Las Vegas Raiders News

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is participating in OTA practice this week and was getting open with ease on Thursday, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Bowers was the consensus top fantasy TE going into last season after he caught 112 passes on 153 targets for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games in his rookie campaign. However, the 23-year-old former 13th overall pick out of the University of Georgia initially injured his knee in Week 1 and missed Weeks 5-7 as a result. He was never the same the rest of the way and finished with a disappointing 64-680-7 line in 12 contests (eight starts) in his sophomore campaign. Now apparently fully healthy and dominating in practices already, Bowers is a clear bounce-back candidate with league-winning upside at the position in a new offense led by head coach Klint Kubiak and new quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and rookie first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Last year's down year due to injuries isn't really going to allow fantasy managers to purchase Bowers at a discount in 2026. He's currently ranked as the No. 2 overall TE, behind only Arizona's Trey McBride.

Fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper formats who drafted Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. going into his rookie season in 2025 knew that the production most likely was going to take time. The 23-year-old former fourth-round pick (108th overall) in 2025 out of Tennessee didn't have much of a chance in a Raiders offense that was among the league's worst, and he finished with only 10 catches for 135 yards and no touchdowns on 30 targets across 15 games (eight starts). The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder has plenty of speed despite his size, and although there is still plenty of opportunity in the Raiders' WR room going into the 2026 season, the team did sign Jalen Nailor and Dareke Young in free agency and added rookie Malik Benson in this year's NFL draft. Tre Tucker and fellow second-year wideout Jack Bech are expected to have bigger roles, and tight end Brock Bowers will take away valuable targets as Vegas' top pass-catcher. We aren't giving up on Thornton entirely, but fantasy managers need to take into account that he was drafted by the previous regime, and he definitely doesn't have a clear path to an increased role in Year 2. Thornton has fallen to No. 117 in RotoBaller's WR dynasty rankings for 2026.

Former Indiana running back Roman Hemby went undrafted in April despite leading the National Champion Hoosiers in rushing with 1,120 yards in 2025 before the Las Vegas Raiders signed him as an undrafted free agent to reunite him with quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2026. The Raiders will be hoping that the 23-year-old can find some more magic at the NFL level due to his connection with Mendoza. The 6-foot, 200-pound back also led Maryland in rushing in his three seasons as a starter, and he averaged 4.9 yards per carry with 29 total rushing touchdowns in his five collegiate campaigns with the Terapins and Hoosiers. Hemby has plenty of experience, can be trusted with ball security, and is a strong downhill runner. However, he's not a physical specimen and may lack the athleticism necessary to become much more than an RB2/3 at the NFL level. In a best-case scenario, Hemby will make the Raiders' regular-season roster and compete for complementary touches with Mike Washington Jr. and Dylan Laube behind starter Ashton Jeanty. At best, Hemby should be viewed as a late-round dart throw at RB in rookie-only dynasty drafts later this year.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jalen Nailor could be poised for a breakout season with his new organization. After spending the last four seasons in Minnesota, Nailor signed a three-year deal with the Raiders this offseason. Nailor has been stuck as the third option behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison with the Vikings. Now, Nailor is expected to be a top wide receiver alongside Tre Tucker in Las Vegas. Last season, Nailor finished with 29 receptions, 444 receiving yards, and four touchdowns in 17 games with the Vikings. His numbers should see a significant rise as he moves to the top of the depth chart with the Raiders. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Nailor to be a superstar just because he has become a top option on the depth chart. He might be able to provide WR3 value, but that depends on his chemistry with quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins. He's an interesting buy-low candidate in dynasty formats with the move to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak hinted that second-year running back Ashton Jeanty could have a much bigger role in his offense in his second year in the league, according to Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com. "It's important to have a quality second back, but the best player has got to play, and we've got to get them on the field as much as we can. I don't know the play-snap percentage, but you look at [49ers running back] Christian McCaffrey, his play-snap percentage is high. So, those great backs, they don't want to come off the field," Kubiak said. After he was the sixth overall pick last year out of Boise State, Jeanty's 3.7 yards-per-carry average was a disappointment in his first year in the NFL, even though he led all rookies with 975 rushing yards, 1,321 scrimmage yards, five rushing touchdowns, and five receiving TDs. He was the fifth player in league history with that many scores on the ground and through the air in his rookie campaign. The Raiders want rookie fourth-rounder Mike Washington Jr. to push Jeanty as much as possible, but Jeanty should be as close to a workhorse as it gets. Jeanty finished as the RB13 in half-PPR scoring in 2025 and is currently ranked as the No. 8 redraft RB for the upcoming 2026 season.

