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Michael Mayer Michael Mayer Six catches in top TE role
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:38 PM
Mayer brought in six of seven targets for 32 yards in the Raiders' 27-13 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Analysis: Filling the No. 1 tight end role with Brock Bowers (knee) sidelined, Mayer set the pace for the Raiders in targets while also tying for the team lead in receptions. Mayer gained 14 of his yards on one catch, so he was mired in an extreme short-area role for the majority of the afternoon. Nevertheless, Mayer has proven capable of offering useful production as Bowers' fill-in on multiple occasions, although he could revert to his usual reserve role in light of reports that Bowers could be ready for his season debut as early as next Sunday's Week 2 road matchup against the Chargers. |
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Tre Tucker Tre Tucker Logs two catches in Week 1 win
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 9:29 PM
Tucker caught two of four targets for 27 yards in a 27-13 win against Miami on Sunday.
Analysis: Tucker had a relatively quiet performance, though that was the case for the Raiders' wideout corps as a whole, as no WR exceeded Tucker's 27 receiving yards. Instead, RB Ashton Jeanty (6-45-2 receiving line) and TE Michael Mayer (6-32-0) featured as Las Vegas' top pass catchers, while the offense ran primarily on the ground through Jeanty (23-102-0 rushing line) and Mike Washington Jr. (7-41-0). The Raiders don't figure to play ahead as often this season as they did Sunday, so the team may need its wideouts more often moving forward, though start tight end Brock Bowers (knee) could return to action as soon as next week and eventually figures to command the greatest share of QB Kirk Cousins' attention. Las Vegas seems likely to face a tougher challenge in Week 2 against the Chargers. |
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Mike Washington Jr. Mike Washington Jr. Impresses on seven carries in win
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 9:29 PM
Washington rushed seven times for 41 yards in the Raiders' 27-13 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Analysis: After Ashton Jeanty dealt with an ankle sprain for the previous month, it was unclear if the Raiders would dial things back with their star running back. Jeanty went on to handle a full workload, rushing 23 times for 102 yards, while also leading the team in catches and receiving yards with a 6-45-2 line. Washington looked good on his seven chances, but it's clear Jeanty is healthy, making Washington a mere bench stash in fantasy. |
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Kirk Cousins Kirk Cousins Sidesteps pair of picks in win
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 9:02 PM
Cousins completed 21 of 30 passes for 160 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed five times for minus-6 yards in the Raiders' 27-13 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Analysis: As his final line indicates, the majority of Cousins' passing line was far from scintillating from a fantasy perspective, but his three touchdown passes were an entirely different story. Cousins hit Jack Bech from 15 yards out for his first scoring strike of the afternoon in the first quarter, and his subsequent pair of TD passes both went for 13 yards apiece to Ashton Jeanty. Cousins' overall numbers should also be viewed within the context of Brock Bowers (knee) being unavailable, and reports indicate the veteran signal-caller could have the star tight end at his disposal for a Week 2 divisional road matchup against the Chargers next Sunday. |
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Ashton Jeanty Ashton Jeanty Two TDs in Week 1 win
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 8:35 PM
Jeanty rushed 23 times for 102 yards and secured all six targets for 45 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders' 27-13 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Analysis: Jeanty shook off the ankle injury that had plagued him for weeks leading into Week 1 by handling a voluminous workload with impressive efficacy. He set the pace for the Raiders in both rushing and receiving yards on the afternoon, and he shared the team lead in receptions as well. The 2025 first-round pick's pair of receiving scores were each from 13 yards out and transpired in the second and third quarters. With his health apparently no longer in question and Las Vegas' offense looking crisp in its first game under head coach Klint Kubiak's scheme, Jeanty's prospects are bright heading into a Week 2 road matchup against the Chargers next Sunday. |
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Brock Bowers Brock Bowers Walking unaided after missing Week 1 win
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 7:16 PM
Bowers (knee) left the locker room after Sunday's 27-13 win over the Dolphins walking unaided with a sleeve on his left leg, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Warren's encouraging postgame update on Bowers comes hours after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Bowers could be back as soon as Week 2 against the Chargers. The star tight end sat out Vegas' Week 1 win over the Dolphins after underdoing a meniscus trim Tuesday. |
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Hurts foot in Week 1 win
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 6:35 PM
Porter didn't finish Sunday's 27-13 victory over the Dolphins due to a foot injury.
