Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. He got in a limited practice last Friday before missing the Steelers game, so it's unclear if he suffered a setback or is just getting some early-week rest. We'll update Meyers' status again tomorrow, but fantasy owners shouldn't be banking on him playing vs. the Rams this weekend.
Playing without Davante Adams or Jakobi Meyers, Raiders TE Brock Bowers tallied 9 catches for 71 yards in a blowout loss to Pittsburgh. His 10 targets – a 25% share – easily led all Raiders pass catchers.
Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Falcons. That’ll again leave Alexander Mattison as Vegas’ lead back, with Ameer Abdullah the No. 2.
Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Steelers. He joins WR Davante Adams on the sidelines, leaving Vegas without its top two WRs. TE Brock Bowers and TE Tre Tucker are the team’s best target bets today.
There's "optimism" that Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) will play vs. the Steelers today, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "He’s considered more of a game-time decision," Fowler adds. It sounds like White is not a lock to play but is better than 50/50 to do so. We won't get Vegas' inactives until a little after 2:30 pm ET. White should not be in your Week 6 fantasy plans, but this news makes RB Alexander Mattison a much shakier play. Try to avoid the Raiders backfield this week.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls White a "long shot" to play. He should obviously be on fantasy benches. We'd still try not to use Mattison. He's not an exciting play even if White ends up inactive.
Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) has been downgraded to doubtful for Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. With WR Davante Adams (hamstring) already ruled out, Vegas will be down its top two WRs. The team elevated WRs Alex Bachman and Kristian Wilkerson from the practice squad. They'll join Tre Tucker, D.J. Turner, and Tyreik McAllister in the WR corps. Tucker is the best bet for targets and worth a look as a WR4 or Flex in fantasy lineups. TE Brock Bowers should also be in for lots of volume tomorrow. But this passing game figures to struggle mightily against a quality Steelers defense.
Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) is questionable for this weekend’s game against the Steelers. He only got in a limited practice on Friday. White should not be in your Week 6 fantasy plans, but his return would make RB Alexander Mattison a much shakier play.
Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) is questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Steelers. He only got in a limited practice on Friday, so he seems legitimately iffy for this one. We’ll look for an update on Meyers on Sunday morning but won’t get Vegas’ inactives until a little after 2:30 pm ET.
Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. We don't have any details on his injury, but it's worth noting that Meyers was allowed to speak to the media on Wednesday, something most teams don't allow legitimately injured players to do. We'll see if Meyers practices on Friday and then how he's listed on the final injury report for this weekend's game vs. the Steelers.
Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) did not practice on Wednesday. With White out last week, RB Alexander Mattison played 57% of Vegas' offensive snaps and handled 15 carries with three targets. Expect a similar workload this weekend if White remains out, but a matchup against the Steelers' 11th-ranked RB defense would leave Mattison as an unexciting RB3.
Raiders HC Antonio Pierce named QB Aidan O'Connell the starter for this weekend's game vs. the Steelers. O'Connell has already seen action in place of QB Gardner Minshew twice this season, completing 19 of 32 passes (59%) for 176 yards (5.5 YPA), one TD, and one INT. He made 10 starts as a rookie last year, finishing with a 62% completion rate and 6.5 yards per attempt. O'Connell did have his three best games of the season over the final four weeks, ranking 14th among 39 qualifying QBs in Pro Football Focus passing grade during that stretch.
Raiders DT Christian Wilkins suffered a Jones fracture in his left foot Sunday against the Broncos. He had surgery this week and is out indefinitely, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Raiders TE Brock Bowers led the team with 12 targets, 8 catches, and 97 yards against Denver. He added his first career TD.
Raiders QB Gardner Minshew was benched near the end of the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. It's the second time he's been yanked this season. Minshew completed 12 of 17 passes for 137 yards, one TD, and two INTs, leading Vegas to just 10 points. We'll see how QB Aidan O'Connell fares the rest of the way and what the Raiders do at QB moving forward. It'll continue to be a situation to avoid in fantasy lineups.
Raiders Edge Maxx Crosby (ankle) is active for today's game against the Broncos, as expected. LB Divine Deablo (oblique) is inactive. It'll be his third straight missed game. With third LB Luke Masterson landing on IR this week, Vegas will be down to some combo of Amari Burney and Amari Gainer vs. Denver. Deablo seems to be trending toward a Week 6 return.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Raiders Edge Maxx Crosby is expected to play today against the Broncos. He's officially questionable after managing just one limited practice this week on a high ankle sprain. Crosby played through the issue two weeks ago before missing Week 4. HC Antonio Pierce said this week that they have to protect Crosby from himself with these injury decisions at times. Early word that he'll return makes this seem like a better than game-time-decision situation. I bumped Crosby back up the Week 5 DL rankings some, though he remains short of his usual position. There's risk both to playing him and sitting him in IDP lineups this week.
Raiders TE Michael Mayer (personal) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos. TE Brock Bowers underwhelmed in the box score last week, but he registered a season-high 81% route rate with Mayer out. The rookie is a strong Week 5 fantasy play.
The Raiders have ruled RB Zamir White (groin) out for this weekend's game vs. the Broncos. It looks like he injured his groin on Wednesday, going from a limited practice then to no practice on Thursday or Friday. His absence will leave Alexander Mattison as Vegas' clear lead back. He figures to lose some passing-down snaps to RB Ameer Abdullah (and potentially Dylan Laube) and is playing on a team with the week's lowest implied total at 16.5 points. So the upside here isn't exciting. But Mattison should compile enough volume to post a decent fantasy score this week.
After putting in a limited practice on Wednesday, Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) did not practice on Thursday. His status for this weekend's game vs. the Broncos is now in serious question. White's absence would likely turn Alexander Mattison into something close to an every-down back. We'll update White's status again tomorrow.
Raiders HC Antonio Pierce said Monday that RB Alexander Mattison "deserves more reps, and he'll get them." Mattison leads RB Zamir White in most rushing metrics this season, including:
White also fumbled for the second time this season in the Week 4 win over the Browns.
It's tough to get excited about Mattison in fantasy football unless he truly takes over as Vegas' feature back. But this backfield will be worth monitoring over the next few weeks. Mattison is worth grabbing in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.
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