Devontae Booker, Jalen Richard's Fantasy Outlook After Josh Jacobs Injury

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the New York Jets after suffering an ankle injury in last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Losing Jacobs for any amount of time is a tough blow for the Raiders, who have featured the ex-Alabama star heavily since drafting him 24th overall in 2019.

The rookie dominated last year with 1,316 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns in just 13 games, and he has followed that up with 782 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, plus 27 receptions for 175 yards thus far in 2020.

In his absence, the Raiders will turn toward a pair of five-year veterans in Devontae Booker and Jalen Richard.

As for Booker, the former Denver Bronco gradually saw his playing time dip in his four years in orange and blue, from a high of 205 touches in 2016 to just eight last year.

He rushed for 3.8 yards per carry but proved to be an asset in the pass game, averaging 33 catches for 272 receiving yards from 2016-2018.

Booker could prove valuable in point-per-reception leagues by virtue of getting some cheap reception points off short catches.

This season, Booker has been the clear No. 2 back behind Jacobs in Vegas, rushing for 326 yards and three touchdowns on 59 carries, while also catching 11 passes for 64 yards.

Richard has never played more than 53 percent of his team's offensive snaps in a single game, per Pro Football Reference. He's also never had more than 11 carries or 14 touches in a single contest.

Richard was not the feature back for the vast majority of those games, as the Silver and Black were led by Jacobs, Doug Martin, Marshawn Lynch and Latavius Murray at various points over the past four seasons, but Richard assumed more touches on occasion with the team's No. 1 back in a given year out because of injury.

He is still capable of racking up points in PPR leagues because of his pass-catching abilities, averaging 40 receptions per year over his four NFL seasons, with a high of 68 catches for 607 yards in 2018.

Richard once registered nine catches for 55 yards in a game and also snagged six catches for a career-high 66 yards in another.

This season, Richard has carried the ball only 14 times for 83 yards and one touchdown, and he also has 12 grabs for 90 yards. He has missed the previous two games with a chest injury and is questionable for Sunday's game against New York.

Regardless of Richard's status, Booker will likely see the bulk of the touches, which makes him worth an add and a start in all fantasy leagues against the Jets' porous defense.

Since Las Vegas figures to be playing from ahead, Booker will likely touch the ball plenty. If Richard does get ruled out again, Booker will be even more valuable since he will have no competition for catches out of the backfield either.

Richard is best left on the waiver wire due to his injury status and lack of a significant role this season, while Booker should be deployed in starting lineups for as long as Jacobs is out.