Ashton Jeanty has handled at least 21 touches in every game this season, and that volume is the main reason he belongs in fantasy lineups. On Thursday the Raiders gave managers a reason to wait before setting him. Jeanty practiced fully on Wednesday, then was limited Thursday, and the team listed him with an ankle and foot injury ahead of Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.
The injury itself isn't entirely new. The ankle has bothered Jeanty since he left a practice in August, and he hasn't missed a game because of it. What changed Thursday is the foot. Las Vegas added it to the listing on the same day his practice work dropped. A player who goes from a full session to a limited one midweek deserves a closer look, and foot problems can linger for a running back who takes as many hits as Jeanty does.
There are also signs he was already wearing down. Jeanty played 84 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 3. In the 30-27 loss to Kansas City, that fell to 67 percent, and he took himself out of the game at points. Even so, he stayed productive as a receiver against the Chiefs, catching six passes for 68 yards.
The receiving work has kept his fantasy value afloat, because the rushing has been poor. Jeanty is averaging 3.4 yards per carry and has yet to score a rushing touchdown through four games. He has 19 catches and two receiving touchdowns. That fits the pattern from his rookie year. In 2025 he ran 266 times for 975 yards, just 3.7 a carry, but added 55 catches, 346 receiving yards and five receiving scores. His 1,321 scrimmage yards set a Raiders rookie record. Jeanty has been a volume and pass-catching asset more than an efficient runner, so any cut in his snaps hurts him more than it would hurt a back who breaks long runs.
The team context helps. Las Vegas is 3-1, with wins over Miami, the Chargers and New Orleans, so the coaching staff has no reason to push a banged-up starter. Rookie Mike Washington Jr., a fourth-round pick, has been the clear No. 2 and has 24 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown. That works out to 5.0 yards a carry in limited work, better than Jeanty's average. Washington has struggled in the passing game, though, and Dylan Laube would probably take more of the third-down snaps if Jeanty's role shrinks.
For managers, it comes down to this. Nothing so far suggests Jeanty is in danger of missing the game, and the Raiders hadn't put his availability in question as of Thursday. If he practices Friday and plays without a designation, start him. His touch floor and role as a receiver still make him a solid RB2 even if the team limits his carries. A questionable tag is a different story. Expect a snap share closer to the Kansas City game than the Week 3 game, with Washington taking more early-down work and Laube more passing downs.
Washington is the handcuff worth adding now in leagues where he's still available. If Jeanty is limited, he is the back most likely to inherit goal-line and early-down carries, and he has run more efficiently than the starter so far. Laube only matters in deeper PPR formats.
Check Friday's injury report before you lock anything in. If you have to set Jeanty before a Sunday afternoon kickoff, line up a backup option you can swap in from a later game, so a late downgrade doesn't leave you with an empty spot.