Ashton Jeanty Practices in Full on Wednesday
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty was listed as a full participant in the team’s first official practice of Week 1, according to Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee. Jeanty suffered an ankle injury on Aug. 23 in training camp, landing awkwardly while diving for a low pass from Kirk Cousins, and his status for Sunday’s opener against the Miami Dolphins had been genuinely up in the air over the past two weeks.
Wednesday’s session marked his first practice since the injury, and it’s a significant step. Head coach Klint Kubiak had remained guarded on Jeanty’s exact timeline throughout, saying only last week that he was optimistic Jeanty would play in Week 1. General manager John Spytek similarly hinted Jeanty could return sooner than initially expected. Full participation in the first practice of the week strongly supports that optimism, and multiple outlets now describe him as trending firmly toward an active Week 1 designation.
That said, it’s worth tempering expectations slightly around his exact workload.
Kubiak has been clear that the team will issue Jeanty’s official practice designation after each session, and it’s not out of the question that Las Vegas manages his snap count to some degree on Sunday even if he’s active, particularly given how recently he returned to practice. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable rostering him, but shouldn’t assume a completely unrestricted workload is guaranteed.
If his snaps end up limited, rookie Mike Washington Jr. stands to see a real complementary role. Washington turned heads throughout the preseason and would be the clear next man up if Jeanty needs any kind of reduced workload or, in the unlikely event of a setback, is unable to play at all.
Even accounting for some uncertainty around exact volume, Jeanty’s baseline outlook remains strong. He finished as fantasy’s RB15 on a per-game basis as a rookie, racking up 1,321 total yards and 10 touchdowns on 321 touches despite playing behind one of the league’s worst offensive environments. With Klint Kubiak now running the offense and hopes for improved blocking up front, Jeanty has real upside in a favorable matchup against a Miami defense that struggled significantly against the run a year ago. At worst, he should be viewed as a solid RB2 this weekend, with real RB1 upside if he ends up playing his typical workload.
Fantasy Impact
I understand the coaching staff is saying all the right things here, but with Bowers now out for a few games, I think they could let Jeanty cook in week one versus the Miami Dolphins. Check back for more news
