Ashton Jeanty

The Las Vegas Raiders just added a redundant running back at No. 122 by drafting Mike Washington Jr., a 225-pound hammer who pairs a verified 121.2 Speed Score (98th-percentile) with the 4.38-second 40-yard dash necessary to erase pursuit angles in the open field. Washington is posted a 19.2 Breakout Age and a dominant 80-percent backfield dominator rating during his final campaign at Arkansas, proving he possesses the high-volume gravity and 97th-percentile burst to operate as a true three-down engine if given the keys to a backfield.

In dynasty formats, this is a rough landing spot for Mike Washington Jr. as an insurance policy behind last year’s top drafted back, Ashton Jeanty.  What could have been an interesting dynasty player moved to a high-upside handcuff if Jeanty happens to go down with an injury.

To the surprise of no one, the Las Vegas Raiders selected QB Fernando Mendoza.  The Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion from IU will signal an organizational reset with new HC Klint Kubiak.

The arrival of Mendoza should put him on the low-end QB1/high-end QB2 radar and raises the ceiling of the entire offense, including TE Brock Bowers and RB Ashton Jeanty.

The Las Vegas Raiders are not considered a team that is deep at wide receiver. Jakobi Meyers is an ever present value in best ball as he is going in round 6 on Underdog as the WR40. The offense is set to run through tight end Brock Bowers and stud rookie running back Ashton Jeanty in 2025. 

With Jakobi Meyers being the best Raiders wide receiver by default, it leaves opportunity for another receiver to emerge. After the 2025 NFL Draft it was initially believed that Jack Bech would be the logical player to rise in Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly’s offense. Instead, it is Dont’e Thornton who is catching plenty of buzz as he has stood out in minicamp.

As this word has gotten out it has sent the two rookie receivers in opposite directions. In the last week on Underdog, Thornton has risen 9.7 spots into the early 17th round. Divergent from Thornton has been Jack Bech who has fallen 6.5 spots into the early 13th round. 

Bech was selected in round 2 of the NFL Draft while Thornton went in round 4. There is still an appropriate gap in drafts, but as fantasy gamers get wise to Thornton’s ability the gap will certainly close. Clicking both Bech and Thornton at ADP will help build unique lineups and will be particularly unique when stacking with quarterback Geno Smith. 

Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)

With the Raiders having spent a top-5 pick on Ashton Jeanty, the only question regarding their backfield was whether either Zamir White or Sincere McCormick could hold onto prominent roles behind him. Instead, newcomer Raheem Mostert seems to be the frontrunner to mix in as the team’s primary 3rd-down back.

The Raiders signed Mostert to a 1-year, $2.1 million contract back in March. It’s a sneaky good fit for the 33-year-old former track star, who’s just one season removed from a 1,000-yard campaign. Mostert can be considered a decent value in dynasty leagues for owners seeking positional depth.

If I have Jeanty, however, I’m not rushing to acquire Mostert as a handcuff. Mostert has been prone to injury throughout his career, and I would much rather have the younger McCormick for a handcuff in Dynasty formats. He stands to gain more than Zamir White if either Jeanty or Mostert goes down.

–Blake Stachel (@bllakkay)