2025 Las Vegas Raiders Preview
Perhaps no team needed a total cultural change as badly as the Las Vegas Raiders. Mission accomplished. Enter first-time general manager John Spytek, the former assistant GM in Tampa and an integral part of Tampa’s top-5 2025 NFL Draft haul. On the sidelines, the Raiders hired a proven coach in Pete Carroll. Collectively, the new regime feels like their rebuild began last season, and 2025 is prime for a new era. Refreshingly, an era of optimism.
The first order of business for the club was trading for Carroll’s former quarterback, Geno Smith. Smith quietly threw for a career-best 4,320 yards and a 70.4 percent completion rate in 2024. He will bring much-needed stability to a woefully inadequate position since the franchise released Derek Carr ahead of the 2023 season. Smith is unlikely to post top-10 fantasy numbers with this supporting cast, but he can be a reliable streamer with week-to-week QB upside.
No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty profiles as the next great RB1 for years to come. Jeanty is a three-down workhorse with elite tackle-breaking ability, strong contact balance, and superb vision. He led the nation in yards after contact twice, including a record-shattering 1,970 in 2024. And the fit couldn’t have been better. The Raiders had very little depth in the backfield, assuring Jeanty will get all the work he can handle on his compact frame. Instant first-round RB1.
WR Jakobi Meyers finished as the WR20 after setting career-best marks in targets (129), receptions (87), and receiving yards (1,027). Meyers once again proved to be a savvy mid-round draft value but remains a WR2 masquerading as a team’s WR1. The 2025 NFL Draft brought more depth to a receiving corps needing a youth infusion. Second-rounder Jack Bech is a favorite of the dynasty football community with sticky hands coming off a Senior Bowl MVP performance. Bech can also be employed all over the field. Fourth-rounder Dont’e Thornton is huge (6-5, 214) and is a dark horse to push Tre Tucker for playing time.
Brock Bowers burst onto the scene, breaking the rookie reception record and becoming the second consecutive (after Sam LaPorta) first-year player to lead the tight end position in fantasy scoring. His 153 targets were third in the NFL, and he caught fewer than three balls only once.. And he didn’t just make an impression on fantasy managers, but also on his new signal-caller Smith, who told The Athletic that Bowers “is one of the best tight ends in the league already, and I still think he’s got so much room to improve. A big part of my job is to help him do that.” Bowers was a league winner last season and will be the top-ranked tight end in every format.
Fantasy Grade: C
Reunited and it feels so good. When the Raiders plucked Pete Carroll out of retirement, one of the first orders of business for Carroll was to engineer a trade for his old quarterback, Geno Smith. Carroll recognized the potential in Smith in Seattle. In two years together, Smith posted QB5 and QB19 numbers. Last year, without Carroll, Smith threw for a career-high 4,320 yards and thrived throwing the ball 20-plus yards, a staple of Raiders’ offenses. Smith brings stability and leadership to a young Las Vegas roster and projects to quietly be a solid QB2.
Here are the categories that Ashton Jeanty led in FBS in 2024: attempts (313), rushing yards (2,287), TDs (28), yards after contact (5.42/att.), missed tackles forced (125), first downs (106), and breakaway yards (1,247). These world-class metrics are indicative of how dominant Jeanty was at Boise State and why he’s considered the best incoming rookie rusher since Saquon Barkley. And as luck would have it, Jeanty landed in the perfect spot as Pete Carroll’s next Marshawn Lynch. Jeanty is a three-down workhorse who could lead the league in touches in his first season.
ADVICE: Aging veteran won’t see much of a role playing behind Ashton Jeanty. Mostert is relegated to a handcuff role for fantasy managers lucky enough to land Jeanty in Round One.
WR Meyers, Jakobi, LVR [WR1] Sleeper
Jakobi Meyers was one of fantasy’s unheralded stars last season. Meyers had 10 games with nine or more targets, eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time, and finished as the WR20 overall. Meyers had the most targets (126) without a drop in the league last season. Since moving to the Raiders, Meyers has run 69.8 percent of his routes from the perimeter after being used inside in New England. However, a new coach, a first-round running back, and added target competition are obstacles that will make repeating those outstanding numbers challenging.
WR Bech, Jack, LVR [WR2] Sleeper
Jack Bech’s older brother, Tiger Bech, was killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve. Jack, wearing his brother’s No.7 jersey, then won Senior Bowl MVP with a walk-off TD grab. In addition to that inspirational moment, Bech has good size (6-1, 214), sticky hands, outstanding ball tracking skills, and uses leverage well. He had a 62/1,034/9 season at TCU in 2024 that resulted in Second-team All-Big 12 accolades. Bech also landed in a great location with a Raiders’ offense that needed a youth infusion. Bech profiles as a reliable possession receiver.
ADVICE: Tucker has made strides in each of his two seasons. He’ll enter camp as the Raiders’ No. 2 but will face stiff competition from rookies Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr.
WR Thornton, Dont’e, LVR [WR4] Super Sleeper
Dont’e Thornton, a 6’5″, 215-pound senior wide receiver, is a breakout candidate for 2025 fantasy football. After transferring from Oregon, Thornton flashed elite potential at Tennessee, hauling in 37 receptions for 614 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2024, despite splitting targets in a crowded receiver room. His 4.4 speed and 38-inch vertical make him a deep-threat mismatch, stretching defenses and commanding red-zone looks. Thornton’s sleeper status stems from his under-the-radar profile and Tennessee’s pass-heavy offense, projected to lean on him as the WR1 with Nico Iamaleava at quarterback. His 15.6 yards per catch and 0.8% drop rate signal reliability. Ideal for mid-to-late draft picks, Thornton fits teams needing a high-upside flex. NFL comparison: Courtland Sutton. Expect 800+ yards and 7+ touchdowns, making him a steal in PPR leagues.
After a stellar career at Georgia, we knew Brock Bowers would be good. We just didn’t know HOW good. Bowers had a historic debut, setting the rookie record for receptions (112) and producing the greatest tight end debut ever. Nearly 40 percent of Bowers’s snaps came from the slot, which should quell concerns about Geno Smith’s preference to target wideouts over tight ends. In addition to topping TEs in targets (153) and yards( 1,194), Bowers led the position in routes (530), air yards (931), and YAC (596). That’s insane volume and makes Bowers a massive advantage at a position lacking elite depth.
The Raiders provide ample field goal attempts for Carlson, but he missed six of them last season. In addition, a pair of unsuccessful point-after attempts could put Carlson on thin ice with the new staff.
Vegas ranked 28th in fantasy scoring last year. There’s a new staff, so there is some room to grow. However, there is no reason to target the Raiders’ stop unit in fantasy drafts.
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