Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo underwent surgery in March to address a left foot injury he suffered against the Dolphins in December, according to The Athletic. The 49ers reportedly believed that Garoppolo didn't need surgery, but the Raiders disagreed after giving Garoppolo a physical before he signed. There's no known timetable for Garoppolo's return to the field, but HC Josh McDaniels admitted that he “could be” out until at least training camp. “We don’t play a game for 100 days,” McDaniels added. “Everything that’s happened since we signed Jimmy, we knew ahead of time. … Certainly had an awareness of all of it. Our preference is not to push it and rush anybody back at this point in time.” We'll keep tabs on Garoppolo's recovery. But he wasn't appealing even as a QB2 before this news and certainly isn't now.

Raiders GM Dave Ziegler said he tried to trade back into the first round to secure TE Michael Mayer. Vegas ended up landing Mayer with the fourth pick of Round 2. "He was one of the top 15 players on our board," Ziegler said. We were surprised to see Mayer slip into the second round. But he landed in a solid spot for immediate opportunity, with only TEs Austin Hooper and O.J. Howard to conquer.

The Raiders selected Cincinnati WR Tre Tucker in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. A strict slot at 5’9, 182 pounds, Tucker wins with 4.40 speed. The 22-year-old will likely fit in as Vegas’ WR4 or WR5 this season. He’s also a candidate to contribute in the return game.

The Raiders selected Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mayer stepped into a starting role as a true freshman. Across three seasons, the Notre Dame TE set records for career catches (180), receiving yards (2,099), and TDs (18). Despite small, 31 5/8” arms, Mayer is a polished, contested-catch winner. The 249-pounder has also proven tough with only one missed game in three seasons. The Raiders certainly had a TE need following the trade of Darren Waller. Austin Hooper joined the club in March, but he’s not much of a barrier to Mayer capturing a three-down role. The 21-year-old could be a TE1 spot-starter this fall.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs won't report for the start of the team's voluntary offseason program on Monday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Jacobs has yet to sign his franchise tender, ultimately hoping for a longer-term deal. He's unlikely to get it, but at this point we don't expect a holdout into the summer. We'll keep an eye on the situation. Giants RB Saquon Barkley and Jaguars TE Evan Engram are also skipping voluntary workouts after getting franchise-tagged earlier this offseason.

The Raiders have agreed to a one-year, $2.75 million deal with TE Austin Hooper, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The deal has a max value of $3.5 million. That's obviously not enough to guarantee a top role at the position. But Hooper's a better bet for receptions than new teammate TE O.J. Howard. Even so, he has averaged just 2.4 catches per game over the past two years, with two different teams. Neither Hooper nor Howard is likely to make a big fantasy football impact this year.

The Raiders signed TE O.J. Howard to a one-year deal. The 2017 first-round pick has struggled since his 2020 Achilles tear, totaling just 24 catches across 30 games the past two seasons. Howard did average a big 14.5 yards per catch for the Texans last year -- but finished third among the team's TEs with just 10 catches. Howard at least finds opportunity in Las Vegas, where the Raiders traded away TE Darren Waller and have not at this point re-signed TE Foster Moreau. We'll see what the rest of the offseason brings. For now, consider Howard just a last-round flier in best-ball drafts.

The Raiders will be signing WR Jakobi Meyers to a three-year, $33 million deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The pact will reportedly include $21 million in guaranteed money. This fit seems somewhat odd. Meyers does reunite with HC Josh McDaniels, who served as New England's OC for three of Meyers' four seasons there. But the 26-year-old (until Nov. 9) wideout joins an offense that already sports WR Davante Adams, TE Darren Waller, and WR Hunter Renfrow with annual average salaries over $10 million. Meyers also ran 64.5% of his routes with the Patriots from the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. That's also Renfrow's primary position (69.7% of career routes; 86% in 2022). We're assuming Meyers will be the second wideout (with Adams) in two-WR alignments, which will keep Renfrow's ceiling down. Meyers likely could have found more target share available elsewhere. It is, at least, a solid corps of receivers for new Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo. That said, we're not excited for the fantasy outlook on the QB, Meyers, or Renfrow.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo and the Raiders have reportedly agreed to a three-year, $67.5 million deal. The former 49er will receive $34 million in guaranteed money and reunite with HC Josh McDaniels, dating back to their days together with the Patriots. Garoppolo has struggled with various injuries over the course of his career but has played fairly well when healthy. We expect him to maintain QB2-level production in Las Vegas as more of a game manager that's better for your real-life NFL team than your fantasy team. That said, Garoppolo kept pace with QB Derek Carr, the man he's replacing, in fantasy PPG from Week 5 through Week 12 (16.3 and 16.4, respectively) before a foot injury ended his season. Plus, anyone paired up with WR Davante Adams carries some appeal in superflex leagues. This move doesn't prohibit the Raiders from pursuing a younger QB in the NFL Draft this April, but at least they have a bridge plan in place at a minimum.

