Ashton Jeanty vs Trey McBride

“Jeanty is a volatile pick who could fail to live up to the expectations that accompany his fantasy football ADP, despite a massive ceiling if the Raiders' offensive line gels and new quarterback Mendoza clicks right away.”

“Despite a massive workload last season, Jeanty was only the RB17 in half-PPR points per game (12.8) among running backs with at least eight games played, and volume alone won't assure Jeanty pans out and finishes as an RB6 or better this season.”

“It's going to be an uphill battle for Mike Washington to dominate backfield touches, given that the Raiders have an all-time running back prospect ahead of him with Ashton Jeanty.”

“Raiders RB coach Omar Young said the team has put RB Ashton Jeanty "in all different kinds of positions to see exactly what he can and cannot do."”

“Ashton Jeanty finished the 2025 season with 245.1 PPR points, one of only two rookies to score more than 215.0 points.”

“Ashton Jeanty was the only rookie to finish as an RB1 in PPR scoring, ending the year as the RB11.”

“Raiders HC Klint Kubiak says the team plans to challenge RB Ashton Jeanty in his sophomore season and put pressure on him in order to get the best out of last year's first-round pick. "We want to put a lot of pressure on Ashton," Kubiak said. "The next guy that steps up, whoever that may be, that's going to be seen here in practice, OTAs and training camp, but we think we should continue to challenge Ashton and get more out of him."”

“Fitzmaurice drafted Ashton Jeanty over Jonathan Taylor late in the first round. Fitz explained that Jeanty survived terrible offensive circumstances last season and still managed double-digit touchdowns. The expectation now is that Las Vegas will field a significantly improved rushing environment thanks to offensive line upgrades and a coaching staff expected to lean heavily on the run game.”

“Jeanty enters his second season facing brutal run defenses while potentially sharing touches; the breakout can still happen because the talent is undeniable, but the schedule definitely lowered the margin for error.”

“The talent is exciting, and the situation is favorable. The schedule, however, is horrifying. The Raiders landed one of the toughest schedules, the second-lowest projected win total, and the single hardest schedule against opposing run defenses.”

“Ashton Jeanty was supposed to come in and ignite this ground game, but the Raiders averaged only 77.5 rushing yards per game — the next-closest team was Arizona at 93.1 each week.”

“We knew Vegas would add a running back in this draft because the Raiders' depth behind Ashton Jeanty is nonexistent. However, with Washington, I do have legitimate concerns because his size and skillset leans to him being more of the short-yardage and goal line contributor between the pair. I do caution against overreacting because it's entirely possible his contribution will have minimal fantasy effect on Jeanty.”

“Trey McBride broke franchise records and officially stamped his mark as one of the best TEs in football. McBride racked up 315 PPR points, tying Travis Kelce's legendary 2022 season for the most at the position in over 15 years. Brissett absolutely unlocked him in the red zone, connecting for 10 TDs.”

“McBride caught fire with positive touchdown regression while the Cardinals led the league in passing, and he ran 67 more routes than any tight end in at least 20 years.”

“Last season, McBride averaged 18.6 PPR points per game, and Bowers averaged 15.5 in 2024, the better season of his two years in the NFL. It's incredibly hard for tight ends to score as highly as the top wide receivers and running backs, and both elite tight ends still have issues to face.”

“Trey McBride will continue to lead the way, but Yeboah could emerge as a backup ahead of the likes of Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman, Teagan Quitoriano, Jameson Geers, and Rivaldo Fairweather.”

“He saw a truly absurd 1.93 end-zone targets per game, per the Fantasy Points Data Suite. No other player with as many games played was above 1.06 (Trey McBride).”

“The tight end position remains the toughest position to navigate in fantasy football, and if you don't pay up for a top stud like Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, finding the next mid-to-late-round breakout is key.”

“McBride was the TE1 in total half-PPR points (252.9) and half-PPR points per game (14.9) in 2025. However, McBride's 667 routes run were the most by a tight end in 2025, 156 clear of Travis Kelce's 511 routes in second, and the Cardinals shouldn't be expected to lead the NFL in pass rate over expectation again with Mike LaFleur as their new head coach. Additionally, Jacoby Brissett is currently holding out and the Cardinals drafted Carson Beck in the third round, meaning McBride could be saddled by rookie quarterback play during the fantasy playoffs.”

“Nobody questioned McBride's talent, but there were concerns about repeating last season's massive workload and production. Changes within Arizona's offense and questions about future quarterback stability create enough uncertainty for some drafters to rank him behind Bowers.”

“Trey McBride shattered the NFL record for receptions.”