The arrival of Klint Kubiak as head coach is good news for the entire Las Vegas Raiders offense. High on that list of beneficiaries, if not No. 1, is running back Ashton Jeanty. He was solidly successful despite a rough situation as a rookie, and the sky feels like the limit for him in Kubiak's system.
Fantasy football managers who fully bought into Jeanty last year were left disappointed, largely based on his high draft cost. But what we was able to do, despite his circumstances, lines him up to do big things next season and beyond.
If nothing else, his week-to-week consistency will improve, and his overall numbers will naturally rise under the outside zone scheme that Kubiak was born into and eventually perfected last year with the Seattle Seahawks.
Ashton Jeanty manages to find proper acknowledgement from 1 analyst
Yet somehow, Jeanty did not land among the top-five fantasy football risers as a result of offseason coaching changes from Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke. Maybe an unspoken running back quota was reached with Bucky Irving and Omarion Hampton, but Jeanty is still a glaring omission.
Maybe he would be No. 6 on Jahnke's list if it went that far. But Jeanty's fantasy stock is on the rise more than only a few players around the league based on a coaching change, and certainly more clear-cut on that front than wide receivers DK Metcalf and Chimere Dike, who made Jahnke's top-five.
Whereas Jeanty was blatantly ignored by Jahnke and PFF, on the other hand, he was properly acknowledged by Gilbert Manzano of SI.com, who has Jeanty on his list of five 2025 rookies he thinks will make the jump to star status next season.
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"Jeanty was a big winner this offseason after the Raiders hired Klint Kubiak.
"As the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator, Kubiak utilized the fullback position, improved the offensive line, and received dominant performances from Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III down the stretch.
"Jeanty, the sixth pick in the draft, got lost at times in the Raiders’ awful offense last season. He’s also been unfairly overlooked because of his 5 '8", 208-pound size. But don’t be fooled because Jeanty, who rushed for 975 yards as a rookie, has excellent power and can consistently produce long gains because of how difficult he is to tackle."
Jeanty is on an upward trajectory toward, potentially becoming one of the best running backs in the NFL. That ascension and subsequent anointment could happen as soon as next season if things really come together under Kubiak.
Not everyone will necessarily see that as a possibility right now, but ignoring or outright missing the opportunity for any reason is a bad oversight in any context.