Should You Draft Mike Washington Jr. in Fantasy Football?
In PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator, Washington isn’t being drafted all that high, if he’s even being drafted at all. His current ADP is 221, which makes him an undrafted free agent in a decent amount of leagues. But PFN’s fantasy draft analysts, Kyle Soppe and Jason Katz, have higher expectations on him than the consensus. They have him ranked at 154 overall on their fantasy football rankings, which comes in at RB47 overall.
I think as far as handcuffs go, Washington is one of the more intriguing options out there, based on what he did in the preseason. Through his first two games, he’s had 15 rushing attempts for 119 yards. That’s an average of 7.9 yards per carry. He showed some big-play ability. He’s got a unique level of size and speed, legit 4.3 speed in a guy who’s over the 6-foot mark. He’s coming in at roughly 6’2 and 223 pounds. He’s a big guy who can move, and he’s got big-play capabilities.
I want to see what he can do in the receiving game and with Ashton Jeanty. He had that ankle injury, but he should be good for Week 1. But if something does happen to Jeanty, I anticipate Washington is going to be a very valuable handcuff, because I think they’re going to run the ball with him a lot.
If you’re taking Washington, don’t expect consistent week-to-week capabilities, but he’s worth having on your roster just in case. If Jeanty gets hurt, Washington is going to have the potential to absolutely go off. You don’t want to be that guy who places a waiver claim on him but misses out just because you’re a little lower on the order.
Washington as an RB4, or realistically an RB5 like his RB47 ranking would indicate, is worth taking in maybe the last round or the second-to-last round of your fantasy drafts. At his current ADP, the week-to-week consistency isn’t there, but because of his big-play upside, I am saying yes to taking Washington, the Raiders backup running back with a current ADP of 221. I think he’s worth taking a shot on that late.
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Mike Washington Jr.’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
Washington had the spike plays in the preseason and cleared 1,000 yards on the ground with Arkansas in his fifth collegiate season. Long-term, he’s a Jeanty handcuff and nothing else. The Razorbacks used him some as a pass catcher last season and that was good to see, but this is a situation that demands pedigree to succeed, and I’m not sold on the 122nd overall pick being that out of the gates.Â
He was an ultra-efficient option last season (6.4 yards per carry and 6.6 yards per catch), but how sustainable is that? Not only is there a learning curve, but we also have to consider a 2025 environment that allowed Washington to rank as an 89th-percentile running back in terms of yards per carry gained before contact.
That’s not happening in Vegas.
There were 20 different running backs to score 30 PPR points in a game last season, 45 to reach 20 points in a single week. I like Washington as an RB2 in this cushy matchup with game script unlikely to get away from the Raiders, but I’m in the pessimistic camp when it comes to projecting him moving forward.
The Raiders won two games last fantasy season, and their starting running back had 20+ touches and a score in both of them: prepare for extreme DFS chalk.
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Where Washington Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Woody Marks | HOU
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Keaton Mitchell | LAC
- Mike Washington Jr. | LV
- Tank Bigsby | PHI
- Jonah Coleman | DEN
- Tyjae Spears | TEN
Check the full position group on PFN's 2026 PPR Running Back Board.
