The Las Vegas Raiders were able to get a 17-16 win against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, despite Josh Jacobs not having his normal game. With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as the quarterback, defenses are expecting to load the box to stop Jacobs. With that in mind, if you’re a fantasy football manager, is it time to come up with a new plan at running back and trade Jacobs?
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Should Fantasy Football Managers Trade Josh Jacobs?
Jacobs finished the Week 1 game with 19 carries for 48 yards, also catching the ball twice for 23 yards.
This wasn’t the expectation — Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards last season. After that tough performance, people are getting a little worried about Jacobs. The Raiders, outside of Davante Adams, aren’t flushed with a ton of playmakers on the team.
Guys, Jacobs led the NFL in rushing last season. I repeat, he led the NFL in rushing. To be wanting to trade this guy after one game is not the move.
I see you Josh Jacobs! pic.twitter.com/W5gwkv3Dsc
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice)
You have to remember — Jacobs didn’t participate in almost all of the offseason, so he is still getting his legs under him.
One positive is despite missing all that time in the offseason, Jacobs still had 21 touches in the win against the Broncos. He had 19 carries and had two catches. The fact that he got the ball this much in the opener is definitely a good sign.
He was also going up against a division rival and one of the best defenses last season in the Broncos.
Only three running backs had more carries in Week 1 than Jacobs, and they were Christian McCaffrey (22 carries), Cam Akers (22), and David Montgomery (21). That is a good sign moving forward, as he should only become more of a focal point as he gets back into football shape.
However, if you think defenses are going to focus on Jacobs and limit his numbers, what are the trade options?
What Should Fantasy Managers Look To Acquire When Trading Jacobs?
To put it simply, you are going to need a major haul to even consider trading Jacobs. Remember, this guy led the NFL in rushing last year, and only three of the 32 running backs last week had more carries than him.
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What more could you want from a starting running back? While there are definitely options for running backs who are going to catch the ball out of the backfield, he still had a solid 53 catches last season.
If anyone is offering you for Jacobs, why do you think that is? It is because they know how valuable he is and is going to be. Like most offensive players last week, there weren’t a ton of running backs who had big weeks. Don’t trade Jacobs!
