Ashton Jeanty Ditched the Sour Patch Kids to Fix a Brutal Rookie Year
Jeanty averaged just 3.7 yards per carry on 266 attempts as a rookie. A new diet, new line and new coach could unlock his 245-PPR ceiling.
Better line, better coach, better shape — the efficiency arrow points up.
- 266 carries, 975 rush yds, 3.7 YPC as a rookie
- Dead last in success rate among 49 backs w/ 100+ carries
- 245 PPR points in 2025 — our RB11 at #33 overall
- New HC Klint Kubiak, new center Tyler Linderbaum
- Quit Sour Patch Kids to improve cardio this offseason
Ashton Jeanty's rookie counting stats look fine on a card — 1,321 total yards, 10 total touchdowns, 245 PPR points as the Raiders' No. 6 overall pick from the 2025 draft. Peel back one layer and it gets ugly fast. Jeanty ran for just 975 yards on 266 carries, a 3.7 average, and finished dead last in success rate among the 49 running backs with 100-plus totes.
Some of that wasn't on him. Las Vegas fielded arguably the league's worst offensive environment, and the line in front of him was a genuine disaster — Jeanty ranked 45th in yards before contact per carry and 49th in the share of runs that went for zero or negative yardage. When he actually got a crack, he delivered: 24th in yards after contact and eighth in avoiding tackles. Translation: the talent was buried under bad blocking.
But Jeanty is also owning his part. He told CBS Sports' Bryant McFadden that he didn't feel he was in good enough shape last year, so he cut sugar — specifically Sour Patch Kids — out of his diet and leaned into cardio work this offseason. His reasoning was pure running back: he wants to stay physical and play longer than everyone else on the field, and he didn't think his conditioning let him do that as a rookie.
The Setup Just Got Better
The candy story is fun, but the roster changes matter more for your lineup. New head coach Klint Kubiak brings an actual offensive identity. Two new linemen arrive, including center Tyler Linderbaum, which directly attacks Jeanty's biggest problem — getting hit behind the line. A healthy Brock Bowers (64 catches, 680 yards, 7 TD in just 12 games in 2025) keeps defenses honest, and the Cousins-Mendoza quarterback room only needs to clear the low bar Geno Smith set with his 17 interceptions last year.
The Fantasy Fallout
Here's the thing about a back who was that bad on efficiency but that good in counting stats: the volume is already locked in. Jeanty finished seventh in the NFL in carries and still chipped in 55 catches for 346 yards and 5 receiving scores. If even a fraction of the environmental improvement sticks, his per-touch numbers climb without needing a single extra opportunity.
We've got Jeanty at RB11 (#33 overall), and that feels like a floor more than a ceiling. This is a textbook buy-low window — the box score scared off casual managers, but the underlying context screams positive regression. If a leaguemate is souring on the 3.7 YPC, go get him before the year-two leap makes him unaffordable.