Although Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza worked mostly third in the team's OTA practice on Wednesday behind Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell, he has impressed the coaching staff, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic. The No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft mostly worked with rookies during competitive periods of practice. Mendoza and O'Connell will get their fair share to compete for the starting job going into Week 1 of the regular season, but Cousins appears to be in the driver's seat to start the season opener in early September. The rookie's positioning in the QB rotation is due to his inexperience in the NFL and in new head coach Klint Kubiak's offense. Despite being eased in, the former Indiana product hasn't failed to impress. "Anything that you put in front of him, he's going to attack it," Kubiak said. "Anything that's new, he spends extra time on it. You can tell he fixes things from one day to the next. Very coachable, and that can be said for all those quarterbacks in the room." Although Mendoza might not start from Day 1 at the next level, he's still the clear-cut top QB in rookie-only drafts in dynasty leagues going into the 2026 season, and he could be starting in Vegas sooner rather than later, depending on how Cousins fares.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza might not start Week 1, but he remains an appealing dynasty option and the clear-cut No. 1 quarterback among this year's rookies in fantasy football. Mendoza worked behind Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell during OTAs on Wednesday. Managers shouldn't read too much into this pecking order, as it's common for rookies to take the backseat during practices this early in their careers. With that said, it does seem like there's a real chance that Cousins starts Week 1 for the Raiders while Mendoza learns from him, develops, and prepares to take over the offense midseason. Regardless of whether Mendoza starts right away or rides the bench for a little while, he's an undisputed riser in dynasty fantasy football leagues. His passing skills, mobility, and toughness give him top-12 quarterback upside, and he should have a very long career ahead of him. Currently, he ranks as the overall QB17 in RotoBaller's dynasty fantasy football rankings, and he projects as a mid-first-round pick in 2026 rookie drafts.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers broke the single-season rookie reception record in 2024, and while injuries largely defined his second season, when healthy, he was still a force. Bowers missed five total games, was shut down twice, and was clearly affected throughout the year by a bone bruise and PCL sprain. However, in his two healthiest games of 2025 (Week 1 to begin the season and Week 9 when initially returning from injury), he caught 17 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, finishing as the TE2 and TE1 while averaging 27.8 half-PPR points. At only 23 years old, Bowers is RotoBaller's TE1 and one of the most valuable players in all of dynasty. Klint Kubiak arrives in Vegas having deployed heavy personnel packages at one of the league's highest rates with Seattle, and with no Jaxon Smith-Njigba-type on the Raiders' roster, Bowers could see one of the highest first-read target shares in the league. Now tied to 2026 first overall pick Fernando Mendoza for the foreseeable future, Bowers has a chance to dominate for a long time at a position that can provide a league-winning advantage for fantasy.

The Las Vegas Raiders are "counting" on All-Pro pass-rusher Maxx Crosby (knee) being ready to go at training camp this summer as he continues to rehab from offseason knee surgery, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. Head coach Klint Kubiak said he wouldn't be surprised if Crosby was ahead of schedule. Crosby was seen at OTA practice on Wednesday, although he only stretched with his teammates. He isn't expected to practice during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. "He's still the first one in this building every day, working. He's a leader on our team, and when he's out there, you feel his presence. And yes, we're counting on him being there for training camp, and I wouldn't be surprised if Maxx [is] ahead of schedule," Kubiak said. The 28-year-old wasn't happy about being shut down early last year despite dealing with a torn meniscus in his knee. The Raiders agreed to trade Crosby to Baltimore in early March, but the deal fell through, leaving him back in Sin City. As long as he doesn't suffer a setback in training camp, Crosby has a good chance to be ready for Week 1 on Sept. 13. He's still one of the league's best pass-rushers and will be expensive in IDP fantasy formats.

The Las Vegas Raiders continue to ease quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL draft, into the offense this offseason, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. During the team period during Wednesday's OTA practice, veteran QB Kirk Cousins was the first signal-caller on the field, followed by Aidan O'Connell and then Mendoza. Head coach Klint Kubiak didn't give a specific timeline for when he would like to name a starting QB, and said the answer will reveal itself during training camp this summer. The expectation is that Cousins will begin the year as Vegas' starter, given his experience and familiarity with Kubiak's offense from their time together when Kubiak was the QB coach and offensive coordinator for three seasons with the Vikings from 2019 to 2021. Kubiak said Cousins is the "leader the team is counting on now." Cousins, 37, obviously isn't much of a dynasty asset, and in redraft fantasy leagues in 2026, it might only be a matter of time before Mendoza is given the starting job. Cousins might have familiarity with Kubiak's offense, but he won't have many weapons outside of running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers. In single-year leagues, RotoBaller has him ranked as the QB33.

