Rashad Jennings was pretty productive when he was on the field last year, but he struggled with injuries and wound up playing significant snaps in only nine games over the course of the season. He finished with 639 yards on 167 attempts and added 226 yards on 30 receptions his first year in New York.
Fantasy Upside
Jennings enters the season as the likely starter over second year back Andre Williams, and he’s a versatile player with the talent to produce when given the work. The Giants run a system that emphasizes short completions, which makes Jennings’ versatility a bonus, and he showed he’s still capable of putting up big games, such as his outing against Houston in Week 3 when he ran for 176 yards.
Fantasy Downside
At 30, Jennings can be considered likely on the downside of his career and his season average of 3.8 yards per carry is concerning for fantasy owners who are looking for him to maintain his lead role in the offense. Additionally, that versatility that gave him extra value last year will undoubtedly take a hit with the addition of free agent Shane Vereen, an accomplished pass catcher from New England.
Bottom Line
Jennings has value as a lead back, but the possibly temporary status that he holds drops his fantasy value consistently. Coming off an injury plagued year, in a backfield that looks more crowded this season, it’s hard to trust Jennings with an early pick. We see him as a RB2 in most weeks, as long as he hangs on to his job. He seems like a good depth guy/spot starter on most fantasy rosters this year.
