The 2025 fantasy football season brings one of the most compelling rookie-veteran dynamics we’ve seen in years. The Las Vegas Raiders’ backfield features generational talent alongside a proven commodity. With Ashton Jeanty entering the NFL as the sixth overall pick and Raheem Mostert providing veteran depth, this duo represents sky-high ceiling potential and sobering reality checks for fantasy managers.
Whether you’re banking on rookie brilliance or hedging with experienced reliability, the Raiders’ ground game will be appointment viewing for fantasy football enthusiasts. Get ready to witness how this fascinating backfield hierarchy unfolds throughout the season.
Ashton Jeanty Fantasy Outlook
The success of rookies can be almost impossible to project in fantasy football, given the complete lack of data on the player at the NFL level, let alone on his new team. If there is one player who can be confidently slotted into the “definitely going to be really, really good” category, though, it’s Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty.
The newest addition to Las Vegas’s ever-improving offense, Jeanty threatens to immediately break into the elite tier of fantasy football running backs. The player’s combination of explosiveness, evasiveness, and contact balance makes him one of the most exciting players in the league this year, rookie or otherwise.
Raiders star RB Ashton Jeanty’s 1st Q highlights👇
“It’s tackle football… I’d draft the guy they can’t tackle”
-Ashton Jeanty ☠️🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/kfhz8K6LqW
— ShifftttyyyQB1🏴☠️ (@raiders1022) August 16, 2025
Pete Carroll enjoyed most of his success in Seattle when simply relying on elite players to be elite players (Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas). Jeanty joins TE Brock Bowers in a Raiders offense that is likely to run through the two young stars, with both set to receive massive workloads in 2025.
Given the Raiders’ lack of exciting options behind Jeanty, the rookie figures to take on a three-down role from the outset. Raheem Mostert has produced stellar fantasy production as recently as 2023 (RB5 overall), but at 33 years old, he is more likely to provide support for Jeanty in Las Vegas.
A dark horse to finish RB1 overall, Jeanty isn’t guaranteed to make good on his RB6 ADP, but it would be a huge disappointment to see him fall out of the top 10.
–- Cameron Sheath, Fantasy Football Analyst
Raheem Mostert Fantasy Outlook
After finishing as the RB4 overall in fantasy points per game (17.8) in 2023, last season couldn’t have been more disappointing for Mostert. The then-Miami back finished as the RB56 overall, having seen double-digit carries in just three games of an injury-riddled year.
Those opportunities appear unlikely to increase in 2025, with the veteran backing up rookie sixth-overall pick Ashton Jeanty in Las Vegas. The rookie led the FBS in both rushing yards (2,601) and rushing touchdowns (29) last year, and figures to dominate ground work for Pete Carroll’s Raiders.
There may be a role for Mostert, but it is unlikely to be fantasy relevant while Jeanty is healthy. As long as he produces, Jeanty will be the feature back and can handle all facets of play, leaving little room for Mostert to see significant usage. Even if Jeanty misses time or struggles more than expected, Mostert would be stepping into a role that did very little for fantasy last year. New OC Chip Kelly should improve things, but offseason offensive line additions must also pay off quickly.
The team allowed just 1.9 yards before contact per rush attempt in 2024, the fewest in the league. Mostert is already expected to see limited action, but that action will be worth very little if things haven’t improved. On the plus side, he has shown immense upside as recently as 2023, and would be a risk-free add in the last round of drafts.
–– Cameron Sheath, Fantasy Football Analyst