Las Vegas Raiders new head coach Klint Kubiak is excited to get to work with tight end Brock Bowers, whom he called a "football robot from heaven," according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. Bowers, the 13th overall pick in 2024 out of Georgia, didn't disappoint in his first year in the NFL, catching 112 of his 153 targets for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games to finish as the No. 1 TE in fantasy. The 23-year-old battled a knee injury in his sophomore season, though, which limited him to just 12 games, and he finished with a disappointing 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets, which put him at the TE10 mark when all was said and done. Now past his knee injury and set to work with quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza (the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft), Bowers is the top dynasty TE and should also be considered one of the top targets at the position in redraft fantasy leagues in 2026. Kubiak figures to make Bowers a huge part of the passing game in his first year in Vegas, especially since the Raiders' top receivers are Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor.

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker is coming off the best season of his career. Across 17 games in 2025, he caught 57 passes for 696 yards and five touchdowns. He ranked as the overall WR38 in PPR leagues, which was the highest mark of his career. He also led the Raiders' receivers in numerous statistical categories. However, even though the Raiders didn't bring in any star receivers this offseason, Tucker is trending down in dynasty fantasy football leagues. Tucker is heading into a contract year, which means he could be at a disadvantage relative to teammates Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Malik Benson, and D'onte Thornton Jr., all of whom have stronger long-term outlooks in Vegas. Additionally, tight end Brock Bowers will be the focal point of the passing game, hogging targets in his high-volume role. Tucker will have some occasional big games, but he won't produce consistently enough (or long enough) to justify trading for him in dynasty leagues. In fact, his stock is falling, as he has dropped to WR93 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings.

As a second-round pick with an easy-to-root-for story, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jack Bech was a popular early pick in 2025 dynasty rookie drafts, but his first-year production was terribly disappointing. In a Raiders offense that saw number one receiver Jakobi Meyers traded away after Week 9 and All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers either slowed or sidelined by injury for much of the year, Bech mustered up only 224 yards on 20 catches and failed to find the end zone. He finished eighth in total targets for a team that signed a 33-year-old Tyler Lockett off the street partway through the season. Working in Bech's favor is a lack of competition from what remains one of the league's weakest receiver rooms, along with expectations for the offense to take a massive step forward under new head coach Klint Kubiak. The Raiders invested heavily in the offensive line and spent the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on quarterback Fernando Mendoza. When healthy, Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty will remain the unquestioned lynchpins of the offense, but if Bech can beat out Tre Tucker for a reliable tertiary pass-catching role, he could offer a usable fantasy floor. At only 23 years old, he is RotoBaller's dynasty WR80.

After being released by the Atlanta Falcons in March, veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a two-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Cousins opened 2026 as the backup in Atlanta, but took over as the QB1 midseason and finished the year with 1,721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions across 10 games (eight starts). Long term, Cousins projects as the backup in Las Vegas following the team's selection of quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, Cousins could open 2026 as the starter should the Raiders choose to bring Mendoza along slowly. Still, Cousins averaged just 6.4 yards per pass attempt in 2025 and is joining a Raiders offense that has serious questions in its pass-catcher group outside of star tight end Brock Bowers. Cousins could have some short-term fantasy value in two-quarterback leagues, but his dynasty value is fading as he enters his age-38 season.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. had one of the most impressive showings at the 2026 NFL Combine, clocking a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 223 pounds, but with neither that size nor speed consistently showing through in his college production, he fell to the fourth round in a weak running back class. Washington forced missed tackles at one of the lowest rates in the 2026 class, and despite the verifiable speed, he also ranked in the bottom half of breakaway run percentage. Landing in Vegas with first-year head coach Klint Kubiak, there is a reasonable expectation that he could see a healthy early workload in a change-of-pace role behind 2025 sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty. The difference between this running back room and the one Kubiak ran in Seattle is that the talent gap between Jeanty and Washington is vastly wider than that between Kenneth Walker III and former second-round pick Zach Charbonnet. If taken on his word, Kubiak will see that Washington has a hand in keeping Jeanty fresh, and at RotoBaller's rookie RB7, that could be enough to sell high on a player who simply may not be able to keep pace long-term.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer has been a solid backup to Brock Bowers, but The Athletic's Sam Warren writes that "there have been hints that more opportunities could be coming" for Mayer in 2026 under new head coach Klint Kubiak. The team's new head coach has an "affinity for bigger formations," which means the Raiders could feature more two-tight-end sets this year, and Mayer could be more of a pass-catching threat. The 24-year-old former second-rounder (35th overall) in 2023 out of Notre Dame was a TE1 streaming option when Bowers missed time with injury last year, and he finished with career highs in catches (35), targets (50), and receiving yards (328) in 13 games (12 starts) while scoring one time. Vegas added receiver Jalen Nailor in the offseason, but nobody in their WR room has a ton of experience, and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins could lean on both Bowers and Mayer early on in 2026. In redraft leagues, Mayer will be a low-upside, low-end TE2, at best. And in dynasty formats, RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 43 TE.

