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For the first time in his career, Rashad Jennings is the unquestioned lead back. The New York Giants pounced on him early in the offseason, giving him his first chance to be the bell cow of a backfield. Is Jennings worth putting trust into in your fantasy league?
Jennings currently sits with an ADP of 57.8 going more often than not in the sixth and seventh rounds of Yahoo! Fantasy Football drafts. At that spot, Jennings is a steal.
Even with the woes of the Giants’ first-team offense during the preseason, Jennings has still been able to perform. He is far and away the lead back for the Giants and does not come off the field often. He is extremely versatile, as he is not only a threat as a running back, but as a receiver out of the backfield. He also picks up blitzes well, probably the best of any running back on the roster, so he will be in on a majority of the passing downs as well.
The only real threat Jennings faces is from rookie Andre Williams. He has been functioning as the goal line back throughout the preseason, and looks like he could vulture some touchdowns from Jennings throughout the course of the season. That is the only real threat to fantasy production Jennings has, as Williams is far behind in his development in the passing game.
That type of bell cow possibilities makes Jennings current ADP low, especially if you participate in a PPR league. Jennings currently is a very strong RB2, with RB1 potential if the rest of the Giants’ offense can get on track and take some pressure off of him. Currently, Jennings is the focal point of the offense as he is the only player producing any positive results.
The only knock Jennings has against him has been his durability throughout his career. Jennings has never played a full 16-game season, reaching 15 twice as his highest. He also missed the 2011 season because of a concussion and knee injury. His ability to be the lead back is unknown also, as he’s never been the starter before. Last season was the most action Jennings got in his career, when he had 163 rushes and 36 receptions.
Those are both numbers Jennings will surely surpass this season. With how he has performed thus far in the preseason, Jennings looks ready to carry the load for the Giants in the backfield. He is definitely a candidate to buy, as he will surpass the production of other RBs being selected ahead of him such as Toby Gerhart and C.J. Spiller, who are going almost two full rounds ahead of Jennings.
Kenneth Teape is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @teapester725 or join his Google network.
