Ashton Jeanty vs Chase Brown: Who Should You Start?
Ashton Jeanty and Chase Brown are both viable fantasy running backs heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Ashton Jeanty averaged 12.8 PPG across 17 games with the Las Vegas Raiders, while Chase Brown posted 14.6 PPG in 17 appearances for the Cincinnati Bengals.
A 1.8-PPG gap gives Chase Brown the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Both are three-down backs with real passing-game roles. Ashton Jeanty caught 55 balls for 346 yards, and Chase Brown hauled in 69 for 437. That receiving workload gives them high PPR floors even in games where the ground attack gets stuffed, and it is why both stay on the field in obvious passing situations.
Ashton Jeanty has his bye in Week 10, and Chase Brown rests in Week 12. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at running back for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.