The Raiders removed the interim label from Antonio Pierce, naming the 45-year-old their new HC. Pierce took over as interim HC of a 3-5 Raiders team this past season and proceeded to go 5-4 the rest of the way. Vegas' points per game rose from 15.8 pre-Pierce to 22.9 after Pierce took over. While Pierce talked a lot about his love of running the rock, the Raiders' neutral run rate actually sunk from 43.1% to 41.4% in Pierce's nine games. He did ride a workhorse RB in all of those games, though -- first Josh Jacobs and then Zamir White. Jacobs is due to hit free agency in March, while White is signed for two more seasons. We'll see what the Raiders do in the backfield, and how Pierce fills out the rest of his coaching staff.
The Raiders clearly led Indianapolis in time of possession (by 6.5 minutes) and ran 74 plays to the Colts' 53 in Sunday's loss. That led to particularly big numbers in the passing game. QB Aidan O'Connell attempted a season-high 47 passes -- just six higher than his second-biggest total, but 13 ahead of No. 3. His 30 completions and 299 yards also easily set season highs. The big volume -- and Las Vegas playing catchup late -- produced a whopping 21 targets for WR Davante Adams. He caught 13 for 126 yards and 2 TDs. WR Jakobi Meyers followed with a 6-56 line on 10 targets. Adams drew a target on 44.7% of O'Connell's attempts, claimed 43.3% of his completions, and tallied 42.1% of the receiving yards. Meyers' 10 targets, meanwhile, accounted for a just OK 21.3% target share. Expect all those numbers to fall -- probably by quite a bit -- in the regular-season finale against the Broncos.
Raiders WR Davante Adams let you down big time with just 1 reception for 4 yards in Monday's loss to the Chiefs. His 6 targets marked the fewest he'd seen in a game since Week 6 and his third-lowest total of the season. But if your team survived that performance and advanced anyway, don't overrate Adams' rough day in making your Week 17 lineup decisions. The bad game came just a week after Adams delivered an 8-101-1 receiving line against the Chargers and marked the first time since Week 9 that he finished a game with fewer than 5 receptions. The Chiefs have been the fifth-toughest scoring matchup for WRs this season, by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. And the defense has been legitimately tough against the pass, ranking fifth in DVOA. Adams gets a more favorable matchup with the Colts in Week 17. Indy has also been a negative scoring matchup for WRs (ninth-toughest) but ranks just 14th in pass DVOA. Expect Adams to settle in WR2 territory of our Week 17 rankings.
Raiders WR Davante Adams (illness) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Chargers. He didn’t practice yesterday, but we’ve seen nothing to suggest that he’ll be limited in this one.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Raiders WR Davante Adams (illness) is expected to play vs. the Chargers tonight. We'll look for any reports of Adams being limited in this one, but we're tentatively expecting him to play his usual role. See where he sits in the Week 15 WR Rankings.
Raiders WR Davante Adams (illness) did not practice on Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Chargers. Guys almost always play through illnesses, but we'll look for more information on Adams' status and get Vegas' inactives around 7 pm ET tomorrow.
The Raiders’ offense hung tight against the Chiefs in Week 12. The QB Aiden O’Connell-led unit paced Kansas City in total offensive yards (358 and 360, respectively) and did considerable damage through the air. WR Jakobi Meyers recorded a 6-79-1 receiving line with teammate Davante Adams not too far behind (5 catches, 73 yards). Since firing former HC Josh McDaniels ahead of Week 9, Adams has taken off with an average of 11 targets, 80.6 yards, and 16 PPR points per game in that span. Both guys have stellar chances to keep their success rolling as the Raiders’ remaining schedule ranks 11th-easiest for WRs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Fantasy managers will have to wait until after Las Vegas’ Week 13 bye to get Meyers and Adams into lineups. Still, their next two opponents (Vikings, Chargers) are top-10 fantasy matchups for wideouts.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore tweets that the Raiders are "leaning toward" starting QB Aidan O'Connell vs. the Giants this weekend. QB Jimmy Garoppolo was a disaster in Monday night's loss to the Lions, throwing for just 126 yards, 0 TDs, and one INT on 21 attempts. O'Connell wasn't great in his Week 4 start vs. the Chargers, averaging 6.1 yards per pass attempt with 0 TDs and one INT. But the 3-5 Raiders under interim HC Antonio Pierce are looking beyond 2023 at this point. We'll look for further updates on the Raiders' QB plans. We certainly wouldn't consider O'Connell an upgrade for Raiders pass catchers.
