We are full go with our preparation for the upcoming Fantasy season, which means it’s time to write all the player outlooks for this year. I’m privileged to get the AFC West, and we’re going to do team-by-team previews as well. Here, you get to see all the interesting information I find about the Raiders.
I’ll highlight players to target, as well as others to avoid. And you’ll get a good idea of what the Raiders can hopefully do in 2026.
Let’s see if Las Vegas is a Fantasy destination for you this year.
Team Breakdown
Coach: Klint Kubiak (replaces Pete Carroll)
Offensive coordinator: Andrew Janocko (replaces Greg Olson)
Key additions: WR Jalen Nailor, C Tyler Linderbaum, QB Kirk Cousins
Draft picks of note: QB Fernando Mendoza (Round 1 from Indiana), RB Mike Washington Jr. (Round 4 from Arkansas), WR Malik Benson (Round 6 from Oregon)
2026 strength of schedule: No. 7 (opponents combined 2025 record: 153-136)
2025 numbers of note
Points for: No. 32 at 241 (14.2 per game)
Passing yards: No. 28 at 2,851 (167.7 per game)
Passing attempts: No. 22 at 515
Rushing yards: No. 32 at 1,317 (77.5 per game)
Rushing attempts: No. 31 at 366
Players to target based on Average Draft Position
1. Ashton Jeanty
Jeanty played well as a rookie in 2025 when he had 266 carries for 975 yards and five touchdowns and caught 55 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns on 73 targets. He averaged 14.4 PPR points per game, which is a quality campaign for a rookie. Fantasy managers just had higher expectations for him when he was a first-round pick in the majority of Fantasy leagues, but he ended up as a bust since he finished as the No. 16 PPR running back. This year, Jeanty will be a Round 2 pick in most formats, but we’re hopeful he will deliver like we expected in 2025. He has a new coach in Kubiak, and the quarterback play in Las Vegas should be improved with the duo of Mendoza and Cousins. Most importantly, the offensive line should be better with a healthy Kolton Miller at left tackle and the free agent addition of Linderbaum. We’ll see if Washington could take some touches from Jeanty, and Kubiak favored a two-back system in Seattle with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. But we still expect Jeanty’s overwhelming talent to shine through, and he should challenge to be a top-five Fantasy running back this season. I love his FantasyPros ADP at No. 17 overall as RB7.
2. Brock Bowers
Bowers had a down season in 2025, but he should rebound this year. He should be drafted as a top-two tight end, and he’s worth selecting as early as the middle of Round 2. Bowers had an amazing rookie campaign in 2024 when he averaged 15.5 PPR points per game. But injuries — he suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that lingered all season — poor quarterback play and a struggling offense limited his production in 2025 to 14.7 PPR points per game. While that average doesn’t seem bad (it was actually third among tight ends behind Trey McBride and George Kittle), Bowers had five games with 9.8 PPR points or less in 12 outings. His production was boosted by a 43.3 PPR outing in Week 9 against Jacksonville, and we hope to see more of those high-end performances this year. The good news is Las Vegas brought in a new coach, quarterback and improved the offensive line. Also, the Raiders made no significant additions to the receiving corps with only Nailor joining Tre Tucker and Jack Bech. Bowers should lead Las Vegas in targets, and he will challenge McBride to be the No. 1 Fantasy tight end in 2026. Right now, you can draft Bowers in Round 2 at No. 23 overall as the No. 2 tight end behind McBride, and I love that ADP on FantasyPros.
3. Tre Tucker
Tucker could be the No. 1 receiver for the Raiders this season, and he’s worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. His competition for targets at receiver is Nailor and Bech, and all three of these guys will be competing for the attention of Mendoza and Cousins. Bowers is the best pass catcher in Las Vegas, but one of Tucker, Nailor or Bech will be second. And whoever stands out could be a potential No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. Tucker has the best resume of the group after what he did in 2024 with 57 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns on 92 targets. He also added 11 carries for 51 yards, and he had four games with at least 11.1 PPR points in his first six outings of the season. He only averaged 9.5 PPR points for the season, but he should improve in 2026 since the Raiders brought in Kubiak, better quarterbacks and Linderbaum. Keep an eye on what happens in training camp, but Tucker should be considered a sleeper in all leagues given his potential role in Las Vegas. He’s a steal at his FantasyPros ADP at No. 215 overall as WR74.
4. Jalen Nailor
Nailor goes from the No. 3 receiver in Minnesota to potentially the No. 1 receiver in Las Vegas after he signed a three-year contract this offseason for $35 million. Nailor has been quiet during the first four years of his career with the Vikings where his best season was 2024 when he averaged 6.1 PPR points per game. With the Raiders, Nailor could lead the receiving corps in production, and he’s worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. His FantasyPros ADP is fantastic at No. 216 overall as WR75. Nailor will compete with Tucker and Bech for targets — Bowers should easily lead the team in this category — and Nailor could be a potential No. 3 Fantasy receiver given the competition. It’s a leap of faith to trust Nailor given his lack of production with Minnesota, but his role in Las Vegas could be great in 2026.
5. Jack Bech
Bech had a disappointing rookie season in 2025, but he has the chance to rebound in a big way this year. Bech is worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. The Raiders have Bowers as the No. 1 pass catcher, but the receiving corps is unproven with Bech, Tucker and Nailor, who was the only significant addition this offseason. Bech could step up as the No. 2 target in the passing game, and he should be considered a sleeper in all leagues. In 2025, Bech only had 20 catches for 224 yards and no touchdowns on 29 targets. Hopefully, Kubiak can bring out the best in Bech, and we’ll see how he develops a rapport with either Mendoza or Cousins. Most likely, Bech will remain behind Tucker and Nailor in targets, but Bech has an opportunity to prove himself in Fantasy and reality this year. And he’s free on Draft Day with a FantasyPros ADP at No. 243 overall as WR84.
Players to Avoid Based on Average Draft Position
None
2026 Prediction
The Raiders should once again be the worst team in the AFC West, and they haven’t made the playoffs since 2021. I don’t expect that to change in 2026 barring a potential miracle.
Las Vegas should improve as the season goes on, especially once Mendoza takes over for Cousins. I understand wanting Mendoza to learn from Cousins, but I would prefer to see the rookie play right away. We want to see him now, not later, and hopefully he’s ready to thrive.
The Raiders have two standout Fantasy options in Jeanty and Bowers, and both are worth drafting in Round 2 in the majority of leagues. Jeanty will challenge to be a top-five Fantasy running back this season, and I’m expecting the additions of Kubiak and Linderbaum, along with Miller back at 100 percent, to help the running game dramatically improve.
Bowers needs to stay healthy after dealing with a knee injury for the majority of the season in 2025, and he should lead Las Vegas — and maybe all tight ends — in targets this year. It wouldn’t shock me if Bowers is the No. 1 Fantasy tight end in 2026 ahead of McBride.
I’m excited to see who emerges at receiver for the Raiders, and I have it ranked Tucker, Nailor and Bech heading into the season. All three are worth late-round picks, and I hope one of them can turn into a reliable No. 3 Fantasy receiver in most leagues as the season goes on.
