Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
After the success he saw last season, many speculated that Rashad Jennings would be the Oakland Raiders running back to stay on the bay. But it was Darren McFadden that ended up staying, and Jennings who would pack his luggage for his stay with the New York Giants. Smart move – now he’ll be the premiere back and be cashing in bigger checks at the bank this year. But does his move really increase his fantasy value?
Positives:
He’ll be the sole focus in the run game. He only has to deal with Peyton Hillis and David Wilson, both of whom have underwhelmed in the past few seasons.
Jennings boosted his yards per carry by over a 1.5 yards from 2012 to 2013, even with seeing 60 more carries.
He should be seeing another increase of 60 carries this season – around 220 in all. He’ll be floating around 900 yards this season if he keeps up his efficiency.
Reports have been saying that the offensive line in New York has improved this offseason, and the addition of the eighth-best guard, according to FootballOutsiders Geoff Schwartz, certainly helps.
Negatives:
Though the offensive line is expected to be better, Jennings is leaving a Raiders O-Line that ranked third in rushing efficiency. So how much daylight he’ll see is a question to keep in mind.
He likely won’t see targets from Eli Manning, who has historically only tossed the rock around 25 times to his lead back – that will decrease Jennings’ output opposed to last season.
Expect the G-Men to be trying to pull from behind much like they did last season. This will lead to more pass attempts and less rushes than Jennings needs to be a premiere option at running back.
Final Verdict:
Even though he’s a veteran, Jennings has really only had one provable season, so I’m not completely convinced he’s not a flash in the pan player. But even if his talent is up to snuff, I don’t think the surrounding weapons really benefit him. He greatly benefited from the offensive line in Oakland, and now he’s downgrading in New York. I’m fine with picking him as a backup, but at the cost you’d have to pay, you’d need to start him.
Auction Value: $19
Projected Round: 5 (12 team league)
Bye Week: 8