TE Michael Mayer measured in at nearly 6’5 and 249 pounds at the NFL Combine. Mayer wasn’t a standout tester, posting a 4.70 forty and a 32.5” vertical. No major surprise there, though. Mayer is a contested catch specialist who exited Notre Dame with 180 catches across 3 seasons. He still projects as a day 1 NFL starter.

The Raiders plan to use the franchise tag on RB Josh Jacobs, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The tag deadline is Tuesday, so there's still time for a longer-term deal before the tag is applied. Using the tag would give a mid-July deadline for a longer-term pact. The Raiders, of course, declined the fifth-year option on Jacobs' rookie contract before 2022 ... and then handed him the largest workload of his career and watched him lead the NFL in rushing. If he plays on the franchise tag, Jacobs will make roughly $2 million more than he would have on the original option year. either way, expect him to remain the Raiders' workhorse for 2023. And go back to paying little attention to RB Zamir White.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs said Saturday that he’d like to re-sign with the team. Per Jacobs, contract talks should begin next week. “This is where I want to be,” the 25-year-old said. “I feel like I’ve left my mark on this organization. With the guys in the locker room — obviously, it’s going to be shaken up next year, but I feel like this is home. For me, this is where I want to be, but I’m not going to discredit myself trying to be here, either. So, it’s just got to make sense.” Jacobs smashed prior career highs with 393 touches and 2,053 total yards in 2022.

Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Bills. He’s been playing through this shoulder injury for a few weeks and shouldn’t be limited today.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (hip, oblique) is active for today’s game against Kansas City. Jacobs is the NFL’s leading rusher, and he’ll look to pad his lead in a friendly matchup. Just be aware that the Raiders — now out of the postseason picture — could take a long look at rookie Zamir White.

Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) is officially listed as questionable for Week 18 vs. the Bills after limited practice all week. Fellow WR DeVante Parker (concussion) logged full practice on Friday and has been removed from the final injury report. It seems as though we'll see Parker on the field on Sunday for the first time since Week 14 vs. the Cardinals. That said, Meyers is the player of the two who carries the most fantasy value. He's played through this shoulder injury for a few weeks now and we feel pretty confident that he'll suit up. The Bills' defense ranks as the 11th-best matchup for WRs in adjusted fantasy points allowed this season, and Meyers carries a team-leading 27% target share over the last 2 weeks. Consider Meyers a solid WR2 in Week 18.

The Athletic's Vic Tafur believes there's a "good chance [Raiders RB Zamir] White will get his first serious action of the season" vs. the Chiefs on Saturday. RB Josh Jacobs is listed as questionable with hip and oblique injuries and missed Wednesday and Thursday's practices due to a personal issue. The Raiders have nothing to play for in the finale, so it'd make sense for them to get a look at White -- especially with Jacobs set to hit free agency in March. White is only worth considering in Saturday DFS contests, but Jacobs' floor and ceiling is lower in Week 18 than it's been all season.

Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) practiced in a limited capacity again on Thursday. It's also worth noting that WR DeVante Parker (concussion) has now practiced limited on back-to-back days. This is certainly encouraging for Parker as he's been sidelined since Week 14. Friday's injury report will give us official designations for the pair of pass-catchers ahead of Week 18 vs. the Bills. Check back tomorrow for further analysis.

Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday. This same injury has plagued Meyers for a few weeks now. He's yet to miss a game because of it, so we feel pretty good about Meyers' availability for Week 18 vs. the Bills. We'll keep track of this in case anything changes.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (hip, oblique) did not practice on Wednesday. The team's official website characterizes Jacobs' absence from practice as a personal day. Thursday's injury report will shed more light on whether or not the veteran will be able to suit up for Saturday's Week 18 game vs. the Chiefs. We'll keep an eye on this as more information becomes available.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (hip, oblique) was limited in Tuesday's practice. The hip and oblique are new issues for Jacobs, who briefly left last week's loss to the 49ers. But the fact that he was out there at all on Tuesday puts him on track to play in Saturday's finale vs. the Chiefs.