The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Raiders skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 14 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Aidan O’Connell, QB
Since the beginning of 2022, three times has a quarterback thrown for 300 yards, multiple touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The names of those signal-callers are exactly the ones you’d expect — Tom Brady (2022, Week 4), Josh Allen (2022, Week 6), and Aidan O’Connell (Black Friday).
Fun list? Yes, and I like sharing content like that, but by no means does it mean I’m going anywhere near the Raiders’ QB in this spot. In the surprising Week 13 performance, O’Connell was protected when blitzed and thrived as a result: 7 of 10 for 151 yards and a touchdown when K.C. brought the heat.
Not only do I not view that as sustainable, but this is a spot where the regression monster could take a pound of flesh, as the Bucs are a top-10 defense in creating havoc when blitzing.
O’Connell will continue to funnel his looks toward Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers in bulk (73.5% of his targets last week), but expecting anywhere near last week’s success is unwise, to say the least.
Gardner Minshew II, QB
Gardner Minshew II suffered a broken collarbone in Week 12 against the Broncos, and the team wasted no time in ruling him out for the season. His season ends with more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (nine) despite showing some growth in the completion percentage department (66.3%).
The 28-year-old Minshew has one more season on his deal with the Raiders before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Alexander Mattison, RB
An ankle injury sidelined Alexander Mattison last week, and given Ameer Abdullah’s success in the passing game, I don’t think there’s a path to him getting even remotely close to my starting tier of Flex options this week against a stingy Buccaneers defense.
Or … really against any defense.
Mattison is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season and hasn’t had a 15-yard run since September. A plodding back like this needs to carry significant scoring equity to have our attention, and that’s not the case as a part of the 26th-ranked scoring offense.
Ameer Abdullah, RB
Only time will tell if reinforcements are on the way when it comes to Vegas’ backfield, but should it matter? I was impressed with the Raiders’ rushing success in Kansas City on Friday (25 attempts for 116 yards, 4.6 yards per carry) — I don’t think that’s a hot take.
That said, with their top two backs out, they still opted for a committee structure, giving Sincere McCormick 12 carries (two targets) and Ameer Abdullah 10 carries (two targets). With this season lost, why wouldn’t the Raiders continue to see what they have from McCormick, a second-year back out of UTSA who had five career carries before last week?
Abdullah remains my highest-ranked RB in Las Vegas’ backfield, and I think his versatility gives him some ceiling potential should the Raiders fall behind. But if Alexander Mattison and/or Zamir White are active, we are splitting a very small pie in a few directions.
I don’t mind rostering all involved parties, but I don’t envision a situation in which we have great clarity when it comes to touch distribution this weekend. That has me ranking all of them below my Flex tier, even with six byes to navigate.
Abdullah would shift up to the very low end of the playable range in 12-team formats if we get word that both Mattison and White will again be shelved.
Jakobi Meyers, WR
Jakobi Meyers has cleared 95 yards in three of his past four games and has been a top-24 receiver in four of his past five. He’s very much making the most of a brutal situation, though it is worth noting that this situation carries a downside, even if Meyers’ fantasy managers haven’t seen it recently.
Over his past four games, he’s earned 43 targets, an impressive number that stabilizes his floor, but with just two of those coming in the red zone, there really isn’t much of a ceiling to consider.
This obviously isn’t a bulletproof situation, that goes without saying. In this matchup, however, I think he’s a safe option. The Bucs blitz at the third highest rate and Meyers’ involvement only rises when an extra defender is brought into the equation (27% on-field target share when his QB is blitzed this season; 19.9% otherwise).
Brock Bowers, TE
Since 2000, three rookies have had three double-digit catch games: Odell Beckham Jr. (2014), Jaylen Waddle (2021), and Brock Bowers (2024). There is no shortage of ways to tell you what you’re well aware of — Vegas’ star tight end is already an alpha.
Through 13 weeks, 19 times has a qualified tight end posted an on-field target share north of 32%. Bowers has accounted for five of them.
I couldn’t resist. I had to give you some more crazy numbers. Bowers is breaking the mold of rookie players at the position, and he has every chance to be a league winner with the Falcons, Jaguars, and Saints on the docket after this weekend.