Raiders 'optimistic' they'll have Ngakoue

Raiders HC Jon Gruden is "optimistic" that DE Yannick Ngakoue will be able to play against the Steelers today. Ngakoue is questionable with a hamstring injury that knocked him out of Week 1 early and limited his practice participation all week. The fact that he was able to participate each day is encouraging, but there's obviously at least some risk of re-injury here. Ngakoue is in play for IDP lineups, but keep the risk in mind as you're making your decisions. He has settled into low DL3 territory in our Week 2 DL rankings.

The Raiders are sending DE Yannick Ngakoue to the Colts for CB Rock Ya-Sin. Ngakoue tied for 21st in the league with 63 total pressures last season, his lone year with the Raiders. The 27-year-old (as of March 31) is heading into the final year of his contract and coming off his 1st double-digit sack total since 2017. Indianapolis will be Ngakoue's 5th team since 2019. Pro Football Focus ranked Ya-Sin 34th in coverage among all 236 active CBs last year. He should claim a starting gig opposite Trayvon Mullen in Vegas, with CB Casey Hayward an unrestricted free agent. We'll see whether the Raiders make other moves at the position.

Raiders DE Yannick Ngakoue (hamstring) and DE Carl Nassib (pec, toe) are active for today's game against the Steelers. Each entered the day questionable. Ngakoue is in play for IDP use, but the hamstring certainly adds risk.

Raiders DE Yannick Ngakoue (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh. He left Week 1 early with the injury but managed limited practices all week. We'll check his status Sunday morning. DE Carl Nassib (pectoral, toe) is also questionable. He missed practice Wednesday before putting in limited Thursday and Friday workouts. The pair make up 2 of Las Vegas' top 3 at the position.

Raiders DE Yannick Ngakoue left with a hamstring injury in the 2nd half of Monday night's game against the Ravens. The team deemed him questionable to return, but he was standing on the sideline with no helmet. We'll see about the severity.

The Raiders have agreed to a 2-year, $26 million deal with DE Yannick Ngakoue, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a questionable signing for a defense that has Maxx Crosby and 2019 first-round pick Clelin Ferrell in place, plus Carl Nassib, who arrived on a sizable free-agent deal last offseason. The money certainly points to Ngakoue taking over a primary pass-rushing role. We'll see what that means for everyone else's playing time. Ngakoue endured a rough 2020 that saw him get traded twice (from Jacksonville to Minnesota to Baltimore). His 8 sacks matched the previous season, but Ngakoue managed a career-low 11 QB hits (including just 3 over 9 games with the Ravens). We won't be pumped about Ngakoue in IDP drafts for 2021.