Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart
- AFC West
- Stadium
- Allegiant Stadium
- Head Coach
- Jon Gruden
- Offensive Coordinator
- Greg Olson
- Defensive Coordinator
- Gus Bradley
- Special Teams Coach
- Rich Bisaccia
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
The Las Vegas Raiders released cornerback Nevin Lawson on Monday due to injuries at other positions, according to a source. The Raiders hope to be able to add him back to their practice squad. Lawson was suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. The Raiders will move forward with Casey Hayward, Trayvon Mullen and rookie Nate Hobbs as their starting cornerbacks heading into a Week 3 meeting with the Miami Dolphins. In 14 games (nine starts) for the Raiders in 2020, Lawson had a career-high 61 tackles (47 solo), four passes defensed and a sack.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said that running back Josh Jacobs (ankle, toe), who was inactive in the Week 2 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, is questionable for the Week 3 meeting with the Miami Dolphins. Without Jacobs in the fold on Sunday, Kenyan Drake (71.2 snap percentage) and Peyton Barber (28.8) split the backfield work. Barber out-carried Drake 13 to seven, but Drake caught five of his six targets for 46 yards and Barber didn't see a single pass-game target. If Jacobs misses another game, Drake and Barber will have limited fantasy ceilings against Miami, with Drake being the better RB3/flex in PPR leagues and Barber the better bet to be used in goal-line situations.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (ankle) had an MRI exam on his ankle on Monday, and head coach Jon Gruden thinks that Carr will be able to play in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins. However, Gruden also called Carr "questionable" for this week. The 30-year-old signal-caller took a hard hit in the Week 2 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he remained in the game. With backup Marcus Mariota currently out with an injury of his own, Nathan Peterman would be in line for playing time if Carr can't play this week or if he re-injures his ankle during the game. Carr has looked good in two games against tough opponents to begin the year and is a midrange QB2 in superflex leagues if he plays. Fantasy managers would hate to see a situation where Peterman is forced to run this offense.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow had another productive week, tallying five receptions on seven targets for 57 yards in a 26-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Derek Carr rotated targeting his wide receivers pretty evenly on Sunday, but 27-year-old Renfrow is clearly emerging as one of his favorite new offensive weapons. Renfrow came up huge in the third quarter, catching a 23-yard pass that helped set the Raiders up for their first touchdown of the game. Although he is probably still considered to be more of a flex player option, Renfrow is worth keeping an eye on after two solid weeks of work.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Kenyan Drake had seven carries for nine yards and five receptions on seven targets for 46 yards in Sunday's 26-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 27-year-old was expected to take on the bulk of the rushing duties Sunday with Josh Jacobs sidelined with a toe injury. Instead, Vegas opted to focus on their passing game against the Steelers and Derek Carr chose to rotate his intended targets. Carr ended up targeting Drake for short-pass situations and gave more handoffs to Peyton Barber, who led the ground game with 13 carries for 32 yards. But don't expect the Raiders to continue abandoning the run game so heavily, especially against less intimidating defenses coming up on the schedule. Drake still has a fantasy impact with Jacobs on the sidelines.