In fantasy football, we want good players on good offenses. Last year, the Las Vegas Raiders were anything but, bringing Davante Adams’ fantasy value down with them.
Will things be different for Adams, Zamir White, and new TE Brock Bowers with Gardner Minshew under center? Our Raiders fantasy preview hopes to answer those questions.
Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Depth Chart
QB
Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell, Anthony Brown
RB
Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah, Alexander Mattison, Dylan Laube
WR1
Davante Adams, Kristian Wilkerson
WR2
Jakobi Meyers, D.J. Turner
WR3
Tre Tucker, Michael Gallup
TE
Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Harrison Bryant
Gardner Minshew’s Fantasy Outlook
There’s no need to belabor the point on Minshew.
Much like he was for the Colts last season, Minshew is a solid fill-in when needed. He averaged 12.8 fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall QB23.
After taking over as the Colts’ starter in Week 6, Minshew performed admirably but wasn’t anything more than a fantasy streamer. He had just three QB1 finishes all season.
There’s no reason to draft him in fantasy leagues outside of Superflex.
Zamir White’s Fantasy Outlook
Easily one of the biggest winners of the NFL Draft, White looks like the ideal middle-round RB target in fantasy drafts.
The Raiders did not draft a running back until Dylan Laube in the sixth round. The small-school prospect is a pure receiver and not a threat to White at all. It’s clear the Raiders believe in White as the lead runner.
White won’t do much in the way of receiving. Even if we look purely at his four starts last season, White had reception counts of three, zero, five, and one. Simply put, the five is an outlier.
White is a player who had 17 total receptions in 37 collegiate games. He will be lucky to hit 30 receptions in a full season.
Zamir White with his first career TD to cap a 12 play, 68-yard drive for the #Raiders❕#RaiderNationpic.twitter.com/C7x7y6eDab
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 15, 2023
With that said, White is set for a two-down role, as well as goal-line carries on an offense that can’t possibly be worse this season. With improved coaching and quarterback play, there’s a lot to like about White’s potential, given his reasonable price.
White scored at least 13.1 fantasy points in each of his four starts last season. That’s despite scoring just one touchdown.
Over a full season, there’s no reason White can’t hit double digits on a team that should expect to run as much as game scripts let them.
Fantasy managers should consider White an appealing RB3.
Davante Adams’ Fantasy Outlook
It is definitely the prudent strategy to avoid drafting 31-year-old wide receivers coming off their worst season in seven years. I am going to draft a lot of Adams this season.
Despite his advanced age, Adams did not show any signs of decline last season. Sure, it can happen quickly. But I’ve recently shifted my philosophy on older players. I am not going to worry about decline until I see signs of it.
#Raiders WR Davante Adams’ route-running is FILTHY 😮💨
pic.twitter.com/h7IgXldoR8— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 17, 2023
In 2022, Adams averaged 19.7 fantasy points per game. However, his catch rate, which was 77.2% and 72.8% in 2020 and 2021, respectively, fell to a career-low 55.6%. It didn’t improve in 2023, remaining below 60% at 58.9%.
Is Adams suddenly bad? He still commanded a super elite 33.1% target share and earned a target on 31.1% of his routes run. Both of those numbers were second in the league.
Adams led the NFL in air yards. The problem was his quarterback play.
Minshew is no savior, but he’s definitely better than Aidan O’Connell.
If Minshew can lead Michael Pittman Jr. to 15.6 fantasy points per game, he can get Adams back to around 18 points per game. Adams is being undervalued this season.
Jakobi Meyers’ Fantasy Outlook
Last season, Jakobi Meyers was largely an afterthought to just about everyone other than fellow PFN Fantasy Analyst and known Meyers enthusiast Kyle Soppe.
All Meyers did was vastly outperform his ADP, averaging 13.7 fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall WR24.
Aidan O’Connell and Jakobi Meyers connect to give the #Raiders the early lead over the #Chiefs❕#RaiderNation
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 26, 2023
For Meyers to perform that well on such a bad offense with such awful QB play is a testament to how underrated he is. Meyers is already one of the best UDFA wide receivers of all time. While I would love to tell you Meyers is being slept on once again, I can’t do it.
Last year, Meyers benefited from being the clear second option in the passing game. As good as he is, the Raiders did not spend a first-round pick on generational TE Brock Bowers to not throw to him.
Minshew is an upgrade for sure, but can he support three fantasy-relevant pass catchers? That’s asking a lot.
Meyers will have his games because he’s good at football, but he will struggle to come close to his 21% target share. He is a low-upside WR4.
Brock Bowers’ Fantasy Outlook
The Raiders selecting Bowers one year after spending a second-round pick on TE Michael Mayer is certainly noteworthy considering all the holes on their roster. Nevertheless, it happened.
Mayer probably deserves better, but he presents no threat whatsoever to Bowers’ starter status. Bowers is going to step into the TE1 role immediately.
MORE: Dynasty Rookie Rankings
An elite athlete with incredible college production, Bowers has the potential to have a Sam LaPorta-esque rookie season.
Given the caliber of his offense, expectations shouldn’t quite be that high. However, Bowers is certainly capable of averaging around 12 fantasy points per game and posting mid-TE1 numbers.
Raiders Fantasy Sleepers
The Raiders have a pretty shallow depth chart at wide receiver. Even if one of Adams or Meyers were to get hurt, there’s no one there that excites me.
Talent matters. The reason Adams and Meyers can produce is because of their talent. The guys behind them would not be able to succeed at a fantasy-relevant level in this offense.
The only potential sleeper on this roster is backup RB Alexander Mattison. The former Minnesota Vikings starter looks to be the primary handcuff to White. However, it is unlikely Mattison has any standalone value, as the satellite-back role belongs to either Ameer Abdullah or Laube.
KEEP READING: Consensus Dynasty Rankings
At best, Mattison would become a lesser version of White if White were to go down. While a handcuff is not necessarily a sleeper, Mattison is the only player outside of those in the headings above that is even worth considering.