Fantasy football managers are on alert after standout rookie Ashton Jeanty briefly left Sunday’s game with an issue late in the action. The promising back has been one of the few bright spots in an inconsistent offense, making any setback worth watching closely. Early signs from practice offer some optimism, but questions remain about his availability for Week 13.
Keep an eye on updates as Jeanty’s status could have a big impact on fantasy lineups this weekend.
Ashton Jeanty Injury Update
Jeanty suffered an ankle injury in the closing minutes of the Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 12 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. According to head coach Pete Carroll, Jeanty avoided a severe injury.
Jeanty practiced on Wednesday, a move that suggests that his ankle injury is minor.
If Jeanty is unable to play Week 13, then Raheem Mostert and Zamir White would take over his role in the backfield.
— PFSN Fantasy Football Analyst Dan Fornek
Jeanty Fantasy Outlook
Jeanty is averaging just 0.54 yards per carry before contact, and that’s resulted in the worst gain% among qualified RBs this season (69.9%). We’ve seen flashes of the upside, but in terms of the ground game, this season has primarily been a disservice to the rookie.
That said, I love what we’ve seen in the passing game, something that this team wasn’t sold on early.
- September: 9.3% of touches were receptions
- October: 15.7% of touches were receptions
- November: 28.6% of touches have been receptions
That change in usage makes Jeanty a roster lock, even in a sub-par offense that can’t keep opponents out of the backfield. Take it a step further and, if this usage trend continues for the final month of the season, I’ll label this season as a net win for Jeanty’s fantasy stock.
READ MORE: Soppe’s Week 13 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
No, not in terms of return on investment, that ship has sailed. But I do think we’ve seen him do enough as a runner to prove he is the high-level prospect moving forward we expected, and the fluidity in the passing game we saw early in his college career holds up at the professional level.
For those looking to lock in lineups early, note that we are tracking a minor ankle injury. It was reported late last week, and the initial information doesn’t sound too worrisome, but consider slotting him into your flex for now to keep your options open during this unique week.
— PFSN Fantasy Football Analyst Kyle Soppe
