Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Ashton Jeanty

Friday, August 28, 9:52 AM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said the team is still monitoring running back Ashton Jeanty's (ankle) status heading into the Week 1 regular-season opener, "but we're counting on him," according to Levi Edwards of the team's official website. Jeanty initially could not put any weight on his leg last Sunday when he was injured in training camp practice. It is unclear exactly how serious the second-year RB's injury is, but the Raiders continue to hold out hope that he will be available for the season opener in early September against the Miami Dolphins. Even if Jeanty is active in Week 1, rookie Mike Washington Jr. figures to have a big role in Vegas' backfield to take some of the load off Jeanty. We will have a better idea of Jeanty's Week 1 status when the Raiders release their first official injury reports late next week. Jeanty is the team's clear RB1 when healthy, but his recent ankle injury should give fantasy managers pause when considering him as a low-end RB1 in upcoming drafts. As a rookie in 2025, the 22-year-old from Boise State finished as the RB13 in half-PPR scoring with 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries, adding 346 receiving yards and another five scores on 55 receptions in 17 games.