Israel Abanikanda

Israel Abanikanda

21-Year-Old Running BackRB
New York Jets
2024 Fantasy Outlook
A fifth-round pick out of Pitt in 2023, Abanikanda didn't see his first career touches until Week 11, after the Jets had parted ways with Michael Carter. With Dalvin Cook now out of the picture as well, there should be an open competition in camp between Abanikanda and a pair of 2024 picks, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, for the backup job behind Breece Hall. Abanikanda has breakaway speed and an extra year of experience in Nathaniel Hackett's offensive scheme, which could give him the edge, but none of the three have proven third-down skills. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#483.06
ADP
$Signed a four-year, $4.18 million contract with the Jets in May of 2023.
Makes case for roster spot
RBNew York Jets
August 24, 2024
Abanikanda rushed the ball nine times for 83 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 10-6 preseason win over the Giants. He added one reception on one target for six yards.
ANALYSIS
Abanikanda served as the starting running back due to Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis all sitting out. That Abanikanda suited up indicates his spot on the running back depth chart, though he did make the play of the game when he ran through several attempted tackles for a 45-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. He'll enter cutdown day on the roster bubble, but even if he doesn't stick with the Jets, he should be able to find opportunity elsewhere around the league.
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2023
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
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New York JetsJets 2024 RB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
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2024 Israel Abanikanda Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Israel Abanikanda's measurables compare to other running backs?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* The 40-Yard Dash, Shuttle Time, Cone Drill, and Vertical Jump metrics are from his Pro Day. All others are from the NFL Combine.
Height
5' 11"
 
Weight
215 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash*
4.44 sec
 
Shuttle Time*
4.32 sec
 
Cone Drill*
7.14 sec
 
Vertical Jump*
41.0 in
 
Broad Jump
0 in
 
Bench Press
0 reps
 
Hand Length
8.25 in
 
Arm Length
32.00 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Israel Abanikanda See More
Box Score Breakdown: Recapping the Final Week of the NFL Preseason
12 days ago
Pat Freiermuth is a talented player, but preseason usage augments concerns about his role under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Box Score Breakdown: Recapping Week 1 of the NFL Preseason
25 days ago
Jerry Donabedian breaks down all 16 preseason games, including impressive NFL debuts from quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy and Caleb Williams.
DFS NFL: Bears vs. Texans Hall of Fame Game Preview
37 days ago
The Bears and Texans face off in the Hall of Fame game Thursday night, and Ryan Pohle likes Davis Mills in his breakdown of the slate.
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Abanikanda is quite talented, and his combination of college production and athletic metrics is better than his fellow fifth-round running backs in any given draft. Perhaps the NFL held Abanikanda's youth against him -- he doesn't turn 21 until October and could conceivably need some development time. He ran for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per carry at Pittsburgh last season, exceptional numbers that demonstrate his speed and agility. He bulked up a bit for offseason testing (216) after likely playing closer to 200, yet still ran a sub-4.5 40 with elite jumps (41-inch vertical, 128-inch broad jump). Breece Hall is better than Abanikanda, and the Jets signed Dalvin Cook in August for depth, but the rookie could beat out Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight for the No. 3 job.
More Fantasy News
Appears buried on depth chart
RBNew York Jets
August 17, 2024
Abanikanda rushed the ball six times for 29 yards in Saturday's 15-12 preseason win over the Panthers.
ANALYSIS
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Finds end zone in preseason win
RBNew York Jets
August 11, 2024
Abanikanda rushed six times for 17 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for eight yards in Saturday's 20-17 preseason win over the Commanders.
ANALYSIS
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Tumbling down depth chart
RBNew York Jets
June 5, 2024
Abanikanda appears to have fallen down the Jets' backfield depth chart this offseason, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Three carries in season finale
RBNew York Jets
January 7, 2024
Abanikanda rushed three times for six yards and wasn't targeted in Sunday's 17-3 win over the Patriots.
ANALYSIS
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Active as pass catcher Thursday
RBNew York Jets
December 28, 2023
Abanikanda rushed twice for three yards and brought in four of seven targets for 27 yards in the Jets' 37-20 loss to the Browns on Thursday night. He also returned one kickoff for 12 yards on which he lost a fumble.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Projected to sneak onto roster
RBNew York Jets
August 25, 2024
Abanikanda's surge late in training camp could earn him one of the final spots on the Jets' 53-man roster, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
ANALYSIS
Abanikanda was viewed as a likely cut candidate after the Jets drafted Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, of the 2024 NFL Draft, but the 2023 fifth-round pick strengthened his case to make the team with a strong final stretch in training camp, punctuated by a 45-yard touchdown run in Saturday's preseason finale against the Giants. Rosenblatt thinks the Jets will opt to keep four running backs, as the quick and elusive Abanikanda brings a different dimension to the backfield behind Breece Hall compared to the north-south running styles of Allen and Davis.
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