Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Raiders have ruled LB Divine Deablo (ankle) and LB Luke Masterson (concussion) out for Sunday's game against the Giants. That removes a starter and the guy who would have filled in for him. LB Robert Spillane is also questionable with a hand injury. He managed limited practices Thursday and Friday, though, after missing Wednesday. We haven't seen an indication on how likely he is to play but would lean toward betting he'll be out there. Amari Burney -- a sixth-round rookie -- should be the next guy up. He played 45% of snaps in Monday night's loss to the Lions, which Deablo missed and Masterson left early. Curtis Bolton checks in behind Burney on the current depth chart. Spillane will be an easy start if he's active. Burney can be a low-end option for deeper leagues but would be risky. Week 8 marked his first NFL action. Check the Week 9 LB rankings for final positions before you set your IDP lineups.

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.

Early on Wednesday morning, the Raiders announced via Twitter/X that the team has fired HC Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler. The official statement from owner Mark Davis reads, "After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave. I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish their families nothing but the best." While the timing of this news is a bit of a surprise, the motivation behind it is understandable. The Raiders' offense ranks 30th in points per game (15.8) and 31st in total yards per game (268.3) in 2023 and held a 9-16 record over the past season and a half under McDaniels' tutelage. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders are expected to name LB coach Antonio Pierce as their interim head coach. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the fantasy fallout from this situation.

Raiders CB Nate Hobbs (ankle) is active for tonight's game against the Lions. It'll be his first action since suffering his injury back in Week 3. Hobbs remained limited throughout the practice week, so there's likely some risk both of a reduced initial role and re-injury. We'll watch both areas in projecting him for Week 9 and beyond.

Raiders K Daniel Carlson (groin) is active for tonight's game vs. the Lions. He only got in a limited practice on Saturday and was listed as questionable. But Carlson is available if you were waiting on him.

Vikings RB Alexander Mattison worked behind RB Cam Akers early in Sunday's win over the Packers. Akers logged 8 first-half carries to Mattison's 4, as well as the only RB target before halftime. Mattison dominated second-half work, however, taking 12 rushes to just one for Akers. Neither guy did much with their touches. Mattison finished just 16-31 rushing and caught his lone target for a mere 2 yards. Akers scored the lone rushing TD but averaged just 2.1 yards per carry across his 9 attempts. He also didn't see a second-half target. It's best to avoid this backfield in fantasy as much as you can.

The Raiders have ruled LB Divine Deablo (ankle) out for Monday night's game against the Lions. That should make Luke Masterson a full-time (or near full) player in Deablo's absence. Masterson stepped in for 62% playing time last week in the game Deablo left early. You can now find Masterson in our Week 8 LB rankings.

Raiders K Daniel Carlson (groin) is listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Lions. He only got in a limited practice on Saturday. Look elsewhere for your Week 8 fantasy kicker.

Raiders K Daniel Carlson (groin) has yet to practice this week. We’ll see how he’s listed on Saturday’s final injury report for the Monday nighter vs. the Lions, but you should start looking elsewhere for your Week 8 fantasy kicker.

Raiders LB Divine Deablo left Sunday's loss to the Bears with a left ankle injury. We'll see about the severity heading into a Week 8 clash with the Lions.

Raiders TE Michael Mayer notched 13 yards on 2 grabs in Sunday's loss to Chicago. It’s a major step down from Mayer’s Week 6 line (5-75), but he wasn’t set up for success alongside Brian Hoyer. The rookie saw only 4 targets – third on the team behind Jakobi Meyers (13) and Davante Adams (12). He’ll look to rebound next Monday night at Detroit. We’ll see if Jimmy Garoppolo (back) can return for that one.

Colts QB Gardner Minshew racked up 305 yards and 2 TDs passing in Sunday's narrow loss to the Browns. Minshew added two rushing scores among his three attempts for 29 yards -- one of which came from 17 yards out. It was a particularly stellar performance for Indy's QB2 considering that it came against a league-best Cleveland defense and just a week after he played terribly in a loss to Jacksonville. What should you take away from this? Don't expect Minshew to deliver starter-level fantasy production every week. But this game reminds us that he can be a viable fantasy option. His production came unconventionally against the Browns, including the TD passes from 59 and 75 yards out. Minshew went just 15 of 23 passing overall, also taking 4 sacks and throwing an INT. His next five matchups also look negative by our adjusted fantasy points allowed, surrounding a Week 11 bye. Don't bet on Minshew landing inside the top 12 of our weekly QB rankings.

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.

Raiders CBs Nate Hobbs (ankle) and Jakorian Bennett (shoulder, knee) have been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears.

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.

Colts QB Gardner Minshew threw for 329 yards in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars, but that's about the only nice thing you could say about his performance. The fill-in went 33 of 55 (60%), with 3 INTs and a lost fumble -- and Minshew was fortunate to not throw even another pick or two. He should be nowhere close to your fantasy lineup (if you can help it) for home dates with the Browns and Saints the next two weeks.

Vikings RB Alexander Mattison controlled the backfield work in Sunday's win over the Bears. He handled 18 of 19 Minnesota RB carries and drew 7 of 8 RB targets. Mattison gained just 44 yards on the ground, though, averaging 2.4 yards per rush. His 7 targets ranked second on the team. Mattison caught four for 28 yards. Cam Akers logged just 1 carry for 8 yards and caught his lone target for 7 more. Akers had been creeping in on Mattison's playing time before this week, so that's a positive development for Mattison managers. A Week 7 matchup with the 49ers makes the whole backfield worth trying to avoid, though.

Raiders CB Jakorian Bennett (shoulder) is active for today's game against the Patriots.