NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Raiders RB Josh Jacobs did travel to Tennessee on Saturday but remains questionable for Sunday’s game. This is obviously a positive development for Jacobs, but we’ll have to see about his status Sunday
We already passed along that Raiders RB Josh Jacobs is questionable for Sunday's game because of an illness. According to multiple reports, he's not joining the team in traveling from Vegas to Nashville on Friday. That doesn't necessarily alter his outlook, but it does point to the significance of his illness. And the fact that he's not traveling initially certainly doesn't seem like good news for his chance of playing. Make sure you're not counting on Jacobs playing Sunday, and we'll watch his status over the weekend.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (illness) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Titans. He didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Players almost always play through illnesses, but you'll need to check back Sunday around 11:30 am ET to make sure Jacobs is active. RB Brandon Bolden (hamstring) isn't listed on the final Week 3 injury report and will be back for Sunday's game after missing Week 2.
Josh Jacobs handled 19 of 20 Raiders RB rushing attempts in Sunday's loss to Arizona, ceding just 1 to rookie Zamir White. Jacobs again saw minimal usage in the passing game, garnering just 1 target -- but Ameer Abdullah collected the team's only other RB target. Jacobs did lead Abdullah 19-11 in routes. We'll see whether Jacobs can draw more passing looks, but he should at least continue controlling the ground game.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs operated as the team’s lead back in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. He played 60% of the snaps and saw nearly 77% of the team’s rushing attempts. Unfortunately, while Jacobs posted 5.7 YPC, this was a pass-happy script for the Raiders, who fired off only 13 total rushes. He also watched as Brandon Bolden factored into the passing game with 2 grabs, 21 yards and 1 downfield score. Jacobs caught his only target for 16 yards. He’ll look for more Sunday against a Cardinals defense that might remain without J.J. Watt.
Insider Albert Breer calls Raiders RB Ameer Abdullah a "camp revelation" and believes he's set to play the James White role in HC Josh McDaniels' offense. Abdullah quietly caught 35 balls in 11 games for the Panthers last year and tested as an 87th percentile athlete prior to getting drafted in 2015. Vegas' backfield is murky right now, but if Abdullah is truly pegged for the "James White role," it'd be bad news for RB Josh Jacobs and would leave RB Kenyan Drake undraftable.
The Athletic's Tashan Reed believes that, among the Raiders' RBs, rookie Zamir White "is the closest to pushing [Josh] Jacobs for his role as the lead back." White looked good in his NFL debut in last week's Hall of Fame Game, running 11 times for 52 yards and catching 3 of 4 targets for 23 yards. "This guy just plays hard. He loves football," HC Josh McDaniels said. "You saw how he finishes runs. He’s a physical player. He’s a tough guy; he adds that element to our team." We'd still consider White a long shot to overtake Jacobs as Vegas' lead back this season. But White could earn a big enough role to dent Jacobs' fantasy value.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Raiders “are not looking to trade [RB] Josh Jacobs.” Speaking on Jacobs’ extended action in the Hall of Fame Game, Rapoport says that it was simply a case of the new coaching staff wanting to evaluate its lead back. We'll see how his usage looks over the next few weeks.
We saw some funky usage in the Raiders backfield in Thursday night's Hall of Fame game. QB Derek Carr, WR Davante Adams and TE Darren Waller got the night off, but RB Josh Jacobs played the first 2 series, tallying 5 carries and 2 targets. "I always think it's good for (running) backs to carry the ball in the preseason," HC Josh McDaniels said afterward. “There’s a lot of things that happen when you’re getting tackled and hit that you can’t simulate in practice." Ameer Abdullah and Zamir White were the next 2 RBs in the game for the Raiders -- then came Kenyan Drake. We're not going to read too much into any of this just yet, but we're definitely keeping a closer eye on this backfield going forward.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs sat out OTA practices the past 2 weeks with an undisclosed injury, according to Marcus Mosher of Raiders Wire. "Because it’s still voluntary OTAs, it’s probably not worth getting too concerned about," Mosher writes. "But if Jacobs doesn’t practice in some capacity during next week’s mandatory minicamp, then it might be time to worry." We'll keep an eye on the situation.
Vic Tafur of The Athletic believes there’s a “good chance" RB Zamir White will start for Las Vegas in 2023. Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake enter contract years, although White joins the league with uninspiring draft capital (mid-Round 4 as the RB8). Vegas did trade up to land the Georgia product. He brings a nice speed/power combo to go along with a 6’0, 214-pound frame. Just don’t expect much of an impact in redraft leagues.
The Raiders chose Georgia RB Zamir White in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. White hit Georgia as a heralded prospect. An ACL tear in the summer before his true freshman campaign slowed his progress, though – and came shortly after a tear to his other ACL that ended his final high school season. White wound up leading the Georgia backfield in carries the past 2 years, averaging 5.4 yards per rush each year. But he watched teammates claim most of the receiving work and beat him in rushing efficiency. White’s 4.4-second 40 at the Combine points to rushing upside, but we see a limited fantasy ceiling here. He’ll struggle to unseat RB Josh Jacobs this year, although Jacobs is currently set to hit free agency next offseason.
The Raiders declined the 5th-year option on RB Josh Jacobs. Such a move would have cost the team $8 million in 2023. Jacobs, 24, heads into his 4th season fresh off an RB11 finish.
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