After a bit of buzz that proved to be a flimsy pre-draft smokescreen, the Las Vegas Raiders got their franchise running back with the No. 6 overall pick. Ashton Jeanty will be the lead back for the Raiders in what is expected to be a run-heavy offense orchestrated by Chip Kelly.
For his fantasy football outlook as a rookie, it might have been better if Jeanty landed in a more established offense. However, the sheer volume of touches that he is in line for will largely offset that.
Jeanty will be a top-10 overall pick in most fantasy leagues and one of the first running backs taken. Given the history of strong performances from running backs taken in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, Jeanty should be one of the top assets in the league.
Fantasy analyst places Ashton Jeanty in rarified air for a rookie
On Thursday's episode of the "Yahoo! Fantasy Forecast," Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens took a look at the 10 most important fantasy matchups of the 2025 season. The Raiders' Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots was a surprising inclusion, but it naturally spurred a conversation about Jeanty.
"(It'll be the) first look at Ashton Jeanty as the featured back in a Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly offense," Behrens said. "Listen, he might be the favorite right now to lead the NFL in touches. If you're someone who does full season projections, and you're gonna give Ashton Jeanty 17 games, you're giving him pretty close to 400 touches."
While Behrens softened his projection a bit at the end of his analysis, saying it is hard to reach that number, the broader idea still stands.
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Last year, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley led the NFL with 378 touches. Only two other players -- Bijan Robinson and Kyren Williams -- had 350 touches or more.
So, a healthy Jeanty leading the league in touches this year seems very possible. He would need to average just over 22 touches per contest over the 17-game season to break Barkley's mark from 2024.
A rookie running back leading the NFL in touches is incredibly rare. Plenty have come close, but only four first-year players have done it since at least the 1970 merger. However, Jeanty is a rare talent in a unique situation as the focal point of the Raiders' offense.