Josh Jacobs Can Remain Elite in Fantasy Football This Season

It's been an interesting summer for running backs, and there are plenty of question marks because of it heading into fantasy football drafts.

The two names that have had question marks throughout the preseason are Jonathan Taylor and Josh Jacobs. Taylor has plenty of rumors circling him, but when it comes to Jacobs, we now have out answer -- it'll be in a Las Vegas Raiders uniform and as soon as Week 1. Hallelujah.

Based on last season, we should all be happy as a result.

Here's a look at Jacobs' fantasy football projections and outlook for the season.

Josh Jacobs Fantasy Football Projection

(Projections via numberFire)

2023 Projected Points: 243.5 points (301.8 in 2022)
numberFire Positional Projection: RB9
2023 Projected Stats:

• 282.7 rushes
• 1.316.6 rushing yards
• 10.6 rushing touchdowns
• 35.3 receptions
• 228.6 receiving yards
• 1.7 receiving touchdownss

Josh Jacobs Fantasy Football Outlook

A Breakout Season in 2022

Simply put -- Josh Jacobs went nuclear last season under Josh McDaniels.

If you've been playing fantasy football closely for the past few years, Jacobs in many ways went from being one of the most hyped players to one of the most forgotten players within a three-year span. Most fantasy players had thought they'd seen all Jacobs was going to be in the NFL.

That was a solid, but uninteresting, RB2 with limited upside. 2021 started to show some hope as he went from a runner with minimal receiving to catching 54 passes, but his 872 rushing yards didn't give nearly enough optimism heading into 2022. He was only being picked as the RB22 -- one of the main running backs in what is often called the "RB dead zone" amongst fantasy players.

Well, if you were willing to take a chance on him, congrats. When we say he went nuclear, we mean it.

Jacobs finished the 2022 season with 1,653 rushing yards, giving him the rushing crown. He also added 12 touchdowns along with 53 receptions on 64 targets for 400 receiving yards. It was a dynamite season for the now-25-year-old.

The Raiders feature back finished as the RB3 with 301.8 fantasy points. Now that he is officially back with Las Vegas, the excitement of having him on your fantasy team should be there when you're drafting.

Face of the Offense Following His Return

The nightmare for fantasy owners of a potential holdout for Week 1 and beyond regarding Josh Jacobs has officially been put to rest. That makes him as big a value in the opening rounds as any other top running back.

Jacobs signed a one-year worth up to $12 million to avoid the franchise tag and was clearly happy about getting to return to the gridiron.

So what does the 2023 outlook for Jacobs look like? More of the same, and that's being the face of the offense.

The big change for the Raiders was the decision at quarterback. They moved on from longtime signal-caller Derek Carr in favor of signing Jimmy Garoppolo. McDaniels also added another former New England Patriots weapon to his offense by bringing over wide receiver Jakobi Meyers while Darren Waller left in free agency. With all these changes, the offense of Las Vegas will look different, but in many ways will be the same; it's still going to be the Jacobs show.

Sure, Davante Adams is still going to get his, but a Garoppolo-ran offense is going to be a run-first offense, which the Raiders already were a season ago. Jacobs is going to be the one they feed time and time again, which makes near 400 touches (393 last season) very likely.

That's all you need to know when it comes to drafting Jacobs because as they often say in fantasy -- volume is king.

Final Verdict: One of Fantasy's Only Feature RBs

With Jacobs locked in and back with the Raiders, all you need to do come draft day is go out and get him.

It's been heavily discussed in fantasy circles that this is the year for wide receivers -- and not because running backs. They've just become unpredictable. Very few teams are going with a feature running back anymore, and it shows. Jacobs, with little competition behind him in the form of Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah, and Brandon Bolden, is one of fantasy's only feature guys that you'll want on your team if you get the chance.

numberFire has Jacobs as the ninth-ranked running back heading into the season with 243.6 projected points.

FantasyPros has the Raiders star running back at RB9 with a 20.0 average draft position (ADP). At this point, he's still following the big question mark that is Jonathan Taylor. This could be different in a day or two depending on Taylor's status.

In FanDuel best-ball leagues, Jacobs is going as the RB8 with a 23.3 ADP, following Tony Pollard. Jacobs' ADP may continue to rise now that he's locked in for the upcoming season, so be wary.

Ultimately, Jacobs is a guy you're going to want on your team -- especially if you go wide receiver in the first rounds of your draft. He's going as the latter option of the guys I'd call elite so in many ways, so he could prove to be a value -- especially if you pair him up with a Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase on draft day.

While you wait for Week 1's daily fantasy football slates to lock, you can get in on some best-ball fantasy football drafts on FanDuel, as well. Just draft your team and watch the points pile up throughout the season.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.