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Is Ashton Jeanty a safe fantasy starter in Week 8 and beyond?
