Sunday's Blowout Might Have Revealed Ashton Jeanty's Biggest Weakness

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Jeanty played 28 of the team's first 29 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and garnered all the first-half RB touches for the Raiders. The rookie had 8-42 rushing and 4-42 receiving on six targets to that point.

But that means Jeanty played just eight more snaps (of 39) beyond that point, basically ceding the second-half backfield to Raheem Mostert.

Mostert wound up playing 32 snaps to Jeanty's 37 for the game. That included running 22 routes to Jeanty's 18, though Mostert didn't see a single target. He did take seven carries for a mere 22 yards (3.1 per rush).

The Raiders trailed 20-3 at halftime, so it's not surprising that the starter got some second-half rest. But the degree of that shift seems potentially alarming. But let's dig in a little further.

Jeanty still took the field for each of Vegas' first three possessions of the second half. He tallied those six more carries among just nine official plays for the Raiders over that span, plus a 0-yard catch negated by an offensive holding penalty.

By the next possession, Indy had tacked on another 20 points. So why bother running Jeanty out there more when you're down 40-3?

Did Anything Change for Jeanty's Outlook?

We already knew that the Raiders stink. This marks the second time through five weeks that they've allowed 40+ points and lost by 17+. But even a bad team isn't likely to match Sunday's conditions often.

So continue to use Jeanty on a weekly basis, and enjoy that he gets a Week 6 home date with the soft Titans.

But consider trying to sell the rookie at some point.

You don't want to unload Jeanty for too little, because volume and talent should keep him scoring at least decently. But the situation will clearly limit his upside going forward.

Week 7 holds a trip to Kansas City, ahead of a Week 8 bye.

Dynasty Impact

If the Jeanty manager in your dynasty league in struggling, throw an offer their way to see if you can get the rookie at a discount.

I don't know what the renovation plan looks like for turning the Raiders into a meaningfully better team, but I'd rather bet on Jeanty's longer-term potential than forget about him because of a situation that can change quickly.