It may seem a bit early, but fantasy football drafts are just around the corner. In fact, you may have already participated in one or two so far this year. If so, you know that the first four picks of any draft are likely going to contain the following players in some order:
Christian McCaffrey (Panthers)
Saquon Barkley (Giants)
Alvin Kamara (Saints)
Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys
After those four picks, it gets a little dicey. According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Kenyan Drake has the highest average draft position after the “big four.” Drake had a strong end of the season with the Cardinals, but he has never had more than 650 rushing yards in a season and is already 26-years old.
Many who aren’t sold on Drake may turn their attention to a wide receiver instead, such as Michael Thomas or DeAndre Hopkins. However, the right pick at 1.05 in your fantasy drafts could very well be Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Jacobs’ average draft position has skyrocketed over the last few months as he is now going ahead of the likes of Joe Mixon, Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb. However, you can make a strong case that he should go even higher in your drafts.
First and foremost, Jacobs is locked into a significant role with the Raiders. During his rookie season, Jacobs averaged over 20 touches per game despite not being used much in the passing game. He is the focal part of the Raiders’ offense and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
Jacobs was also highly efficient with his touches, averaging over 100 total yards per game as a rookie. That is even more impressive when you consider that he dealt with a severe shoulder injury that limited him for most of the season. Assuming he is 100 percent healthy, there is no reason that he can’t match his 2019 yarage total.
Finally, the Raiders have improved the talent around him, which should open up running lanes. If players like Henry Ruggs III and Tyrell Williams can stretch the field at all, that should back up the safeties, giving more room for Jacobs to run.
Given the safety of Jacobs’ workload and talent level, he should be a lock to be a first-round pick in your fantasy drafts, especially in non-PPR leagues. And if Jacobs can be more involved in the passing game this season, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he becomes the No. 1 back in fantasy football. Consider drafting Jacobs anytime after McCaffrey, Kamara, Barkley and Elliott are off the board.
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