The Raiders nabbed Alabama RB Josh Jacobs with the 24th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Jacobs never led his college backfield in carries or touches, finishing his ‘Bama career with just 251 carries and 48 catches across 3 seasons. But he was plenty impressive when he got the rock, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 11.9 yards per catch. The 5’10, 220-pounder is a smooth mover with plenty of power. And he’s super smooth in the passing game. Jacobs ranked 13th in this RB class in yards per route run last year, per Pro Football Focus. On the ground, he finished 7th in Elusive Rating, which measures a RB’s productivity beyond the blocking he receives. Jacobs has the look of a 3-down back as a pro — and he has a good shot to capture that role right out of the gate in an Oakland backfield sporting Isaiah Crowell and Jalen Richard.

See Josh Jacobs' scouting report.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs ran the ball 17 times for 62 rushing yards in Week 3’s loss vs. the Steelers. He also added 3 catches on 5 targets for 18 yards and a score as a receiver in the game. There’s still a lot left to be desired from last season’s rushing yardage champion, though Jacobs is turning a corner here. His 80 total yards are the highest mark he’s recorded thus far in 2023. We’ll see if he can make good on these strides in Week 4 vs. the Chargers.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs finished Week 3 with 9 carries for -2 yards. Per Elias Sports, it's the first time since the merger a reigning rushing champ finished a game with negative rushing yards. His fantasy points turned out OK thanks to a 5-51 receiving line, aided by a big Raiders deficit. Ultimately, a Bills blowout win was always a real possibility. Jacobs should bounce back next Sunday night against a Pittsburgh squad minus DL Cam Heyward.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs did not have a big fantasy day in the Week 1 win over Denver, totaling 71 scoreless yards. But he remained a workhorse, despite re-joining the team just about two weeks ago. Jacobs handled 19 of Vegas' 20 RB carries and three of the five RB targets. His 88% share of his team's backfield opportunities (carries + targets) is the second highest on the week through the Sunday afternoon games. If this type of usage holds -- and we think it will -- Jacobs will have no problem scoring as a RB1. Week 2 brings a tough spot in Buffalo, but Jacobs' volume should keep him in fantasy lineups.

The Raiders and RB Josh Jacobs have agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's the same thing RB Saquon Barkley got from the Giants. Each RB was limited in what he could get once the July deadline passed for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term contracts. This new pact brings Jacobs back with still more than two weeks before the regular-season opener. We'll see how quickly Jacobs' ADP rebounds. He has commonly been going in Round 3 of recent drafts. He's certainly a nice value in that range and can make sense anywhere from the second half of Round 2 on -- depending on your format. Jacobs never moved much in our fantasy football rankings this summer.

Insider Josina Anderson reports that the Raiders are "open to restarting talks with RB Josh Jacobs, with the hopes of getting him to rejoin the team, which still remains the goal for the organization." RB Saquon Barkley's one-year deal with the Giants should help lay some groundwork for an agreement between Jacobs and the Raiders. We're still not projecting him to sit out any regular-season games.