FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Isaiah Pola-Mao Looks Set to Start Again

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Tue, Feb 25 2025 1:52 PM UTC

The Raiders have announced a new deal with S Isaiah Pola-Mao. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports it's a to a two-year deal worth up to $8.45 million. That keeps Pola-Mao from becoming a restricted free agent in March.

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Pola-Mao stepped into the starting lineup in Week 4 of last season, his third in the league.

He got the opportunity after Marcus Epps suffered an ACL tear in Week 3. From that point on, Pola-Mao scored fantasy points at a rate just outside the top 50 DBs.

The Raiders still have Epps and S Tre'Von Moehrig set to hit unrestricted free agency next month.

Moehrig's likely to find good money on the open market heading into his age-26 season. Epps' ACL recovery obviously challenges his outlook -- and figures to lower his price tag.

We'll see what else the Raiders do at safety.

In any case, Pola-Mao appears to have limited scoring potential. There might be some big-play upside for a guy who snagged 4 INTs as a sophomore at USC. But don't expect him to show as an IDP target for 2025 fantasy football drafts.

Dynasty Impact

Even though it's a two-year contract, the pact certainly doesn't guarantee Pola-Mao will start beyond 2025. Frankly, the "up to" on the money could even make Pola-Mao vulnerable to a challenge this year.

Bottom line: There's not much to chase dynasty wise here.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.