Despite all that went wrong around him during his rookie season, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty still managed to top 1,300 yards from scrimmage with 10 total touchdowns. Klink Kubiak has quickly realized what he has, putting early talk about a backfield timeshare to bed.
Based on production, from a fantasy football perspective, Jeanty was a top-15 fantasy running back last year throught it all. And this season, assuming he is healthy, finishing as a top-10 fantasy running back feels like a lock. But there's also plenty more upside potential within that lofty assertion.
One of the greatest running backs of all-time, who would be held in particularly high regard if we narrow it to this century and take things all the way to the fantasy football angle, has revealed himself as a big believer in Jeanty ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
Hint: He used to be a major thorn in the Raiders' side.
Ashton Jeanty gets big endorsement from Hall of Fame RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Spending nine of his 11 NFL seasons in a San Diego Chargers uniform means that a big part of LaDainian Tomlinson's Hall of Fame résumé was written at the expense of the Silver and Black. Tomlinson, for as great as he was against everyone, was particularly great against Oakland.
Over 19 career games against the Raiders, he had 2,055 rushing yards (108.2 yards per game) with 22 touchdowns on the ground. For good measure, he added 58 receptions for 379 yards and four additional scores through the air.
And to really bring back bad memories for Raider Nation, he also had three passing touchdowns against the team during his career. It's hard to say that any one player has had more success against this franchise during their career than Tomlinson.
Tomlinson recently appeared on the Fantasy Points podcast, with running backs as the core topic of the conversation, of course. Things finished up with Jeanty, and when co-host John Hansen asked Tomlinson if he'd take Jeanty top-12 overall in a fantasy draft, he didn't hesitate.
“Absolutely I am," Tomlinson said. "I am huge on Ashton Jeanty, guys."
Aren't we all.
“I think the guy showed some qualities on a bad team that you see from top running backs,” Tomlinson further explained. “I’m just going to tell you, his first year reminded me of mine. ... It was tough sledding. I think I averaged 3.7 or 3.8 yards per carry my rookie year."
Tomlinson's recall was solid. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry during his rookie season in 2001, but he still managed to top 1,200 rushing yards and 1,600 yards from scrimmage with 10 touchdowns (all rushing).
In his second season, though, he exploded. From a fantasy standpoint, he started a six-year run where he did not finish lower than the third-best NFL running back, regardless of scoring format. Tomlinson finished his thoughts about Jeanty in the expected fashion.
"I’m absolutely targeting Ashton Jeanty. I’m planning on coming out of this draft with Ashton. Let me just say that."
As strong endorsements go, getting one from a Hall of Famer is as good as it gets for a young back like Jeanty. Raiders fans who are old enough to remember what he did against their team will just have to set aside that such a strong endorsement came from the legendary Charger.
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