Update: NFL Network reports the Raiders are expected to start O'Connell "this week and going forward." We'll see how this trial goes.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs recorded 15 carries for 61 rushing yards and a TD in Week 8’s loss vs. the Lions. He also secured 2 of 4 targets for a team-leading 27 receiving yards in the contest. Unfortunately, Jacobs is the only Raider who eclipsed 20 receiving yards and one of only three players to catch more than one pass on Monday night. In fact, QB Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t complete a pass to a WR until the second half of the game. Both WR Jakobi Meyers and Davante Adams were held to one reception apiece, unable to bring anything to the table for fantasy managers. Next week’s matchup vs. the Giants should yield better results, though the current state of the Raiders' offense is deeply concerning.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report and will start Monday night's game vs. the Lions. Garoppolo's return is good news for Vegas' skill-position players, but he's a low-end QB2 in fantasy lineups.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) was upgraded to full participation in Friday's practice. He's on track to return for Monday night's game vs. the Lions -- good news for Vegas' skill-position players.
Raiders WR Davante Adams snagged 7 of 12 targets for 57 yards in a Week 7 loss to Chicago. Adams dropped one well-thrown end zone ball, but watching Brian Hoyer in this one was painful. Before getting pulled late in the game, the veteran managed just 129 yards and 2 INTs. Jimmy Garoppolo (back) has a chance to return for a Week 8 date with Detroit. Regardless, Adams will remain a volume-driven WR1.
The Raiders have informed teams that they won't be trading WR Davante Adams prior to the October 31 trade deadline, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Adams complained about his usage earlier this week, but the team still views Adams as "one of the centerpieces of Raiders coach Josh McDaniels' offense," per Schefter. Adams is signed through the 2026 season.
As expected, Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Bears. He didn't practice all week and has no timetable for return. The Athletic's Dianna Russini reports that QB Brian Hoyer will get the start in Garoppolo's place. Hoyer went 6 of 10 for 102 yards in relief last week but should still be considered a downgrade for Las Vegas' pass-catchers. The 38-year-old threw just 108 regular-season passes across the previous five seasons.
Raiders WR Davante Adams says it's not enough that the team has won its past two games. He's not happy to have only seen 9 targets over that span, with 6 receptions for 74 yards and no TDs. "When you're a player like me, mentally, my benchmark is not wins and losses -- it's greatness," he said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. "So when I go out there, I expect to be able to have that ability to put that on tape and have an influence on the game. ... It's not about me, but I'm one of the bigger pieces as to why this offense is going to go. And if I'm not getting it, then that's obviously not according to plan." A high-level WR expressing displeasure with a lack of targets is not new. It's worth noting here, though, because we've wondered whether Adams' right-shoulder injury was to blame for his two-game downturn. Doesn't sound like it. And HC Josh McDaniels apparently has no problem with Adams' complaint. "Honestly, great players wouldn't be great if they didn't want to try to help the team win in every way they can," McDaniels said. "Our job is to make sure our best players have an opportunity to impact the game, and they can only do what they can do." The Raiders are trending toward starting a backup QB this Sunday against the Bears. Whether that's Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O'Connell, it's a downgrade from Jimmy Garoppolo. That hurts the WRs to some degree. But don't be surprised if Adams gets some extra attention in this week's game plan. Keep him in your lineup.
Raiders TE Michael Mayer saw his breakout game come in Week 6 vs. the Patriots. The rookie hauled in 5 of 6 targets and led the team with 75 receiving yards on Sunday. WR Jakobi Meyers also had a solid game with 5 receptions for 61 yards and a TD. We'd be remiss not to highlight the impact of the 6 targets Mayer saw in the contest. Before this weekend, WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers were the only Raiders' pass-catchers who had seen 5 or more targets in a game this season. Mayer isn't a must-start option on Week 7 vs. the Bears, but he's worth a speculative waiver wire add, if nothing else.
Raiders WR Davante Adams (shoulder) is not listed on the final Week 6 injury report after putting in a full practice on Friday. It looks like that shoulder injury is just about behind him. Adams remains a must-start for Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots.
Raiders WR Davante Adams (shoulder) returned to a limited practice Thursday. It's an upgrade over last week, when Adams only got on the field for the final practice of the week. He should be closer to 100% for Sunday's game vs. the Patriots than he was this past Monday night.
Raiders WR Davante Adams (shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday. He played through this injury on Monday night but managed just four catches for 45 yards. Adams will play against the Patriots this weekend, but it's clear that he's not at 100%.
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