When the Oakland Raiders landed Alabama running back Josh Jacobs in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jon Gruden was absolutely giddy.
NBC Sports’ Peter King depicted the scene in a recent column, with Gruden fearing that the Philadelphia Eagles might have traded up ahead of Oakland to take the player the Raiders coach coveted so much. Philly instead took a tackle, which left Gruden to nab his guy: Jacobs. Once Jacobs fell to the Raiders, Gruden was practically begging Mayock to let him call the running back to inform him he’d be joining Oakland.
The selection had massive fantasy implications.
Just how big are we talking? In the aforementioned column, King writes that Jacobs is a player that “Gruden had his heart set on making one of the three cornerstone players in his offense.”
Derek Carr. Antonio Brown. And Jacobs.
There was really only one person that could get in the way of that coming to fruition. The Raiders had veteran Isaiah Crowell on the roster. And while Crowell has never topped 1,000 yards in a single season, he did average 4.8 yards per carry in a truly unimpressive New York Jets offense last season. Perhaps, Crowell and Jacobs would have to share touches — until Crowell suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. There’s plenty of offseason left. The Raiders could add another veteran, but few of the current free agents are talented enough to compete with Jacobs in training camp. Perhaps Jay Ajayi is the only legitimate threat.
The Raiders’ second-best running back is now Jalen Richard, a pass-catching back whose past carries haven’t justified an increased role between the tackles. As soon as he signs his contract, Jacobs will be the uncontested No. 1 running back in Oakland. The Raiders offense also includes major offseason acquisitions in receivers Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams and tackle Trent Brown. Jacobs should have room to run.
That’s why Jacobs will be a back worth owning in just about every format during the 2019 fantasy football season. Above all, he should see significant volume as a ball-carrier and pass-catcher. That’s one of the most important qualities in a running back. He will likely be efficient with those touches, judging from what he did in Alabama.
It’s early, but Fantasy Pros has Jacobs ranked as 86th. That would be a steal for a player who figures to take on an immediate and integral role in the roster. He should gain momentum when the preseason rolls around, largely because everyone will realize he has upside to be a top 10 running back in 2019. Even if Jacobs turns into a third or fourth round pick — instead of a ninth rounder — he will be worth owning on every fantasy team you have
