Malik Nabers vs Ashton Jeanty

“Malik Nabers (WR – NYG) Going as the WR11, around the 27th overall pick, Nabers has shown real positive injury progression, moving out of the no-contact jersey and into full team drills.”

“Mike comes back with Malik Nabers, and I gotta say, a Chase/Love/Nabers start is about as cool as it gets. This feels like a roster that, if everything hits, is going to be a lot of fun to watch on any given Sunday.”

“Malik Nabers completely avoided the PUP list this offseason and has been trending towards starting the season as close to completely healthy as anyone could have hoped for. Nabers is still a potential value at his current ECR and ADP, as it was at this time just a year ago, when he was a popular first round draft target.”

“Malik Nabers ‘ 2025 season was essentially lost to injury — he played just 4 games before tearing his ACL. In that small sample, he averaged 12.”

“At the start of the offseason, this was a no-brainer selection for “riskiest player to draft.” After all, Malik Nabers could barely hobble to first base in a friendly kickball game.”

“All reports stemming from writers at practice have noted that Likely is currently the perpetual second-read for quarterback Jaxson Dart, behind receiver Malik Nabers .”

“Malik Nabers remains an elite talent, but his 2026 outlook is heavily tied to recovery from a complicated ACL injury that wiped out nearly all of his sophomore season. Before going down, Nabers was producing like a fantasy WR1 in the Giants’ offense.”

“If Malik Nabers comes back healthy from his torn ACL, this will be an excellent pick in the third round. We didn’t get to see much of Jaxson Dart and Nabers on the field at the same time, but he’ll be the bona fide No. 1 WR in this offense.”

“If he can string together a healthy season, we could be looking at a low-end WR1 on a perennially potent offense.” – Ellis Johnson ( FantasyPros ) Malik Nabers (WR – NYG) “ Malik Nabers is my pick.”

“There is plenty of uncertainty around Nabers and whether or not he will be his usual explosive self to start the season, but getting a WR of this caliber in the third round is the type of pick that can really make a difference down the stretch of the season if he is back to 100%.”

“I’m going to piggyback on my running back health statement above and avoid Malik Nabers at receiver.”

“Only SEC WR besides Malik Nabers with 30+ missed tackles forced on receptions in a season over the past 5 years”

“Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV) Down about eight spots and sliding within the first round as the market prices in his ankle sprain. The diagnosis was a relief, not season-ending or considered long-term, but there is a real chance he misses Week 1, and that uncertainty is enough to knock a first-round back down a few pegs.”

“Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV) One player available at this spot with undeniable upside is Ashton Jeanty . When the Raiders selected him sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the expectations were tempered slightly because of where the Raiders were as an offense.”

“Ashton Jeanty went down with an ankle injury in Sunday’s practice, the rookie Washington stepped into the first-team reps, and he has earned the market’s attention with his preseason work: Six carries for 63 yards including a 53-yard burst against Arizona, then 56 more yards against Houston, while flashing ability in pass protection and as a receiver. Even with Jeanty expected back, Washington has vaulted up boards as the clear next man up in a Raiders backfield that suddenly looks thin behind the star. Deebo Samuel Sr.”

“We saw this last season with Ashton Jeanty , who was hit behind the line of scrimmage on more than 25% of his carries.”

“Ashton Jeanty (ankle) uncertain for Week 1 Ashton Jeanty is dealing with a lower ankle sprain and his status for Week 1 is uncertain. Fantasy Impact This is actually a positive development for Jeanty, as there was certainly some concern over a longer-term injury when the second-year running back went down this past Sunday.”

“Ashton Jeanty, playing alongside Geno Smith last season, was targeted a whopping 73 times. Hall, on the other hand, saw just 36 passes come his way after totaling 76 and 57 targets in the two seasons prior.”

“The upside is undeniable for Ashton Jeanty , but it’s worth taking a moment to consider the whole picture before drafting him this highly. The Las Vegas Raiders are projected to win somewhere around four games this year, which is far lower total than any other first-round talent we’ve talked about would be facing.”

“Ashton Jeanty fits that bill. Last season, he had 266 carries and 55 receptions. There are really no additional weapons added to the team, so 300 touches or so for Jeanty on a team with an improved offensive line and quarterback play is realistic.”

“Fantasy Football Research & Advice Fantasy Football Expert Rankings 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer Safest Fantasy Football Players to Draft Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV) How can the back on the offense that is projected to be the 28th most points per game (19.2) be one of the safest players?”

“I opted to go with Ashton Jeanty at the end of the first round. In hindsight, I may have done this slightly differently, opting for Brock Bowers as the piece of this Raiders offense.”

“Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV) Going as the RB6, 10th overall, our analysts are genuinely split here. The projections point to a real season, but one that lands closer to a backend RB1 finish in the RB10 to 12 range rather than a true top-six overall running back. One analyst believes the jump required from last year’s disappointing rookie output to a true top-six finish is larger than the modest per-game increase the projections themselves show, driven mostly by added rushing volume rather than a big receiving-game jump.”

“There is plenty of hope that the Raiders offense will be able to take a big step forward this season with a complete overhaul of their coaching staff after being the worst team in the league in 2025. Even with a bad offense, Jeanty was still productive for fantasy rosters, though he could not return his high draft price.”