A lot was expected of running back Ashton Jeanty in his first year in the NFL in 2025 after the Las Vegas Raiders took the Boise State product with the sixth overall pick in last year's draft. Jeanty didn't quite live up to those expectations in Year 1, but fantasy managers should still view him as a top-five dynasty RB with an upgraded offensive line and under new head coach Klint Kubiak in 2026 and beyond. The 22-year-old rushed for 975 yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries over 17 starts, adding 55 receptions on 73 targets for 346 yards and an additional five touchdowns as a pass-catcher in 2025. Even though he technically didn't live up to his rookie projections as the Raiders' lead back, he still finished as a top-15 fantasy back in half-PPR scoring. Kubiak is expected to lean heavily on Jeanty and the ground game in his first year in Sin City, giving the second-year back plenty of breakout potential as an elite RB1. RotoBaller has Jeanty ranked as the No. 3 dynasty RB at this point in the offseason, behind only the Falcons' Bijan Robinson and the Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Athletic's Sam Warren writes that the Las Vegas Raiders like wide receiver Jalen Nailor to "take a big leap in a more featured role" in 2026. Nailor will be a starter alongside Tre Tucker and Jack Bech after signing a three-year, $35 million deal in free agency in March. The 27-year-old former sixth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 out of Michigan State showed flashes with the Vikings, but his fantasy value was always capped as the No. 3 with the Vikes behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Nailor had a career-high six touchdowns in 17 games in 2024 and caught 29 passes for a career-high 444 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games in 2025 in his final season in Minnesota. He'll be reunited with former QB Kirk Cousins to start the 2026 campaign in Vegas, and there is plenty of opportunity since the Raiders didn't address the receiver position in this year's draft. At the very least, Nailor will be in play as a weekly WR4/flex in redraft leagues for the upcoming season, while his dynasty stock has more long-term upside as he begins to work with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the consensus No. 1 overall selection in this year's draft by the Las Vegas Raiders after his near-flawless performance in the College Football Playoff, which was capped by his heroic performance in the national title game to beat Miami. Most analysts believe that Mendoza is one of the more complete QB prospects because of his scarcity of turnovers and his mix of intelligence, size, and movement. However, a coach who had faced Mendoza when he played for Cal doesn't think his skill set will translate well to the next level. "He's a good decision-maker, but I don't think he's got the NFL traits," the coach said. "They're all back-shoulder [throws]. That's not working in the NFL. His receivers made plays to make him look better than he is. In the NFL, those throws are getting picked off." Mendoza had a knack for delivering on the big stage, in addition to his other impressive physical skills. However, he lacks the experience of playing under center, which is what is going to be asked of him in head coach Klint Kubiak's offense. There will be a learning curve there, which is why the Raiders prefer to have the young QB sit and learn behind veteran Kirk Cousins early in his NFL career. Mendoza should be the No. 2 pick in rookie-only dynasty drafts this year.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers broke the rookie reception record in 2024 and came into 2025 as the TE1 in consensus dynasty rankings. Not to be outdone, Arizona's Trey McBride broke the tight end reception record with 126 grabs in 2025, momentarily pushing Bowers to TE2 in those same rankings. Over the course of the offseason, Bowers has reclaimed the top spot in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings, and he projects as a true difference-maker for the foreseeable future. Bowers injured his knee in the first game of the season, but continued playing through a PCL sprain and bone bruise, though he was visibly hampered until the team opted to rest him from Weeks 5 through 8. Upon his return, he scored 14.2 Half-PPR points per game, but with Vegas trending towards the first overall pick, he was eventually put on season-ending injured reserve before Week 17. While the Raiders spent the offseason building around that first overall pick, which officially became Fernando Mendoza in April, they added very few meaningful pass-catchers, with Jalen Nailor representing the biggest addition to a room led by Tre Tucker in 2025. With Bowers just seven targets away from leading the team while missing five games and never playing at full health, the expectation is that he could lap the field in 2026, giving him an extreme positional advantage and making the 23-year-old tight end one of the most valuable players in both redraft and dynasty leagues.