With the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Las Vegas Raiders selected RB Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State. Jeanty played three seasons for the Broncos before declaring for the draft after narrowly missing out on the Heisman trophy. Jeanty solves a huge need for Las Vegas in 2025, but the question becomes, would he have been better off fantasy football wise if he were drafted somewhere else?
The answer is a resounding yes. The Raiders were dead last in rushing yards per game a season ago, averaging 79.8 yards per game. The next lowest feat was the New York Jets with 91.8 yards. Jeanty is a talented back, but is joining the least prolific rushing attack in football. He would’ve slid in as the starter for most NFL franchises, so getting picked by Las Vegas was a tough hit to his fantasy football stock right off the bat. Even the best running backs need some help from their offensive line.
Pete Carroll took the helm of this team during the offseason after taking a year out of the game. The last time we saw him coaching was in 2023 with the Seahawks, and their 22.5 rushing attempts per game were a tie for the second lowest total in the NFL. The season before, Seattle was tied for the 20th most rush attempts per game. Pete Carroll doesn’t run the ball much and will be reunited with the same quarterback he had those seasons in Seattle. Expect similar results. The Raiders likely won’t run the ball often and when they do, I think they will struggle.
The good news for Jeanty is that he is the clear RB1 in Las Vegas. Raheem Mostert will fill in as the RB2, and Zamir White will round out the room. Alexander Mattison was the rushing leader for this team a season ago, but he’s now on the Dolphins. Mostert is coming off a down year, but still should be able to take some of the load off Jeanty.
I expect Jeanty to get the bulk of the carries, but how effective he can be in this offense remains to be seen. I will be avoiding Jeanty in fantasy football this season simply because I am not confident that the Raiders will put him in a position to succeed.
