ESPN: Mike Washington may have earned larger role

Rapoport reiterated the point, adding that Washington will be a weapon for the Raiders. The rookie running back was electric in the preseason, running for 168 yards on 23 attempts. Ashton Jeanty is expected to be ready for Week 1, but the team could use Washington to ease his workload early in the year. Washington may only be a FLEX play as long as Jeanty is healthy, but that’s still worth a flyer in fantasy drafts.

Kubiak smiled and said “yes” when asked if he thinks Jeanty will suit up for the season opener against Miami. Jeanty has been absent from practice since suffering an ankle sprain a week and a half ago, and the Raiders have danced around offering firm updates about Jeanty’s progress. If Jeanty doesn’t practice in full by next week he should be considered a real game-time call for Kubiak and the Raiders. Mike Washington, meanwhile, should be stashed in all fantasy leagues in case Jeanty is sidelined for a game or two.

Jeanty’s status for Week 1 against the Dolphins remains very much in the air more than a week after he sustained a possible high ankle sprain in practice. If he’s still not practicing by the end of the week, he might be on the wrong side of questionable for the season opener. Mike Washington, who has drawn rave reviews from Raiders coaches, would be in line for a starter’s workload if Jeanty is sidelined.

Well, yes, we will see. The Raiders haven’t really given much of an indication from the inside on when Jeanty will return, but he wasn’t placed on injured reserve on cutdown day (he can still be placed there before the start of Week 1) and so long as it the location of his ankle sprain remains low and not high, we’re generally optimistic that Jeanty can make it back in the first month of the season.

Jeanty remains sidelined ahead of the Raiders’ Week 1 matchup against the Dolphins after sustaining a potentially high ankle sprain last week. Meanwhile, rookie RB Mike Washington “has changed the staff’s perspective of the running back room,” according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden with some impressive play during training camp and in the preseason. Head coach Klint Kubiak said he’s “not making any promises on percentages of play time” for Washington or Jeanty ahead of the season opener. Jeanty could be a while before he’s ready to take on a true workhorse role in the Vegas backfield. Washington should be rostered in all fantasy formats for now.

Funny enough, it’s the same line Kubiak provided to reporters on Tuesday when asked about the health of his RB1. Kubiak did say that the Raiders were “counting on (Jeanty)” for Week 1, but that’s hardly a sign that the Raiders expect him to suit up. With teams not being required to release official injury reports until the week leading up to the first game of the season, it’s possible that we won’t have a clear answer regarding Jeanty and his availability until the Raiders begin preparing for Week 1’s game against the Dolphins. In the event Jeanty can’t go, rookie Mike Washington is expected to see a substantial role after a solid preseason in which he rushed 23 times for 168 yards while averaging an impressive 7.3 YPC. Washington is worth a draft pick in all formats right now, especially with Jeanty’s status up in the air.

Washington could end up returning standalone FLEX value this season. He looks good. The fourth-round rookie does not go down easily, regularly powering through first contact, and he possesses the requisite speed to get to the edge and turn upfield quickly. He took a hard hit to the left side of his body while jumping for a pass, but showed no ill effects from it. With RB1 Ashton Jeanty (ankle) rehabbing, there is a chance Washington gets the start in Week 1 against the rebuilding Dolphins. Washington could warrant a top-15 positional ranking in this case. Target him in drafts.

Not a surprising update but sadly also not a helpful one. It does sound like Jeanty is going to avoid the PUP list based on what we’ve seen over the past few days following the Sunday ankle injury, but it doesn’t sound like he’s any lock to play in Week 1 either. Coaches aren’t required to talk about the injury report before the regular season starts. Mike Washington would likely slide into the main role if Jeanty is unavailable in Week 1.

We’re not sure if that’s an official medical diagnosis but it’s good news that the Raiders are not saying the second-year back sustained a real-deal high ankle injury, the kind of injury that often leads to an extended absence and significant rehab time. Rapoport said the Raiders are hopeful Jeanty can suit up for Week 1 against the Dolphins, though the team is far from certain Jeanty will be ready to go after suffering the ankle injury during Sunday’s practice. He added Jeanty’s injury is not of the season-threatening variety. If Jeanty is sidelined for Week 1, Mike Washington, Jr. would likely take over as the team’s lead back and would be locked in as a starter in 12-team fantasy leagues.

The Raiders are still unsure how long Jeanty will be sidelined, but both Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport say the team is “breathing a sigh of relief.” Without knowing Jeanty’s return timeline, and the injury’s specifics, it is difficult to assess whether Jeanty is worthy of a top-15 fantasy draft pick. We expect to learn more in the coming days. For now, it might be worthwhile to pass on Jeanty in favor of healthy players late in Round 1 and early in Round 2. Should his ADP begin to tumble a few rounds, buying the dip could be worth it.