Jonathan Taylor vs Ashton Jeanty

“Jonathan Taylor was absolutely dominant for the first half of last season. According to teams synced with our FantasyPros tools, the Colts back led all players in playoff advance rate at 66.8%. Simply drafting Taylor gave you a two-in-three chance of making the playoffs.”

“Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in snap share last season (89%) and ranked second in opportunity share (84%). Without an injury, he isn't coming off the field.”

“Taylor is heading into a contract year, likely his last massive one, after turning 27 this offseason. He'll be motivated, have his quarterback returning, who might need to lean on the run game more, and once again has virtually no competition for touches.”

“Jonathan Taylor was absolutely dominant for the first half of last season, leading all players in playoff advance rate at 66.8%. However, from Week 12 onwards, he was the RB21, with an explosive run rate of 0.7% (41st).”

“Taylor is heading into a contract year, likely his last massive one, after turning 27 this offseason. He'll be motivated, have his quarterback returning, who might need to lean on the run game more, and once again has virtually no competition for touches. There's a very real world where Taylor is a top-two back this season.”

“Jonathan Taylor was absolutely dominant for the first half of last season. Had Daniel Jones not gotten injured, Taylor most likely could have stayed effective throughout the whole season.”

“Of course, much of this inefficiency was due to quarterback turmoil as Daniel Jones got beaten up and eventually tore his Achilles. If you're that vulnerable to poor quarterback play, you do not deserve to be drafted with the third overall pick.”

“Taylor was the fantasy RB4 in points per game, but from Week 12 onwards, he was the RB21, with an explosive run rate of 0.7% (41st) and ranking 36th in yards after contact, with just three rushing touchdowns.”

“If you had a tier of running backs with Jonathan Taylor and Omarion Hampton, but you can get Hampton cheaper, you'll then need to determine whether the difference moves you more toward targeting someone like Hampton or if the cost justifies taking Taylor.”

“They noted how dramatically his fantasy production shifted depending on the health and effectiveness of the Colts' offense, and questions about Daniel Jones' health, the passing game, and Taylor's long-term durability all contributed to skepticism about drafting him as a top-three running back.”

“While Jonathan Taylor still sits near the top of fantasy RB rankings, the conversation highlighted growing concerns surrounding his current draft cost. The hosts pointed to Taylor's heavy workload and dependence on quarterback play as reasons for caution.”

“Jonathan Taylor rushing yards Under 1225.5 CZR -115 (1 unit)”

“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.”