For all the consternation about his workload, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty is just outside the league's top-10 in both carries and touches, with 143 and 166, respectively, heading into Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season.
If not for Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, when the Raiders barely possessed the ball in a shutout loss, Jeanty would be in those top-10s with room to spare. In two games since the bye, Jeanty has averaged 20 touches per game, and he has 18 touches or more in five other games.
The Raiders will close Week 11's schedule on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. The game script should not get away from the Las Vegas offense, and Jeanty should have no trouble getting the kind of workload everyone wants to see against Dallas' 28th-ranked run defense.
Bold Week 11 prediction for Ashton Jeanty is crazy enough to come true
Dallas did add defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson before the trade deadline, and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is set to return to action against the Raiders after starting the season on IR.
But the proof of an improved run defense will have come via the pudding, and Matt Eberflus is still the team's defensive coordinator, and he has been awful so far this season. As a result, NFL.com fantasy analyst Marcas Grant predicted that Jeanty will be the top overall fantasy scorer for the week.
Not just the top-scoring running back, or the "RB1" in fantasy parlance, but the top fantasy scorer at any position. If this came true, Raiders fans would be ecstatic, as they know that a big game from Jeanty is always a key to victory for the Silver and Black.
"As bad as the Dallas Cowboys have been against all running backs in general, they’re even worse against pass-catching running backs," Grant wrote. "While Jeanty’s receiving chops aren’t his headline feature, he does have five games with four or more targets. Look for him to get plenty of run after the catch. Combine that with his run after the handoff, and a huge week is coming for the Raiders' rookie."
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Entering Week 11, the Cowboys are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to running backs, according to Yahoo!. They're allowing 4.9 yards per carry to the position as well, but as Grant noted, they are also allowing 9.3 yards per reception to running backs.
As long as Jeanty gets sufficient targets to go with his typical number of carries, a big night does seem to be in store. Given how high-powered the Dallas offense is, the Raiders will need to keep the ball out of their hands as much as possible, and a healthy dose of Jeanty is the way to do that.
If not for a big outing from Los Angeles Rams wideout Puka Nacua, Jeanty would have been the top fantasy scorer back in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears. A matchup that is even easier than that one is coming this week, so Jeanty's fantasy managers and Raiders fans are on the edge of their seats.