Spytek: Jeanty could be back quicker than expected

Jeanty touched the ball four times on the Raiders’ opening drive before visiting with Raiders trainers while the Saints carried out their second possession. The medical staff taped both of Jeanty’s ankles and had him ready to go before the Raiders got the ball back. He came up grimacing after his ensuing carry, but remained active throughout all four quarters and totaled 21 touches on the day. He earned an end zone target on a wheel route early on, but the ball was overthrown. Jeanty might show up on the injury report this week, but he should be ready for an RB1-worthy workload against the Chiefs by the end of the week.

Jeanty was inefficient on all fronts, averaging 2.3 yards per carry and 2.1 yards per target. That number was dragged down by three drops on the day. Jeanty also failed to punch in a pair of goal line carries in the first quarter, resulting in a turnover on downs. Things seemingly went from bad to worse when Jeanty appeared to get injured late in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders ultimately sent him back onto the field a few plays later. He may pop up on the injury report later this week, but it doesn’t look like a major issue. Fantasy managers won’t be pleased with the box score, but the good news is that Jeanty was a workhorse on the ground and through the air. Despite the quiet day, he will remain in the RB1 mix when the Raiders take on the Saints next week.

Any lingering concerns over Jeanty’s ankle injury can be put to rest. The second-year running back served as the Raiders’ offensive focal point from start to finish, regularly shaking defenders and plowing through contact. Jeanty scored two touchdowns on routes run out of the backfield, beating Dolphins rookie CB Chris Johnson with a cut on the first and barreling through a would-be tackler as he entered the end zone on the second. His six catches tie for a team-high. Jeanty is a locked-in RB1 against the Chargers next week.

Overall, these comments are positive, but this is the first time in a while that Kubiak has added a qualifier when complimenting his rookie running back. The Raiders head coach said Washington is “a talented man that we’re going to keep giving opportunities to,” yet notes that the team is now about to go against live defenses “for 17 weeks in a row here before the playoffs, so he’s got to keep maturing.” This serves as a helpful reminder that despite Washington’s strong preseason showing, RB Ashton Jeanty is still the clear-cut starter. Washington can return FLEX value against the Dolphins’ defense, but perhaps Kubiak is considering easing Washington into a rotational role a little more so than he previously indicated. Regardless, Washington remains one of the highest-valued backups in fantasy football and should be rostered in all formats.

Jeanty practiced fully this week, setting him up for a solid workload against a soft defense. When he takes the field on Sunday, it will be exactly three weeks since he suffered his ankle injury. During that span, rookie RB Mike Washington seemingly carved out a rotational role for himself, though Jeanty still warrants RB1 treatment.

This appeared to be the case yesterday, with Jeanty practicing in full to begin the week. It’s still nice to hear Schefter confirm as much, though. While Jeanty nursed his sprained ankle, rookie RB Mike Washington showed out in preseason play, leading NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport to report that Washington is “going to be a thing this year.” Jeanty should be treated as a fantasy RB1, but Washington warrants FLEX treatment, particularly against a rebuilding Dolphins defense this week.

This is great news. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak told reporters earlier today that Jeanty would resume practicing today, however, we assumed it would be a limited session. It turns out Jeanty is already good to go. He faces a soft Dolphins defense in Week 1 and can be treated as a fantasy football RB1 even if rookie RB Mike Washington handles a decent workload as his backup/.

We expect this to be a limited session for the Raiders’ second-year running back. Jeanty has been sidelined since injuring his ankle on August 23rd. Returning for the week’s first official practice puts him on track to play, though the coaching staff could ease him into action in Week 1 against the Dolphins by giving rookie RB Mike Washington a little extra work this week. Hopefully, Jeanty is practicing fully by Friday, if not sooner.

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.