Rashad Jennings

Fantasy Upside
Entering his third season with the Giants, Rashad Jennings remains the best option for the top of the depth chart over rookie Paul Perkins and versatile playmaker Shane Vereen. While Vereen will get his touches, Jennings should remain an active part of the offense. He led the team in rushing yards last year and also caught 29 passes for a total of 1,159 yards from scrimmage. He was on the field 38 percent of the time and is the most proven runner on the roster.

Fantasy Downside
At 31 years old, Jennings is getting to the point in his career where most running backs take a sharp dive off a cliff. While he should remain the starter, he’s never had more than a 1,000 rushing yards in a season, and he hasn’t had more than 200 carries in any given year throughout his career. With Shane Vereen still on the roster under a hefty contract, it’s unlikely the Giants will stop their committee approach, and third-year man Andre Williams stole 14 percent of Jennings’ snaps last year, as well. It’s also possible fifth-round pick Perkins gets consideration if Jennings struggles.

2016 Bottom Line
Jennings is going right in the middle of most drafts, making him a solid value as the first running back off the bench in most leagues. As a player who averaged 14 touches per game last year, he’s worth considering as a low-upside, high-floor backup. But he’s unlikely to improve upon his totals from last year if you’re looking for more of a home-run threat.

Week 16 vs. Minnesota

Rashad Jennings now has back to back weeks with a full workload on the ground, following up 22 carries in Week 14 with 16 carries and 107 yards to go with a touchdown against the vaunted Carolina defense last weekend. This is a good sign for fantasy owners hoping that somebody, anybody, could be useful in the Giants’ backfield for the stretch run.

This week, Jennings faces a Vikings defense that has only given up seven touchdowns on the ground this season, but is 20th in the league in rushing yards allowed. Jennings is a risky start because you never know when that committee approach will rear its ugly head again in the New York backfield, but with two weeks of starter carries, it’s worth gambling on Jennings as a low-end RB2/Flex option in many leagues.

Week 14 vs. Miami
Rashad Jennings had only six touches last week for 33 yards from scrimmage, including a 19 yard reception. Jennings was only on the field about a quarter of the team’s offensive snaps, splitting time with Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa, and Andre Williams. With a lack of a clear bell cow in New York, each of these backs is hurting the others’ fantasy potential. Despite a good matchup against the Dolphins this week, fantasy owners should stay away from the Giants backfield.