The Las Vegas Raiders surprised absolutely no one by drafting Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 overall in the 2025 NFL draft. After recording 2,739 total yards and 30 total touchdowns at Boise State, Jeanty was exactly the kind of running back new HC Pete Carroll was looking for to breathe life into a dormant rushing game.

Jeanty obviously has the ability to be be one of the premiere backs in the NFL, but can he be trusted to make an immediate impact in fantasy football? Let’s take a look.

Ashton Jeanty’s 2025 Fantasy Outlook

After such an impressive season, and joining a head coach with a reputation for running the football (apart from that one glaring moment), everyone is bullish about Ashton Jeanty’s rookie season.

Fantasy Pros have Jeanty as their RB4 (HPPR) for the 2025 season, and his ADP of 10 overall, so if you want him, he’s likely a first round pick in bigger leagues. This makes him a risky pick, even more so when you consider that the Raiders RB is the only rookie in the top 50 by ADP.

With rookies, there’s always the risk they aren’t ready, will have a bumpy transition into the NFL or won’t get the snaps/targets to break out. So what makes Jeanty worth the risk?

In Jeanty’s favour, running backs generally transition into the NFL smoother than most positions. Looking at his college stats and skill set, Jeanty is NFL ready.

Jeanty is the undisputed RB1 in Las Vegas, and while he has a capable backup in Raheem Mostert, Jeanty will get a whole lot of touches. He was drafted at No. 6 for a reason, he is their RB of the now and the future and the Raiders will give him the ball.

Aside from the above, Jeanty’s skill set is exceptional. He may not be a major threat in the passing game, but he can break tackles, gains yards after contact and has the agility to cut on a dime. On top of that, he has the speed to make defenses pay a heavy price for any mistakes or missed tackles.

Where to draft Ashton Jeanty?

It’s easy to watch college highlights and buy into the hype, only to be burned by it when the season comes. That feels unlikely with Ashton Jeanty, he is set to plug in automatically and feature heavily from Week 1 to Week 18.

The only running backs you should take ahead of Jeanty are Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and maybe Derrick Henry or Christian McCaffrey. He really projects to be that good. Take him late in the first or early in the second if he falls to you.

Prediction: 1,200 rushing yds, 12 TDs, 220 rec. yds, 3 rec. TDs

A final note, PFF project Ashton Jeanty to hit 1,227.9 rushing yards and he is the betting favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

(Featured Image credit: LV Raiders/Instagram)