Ashton Jeanty

Ashton Jeanty enters 2026 as one of the most attractive running backs in fantasy football, with Las Vegas clearly planning to make him the center of the offense after his rookie-year workload and production showed why he was such a high-end prospect. He finished 2025 with 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries, and the Raiders are still treating him like their featured back heading into the new season.

The best part of his outlook is the environment around him. Las Vegas brought in a new offensive setup, added help up front, and enters 2026 with Jeanty still locked in as the backfield leader while the team mixes in Mike Washington Jr. and Dylan Laube behind him. Reports out of camp have also been positive, with no new injury concern limiting his preparation and no signs that the team is planning to scale back his role.

From a fantasy angle, Jeanty looks like a strong early-round pick because the role should be there even if the Raiders’ offense is only average. Multiple 2026 projections and previews still see him as a high-end RB1 candidate, with some analysts placing him near the top of the position thanks to his combination of rushing volume and receiving upside. That kind of usage gives him both a solid floor and legitimate top-five upside if the offense takes even a modest step forward.

The main risk is efficiency rather than workload, since his rookie season showed how much a run game can suffer when blocking and quarterback play are shaky. Even so, the current tone around Jeanty is overwhelmingly positive, and he profiles as the type of player fantasy managers can build around in 2026: high volume, strong scoring potential, and enough pass-game involvement to survive the occasional slow game.