Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season continues on this afternoon with an AFC battle featuring the Las Vegas Raiders visiting the Houston Texans at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.
Ashton Jeanty start or sit: Week 16 fantasy football advice
We break down the fantasy football outlook of Ashton Jeanty ahead of the Raiders’ Week 16 matchup vs. the Texans.
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The Raiders dropped their eighth straight game in an ugly 31-0 shutout loss to the Eagles last Sunday and at 2-12, they are in a battle with the Giants and Titans for the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. This year’s first-round pick Ashton Jeanty didn’t offer much in last week’s loss and we’ll see what he can offer up as they close out this miserable season.
Below, we’ll go over Jeanty’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 16.
Fantasy Football analysis: Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty
Jeanty had just nine carries for 35 rushing yards in last week’s loss to the Eagles, also contributing four receptions for seven receiving yards in the shutout. Yeah, it was another forgettable performance for the No. 6 overall pick of this year’s draft and the same can be said for the entire offense with Kenny Pickett starting in place of an injured Geno Smith. Last year’s Heisman Trophy runner-up has been relatively one of the bigger disappointments in fantasy this season with him averaging out as top-15 overall pick ahead of the campaign. But most can agree that it’s not the rookie’s fault.
Jeanty has been stuck behind arguably the weakest offensive line in the entire NFL this season and that bears out with him having just two games where he’s averaged more than 4.0 yards per carry this year. Despite this, the Boise State product has still been a top-20 fantasy back this year and with exactly 700 rushing yards heading into today’s showdown, he still has an outside shot at 1K. His 49 receptions also ranks sixth among his peers, so at least PPR managers have been getting start-worthy efforts out of him.
Start or sit in Week 16?
Sit. The good news for the Raiders and Jeanty is that Smith will be back under center at quarterback, so they’ll at least have some continuity with their starter back in the fold. The bad news? They’re going up against the Texans defense, who have given up the third-least rushing yards to opposing running backs this season. Houston actually has something to play for here and that’s not good news for the rookie back.
