Welcome to the weekly Fantasy Notebook, the must-stop spot for keeping your finger on the pulse of Fantasy Nation. NFL news and developments drive fantasy values. The Notebook is here to keep you in the loop on all of it throughout the season -- and into the offseason.
The Annual Ritual
It happens without fail. After an entire offseason spent studying, calculating possible outcomes, and dialing in our fantasy draft plans, circumstances change.
Smart fantasy managers change along with them. It's not easy.
We've built narratives as part of our planning -- the happy stories we've told ourselves to validate the conclusions we reached, and they're hard to move off. But move we must.
First, we have to recognize what's happening, acknowledge when our narratives shift, and adjust our strategies accordingly.
This week, we'll look at five examples of evolving situations having an impact on fantasy drafts.
Mostly, narratives shift due to incremental changes, but major injuries always create issues for us. Let's start there, with . . .
The Jeanty Conundrum
Ashton Jeanty was helped off the field on Sunday after he landed awkwardly on the turf inside the practice facility while diving for a low pass thrown by veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Jeanty is believed to have sprained his ankle during Sunday's practice, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak didn't want to go into any details on running back Jeanty's injury Tuesday.
When asked about the severity of the injury and if the second-year player will begin the season on injured reserve, Kubiak said, "He's on the mend."
If the Raiders were to put Jeanty on injured reserve at the time of roster cuts, then he would be eligible to return after four weeks.
It would be great if he could avoid that.
The Good News?
According to Rapoport, Jeanty's injury is believed to be more of a low sprain than a high one.
Generally speaking, a low-ankle sprain takes one to three weeks to recover from, while a high-ankle sprain typically requires six weeks to heal fully.
So, the outlook is clearly improving, and that's good.
But it's not clear when Jeanty will be available.
Immediate Issues
The Raiders will have to rely on rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. more than they expected if Jeanty misses games during the regular season.
The former Arkansas standout has shown that he could be an impactful player in the backfield in Year 1.
But he's not Jeanty.
Could Jeanty Still Deliver RB1 Totals?
While much depends on the recovery time, weekly RB1 outcomes are entirely possible once he returns.
In fact, they're likely.
But what about his overall finish?
KC Joyner, of FootballScientist.com, notes that Jeanty racked up 321 touches (266 rushes and 55 receptions) last year, the eighth-highest mark in Raiders history.
Joyner believes Jeanty was in line for even more in 2026 before the ankle derailed things.
Jeanty himself has said as much -- he wants more carries this year, and he's made clear he's ready for that workload.
He wants more involvement in the passing game, too.
Here's the wrinkle: with Kubiak calling plays in Seattle last year, the Seahawks tied Baltimore for the league lead with 507 rushing attempts.
So there will be ample opportunities once he's back.
How Should We Proceed?
I covered eight best ball drafts with SiriusXM Fantasy Radio hosts and listeners on Wednesday night.
Jeanty was taken as early as 1.08 and as late as 2.07.
While your home leagues and other redrafts might not be that aggressive, Round 2 seems like the sweet spot for Jeanty given what we know now.
As for Washington, don't overreact.
I saw him move up into the fourth round in drafts that happened in the hours between Jeanty's injury and the first reports that the injury wasn't serious.
Washington might get more opportunities than he otherwise would, but he's not Jeanty.
I paid a much more reasonable price in my Wednesday night best ball draft, landing him in the ninth round. I think there's an argument to be made to take him higher than that, but Round 7 would be the high end.
While injuries to high-profile players require immediate action, most narratives shift over time. They should be viewed with a bit more caution, but they shouldn't be ignored. Let's look at some of the more nuanced situations.
Price Is Rising
Seahawks running back Jadarian Price did not play against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, and he is not expected to play in the final preseason game against the Chiefs this week, either.
He has been limited in practice lately due to what has been termed by head coach Mike Macdonald as "upper leg soreness."
But he is working.
"He's ramping back," Macdonald added. "It's not responsible to give him a thousand carries after being down for a minute."
It's Also Not Necessary
Price has gotten enough endorsements from the coaching staff to expect him to be a lead back for Week 1, ahead of George Holani and Emanuel Wilson.
According to Greg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, Macdonald and general manager John Schneider have seen enough of Price's speed, decisiveness in cutting into outside-zone run gaps, and his pass-catching to know Price is too valuable -- and the running-back room already thinned out by injuries this preseason -- to risk the rookie in these games that don't count.
It's not clear when Zach Charbonnet will be back from his postseason ACL tear, but expecting him back in the first half of the season seems overly optimistic.
Until then, Price will be more valuable than Charbonnet or Ken Walker III were individually when they split the work in the Seahawks backfield last year.
But some of Price's value will come from an unexpected source.
Now With More Receiving Work!
According to Seattle Times staffer Bob Condotta, what has stood out the most is Price's pass-catching and apparent knack for understanding pass protection. Those were two things he wasn't asked to do at Notre Dame.
He had 15 career receptions before leaving school.
Seattle nevertheless began testing how much more Price could offer in the passing game almost immediately.
Macdonald noted early in training camp that Price was catching plenty of passes and that the Seahawks were finding multiple ways to use him out of the backfield. The coach also praised Price's early work in pass protection, an important part of earning regular snaps for a rookie running back.
During last Friday's joint practice with the Titans, Price made an over-the-shoulder catch for a big gain in seven-on-seven work, broke a run from between the tackles to the outside in 11-on-11 drills, and recorded multiple receptions, according to Ari Horton and John Boyle of Seahawks.com.
Sam Darnold came away with a strong assessment of the rookie.
"He's a special player," Darnold said, later adding that Price can contribute as a receiver and as a ball carrier who can be effective running both inside and on the edge.
That versatility will be important.
Opportunities Are Key
Players only score when they're playing. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler contends Price will be hard to keep off the field.
If that's true, the outlook is bright.
Teammate Julian Love says Price's burst is "like a prime Dalvin Cook."
And A.J. Barner added that Price has a knack for following the "track" that blockers create.
Former Seahawks linebacker and current local radio analyst Dave Wyman told me last month that he loves the decisions Price makes as a runner.
"His mind works really fast," Wyman added.
It all sounds great.
Even greater is that Price is currently being drafted as RB26.
If he emerges as the primary back with a three-down role, he'll be a great value at his current Average Draft Position (ADP).