Analysis: Porter was deemed questionable late in the game and didn't return. He logged two tackles and two defensed passes in the season-opening win. Porter will presumably be examined by the team's training staff before his availability for practice next week is determined. |
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Aidan O'Connell Aidan O'Connell Emergency QB3 vs. Miami
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 2:06 PM
O'Connell (coach's decision) is inactive but will serve as the Raiders' emergency third quarterback against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Analysis: Kirk Cousins beat out first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza for the starting quarterback job Week 1, so O'Connell will suit up as the emergency QB3. As such, O'Connell is prohibited from playing Sunday unless both Cousins and Mendoza were to leave the game due to injury, illness or ejection. |
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Brock Bowers Brock Bowers Chance to return in Week 2
Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 9:52 AM
The Raiders believe Bowers (knee) has a chance to return to action Week 2 at the Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 20, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Bowers underwent a meniscus trim this past Tuesday that will sideline him for the season opener, but Schefter added that "there's a realistic chance" the standout tight end will sit out only Week 1 and then be active next weekend. He likely will need to mix into drills for multiple practices in a row to give Las Vegas' medical staff confidence that he'll be able to handle game action. In any case, Bowers will hand off most of the TE reps to Michael Mayer this Sunday. |
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Cody White Cody White Elevated for Sunday
Sat, Sep 12, 2026, 3:02 PM
The Raiders elevated White from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
Analysis: White is set to suit up for the Raiders because the team has three wide receivers currently on injured reserve. Dont'e Thornton (undisclosed), Justin Shorter (undisclosed) and Corey Rucker (undisclosed) all must miss at least four games, allowing White to show out as a valuable depth option for the receiving corps and special teams unit. |
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Chris Myarick Chris Myarick Elevated for Week 1
Sat, Sep 12, 2026, 2:56 PM
The Raiders elevated Myarick from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
Analysis: With Brock Bowers (knee) set to miss a couple of weeks as he recovers from meniscus surgery, Myrarick will have a chance to prove his worth on an NFL field. The tight end is set for the No. 3 role behind Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas, likely playing most of his snaps for the Raiders' special teams unit. |
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Michael Mayer Michael Mayer Gets three-year extension with Las Vegas
Sat, Sep 12, 2026, 9:59 AM
Mayer signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension with the Raiders on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
Analysis: The deal includes $30 million guaranteed, and the $15 million APY ranks fourth among current tight ends. Mayer has operated as the Raiders' TE2 for the past couple of seasons, but the fourth-year pro is expected to operate in an expanded role Sunday against the Dolphins in the absence of Brock Bowers, who is expected to miss at least one or two games after undergoing a meniscus trim procedure Tuesday. Mayer finished the 2025 regular season with 35 catches (on 50 targets) for 328 yards and a touchdown across 13 games. |
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Brock Bowers Brock Bowers Coach hopes he'll be back soon
Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 2:17 PM
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak confirmed Friday that Bowers (knee) won't play Sunday against Miami, but Kubiak did say the tight end "will be back soon," per Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site.
Analysis: When asked if an absence of 1-to-2 games was an accurate expectation, Kubiak replied, "I'm not going to talk about timelines," per Sam Warren of The Athletic. All eyes will be on Bowers' practice participation (or lack thereof) next week. For now, the Raiders have Michael Mayer ticketed for a large role at tight end, with Ian Thomas and various WRs also in the mix to pick up some unexpected snaps in Bowers' absence this Sunday against the Dolphins. |
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Brock Bowers Brock Bowers Sits out practice, set to miss time
Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 5:00 PM
Bowers (knee) remained a non-participant in Thursday's practice, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.
Analysis: Head coach Klint Kubiak has yet to officially rule Bowers out for Sunday's season opener versus the Dolphins, but the standout tight end is fully expected to be sidelined for Week 1 -- and likely, additional games beyond that -- after Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network reported that Bowers underwent a meniscus trim procedure Tuesday. Though the previous report indicated that Bowers is expected to miss "a game or two," Schefter clarified Thursday in an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that that timeline is coming from the tight end's camp and may be overly optimistic. For however long Bowers is sidelined, Michael Mayer is expected to take on an expanded role in the passing game as the Raiders' top tight end, and starting wideouts Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor also will have clearer paths to elevated target counts. |
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Ashton Jeanty Ashton Jeanty Feeling 'really good' ahead of opener
Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 3:39 PM
Jeanty said prior to Thursday's practice that he feels "really good" about the health of his right ankle and reiterated that he'll be ready to go for Sunday's season opener versus the Dolphins, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports. "Any time away from the game, it's tough," Jeanty said. "But to get back out there [at practice Wednesday], mainly with the guys, man, it felt good."
Analysis: Jeanty cleared up any concern about his availability for the opener by turning in a full practice Wednesday, two and a half weeks after he sustained what initially appeared to be a serious-looking ankle injury during an Aug. 23 training camp session. The running back practiced again Thursday, and barring any setbacks, he'll draw the Week 1 start for the Raiders. However, because of the amount of workouts Jeanty missed late in camp while recovering from the ankle injury, the Raiders could look to manage his workload to some degree in the opener and open up more reps for rookie Mike Washington, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. |
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Mike Washington Jr. Mike Washington Jr. Expected to be involved in Week 1 plan
Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 9:49 AM
Washington could still play a sizable role Week 1 against the Dolphins, even with Ashton Jeanty (ankle) expected to suit up, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Washington impressed the Raiders' coaching staff in the preseason, during which the rookie fourth-round pick rushed for 168 yards on 23 carries across three games, averaging a robust 7.3 YPC. Jeanty has returned to full practice participation in the week leading up to Sunday's regular-season opener against the Dolphins, but the 2025 first-round pick missed a chunk of practice time due to the ankle injury he suffered Aug. 23. With Jeanty still shaking off the cobwebs, Washington is primed for some added opportunities in his regular-season debut as the Raiders face the Dolphins in a battle between two teams expected to finish near the bottom of the standings this season. |
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Ashton Jeanty Ashton Jeanty Logs full practice Wednesday
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 5:09 PM
Jeanty (ankle) practiced fully Wednesday, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.
Analysis: When Jeanty left practice on Aug. 23, the initial concerns were significant because the running back wasn't able to put much pressure on his right leg as he exited the field. Adam Schefter of ESPN subsequently reported that Jeanty wasn't dealing with a long-term issue, and the diagnosis eventually revealed a low-ankle sprain. After logging all activity at Wednesday's session, Jeanty now is in the clear for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Dolphins, though he may still yield some RB reps to reserves Mike Washington and even Dylan Laube. |
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Listed as starting free safety
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 4:14 PM
Stukes is listed as the Raiders' starting free safety heading into Week 1 against the Dolphins on Sunday, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.
Analysis: The rookie second-rounder is slated to start alongside fellow safety Jeremy Chinn in the secondary, with Isaiah Pola-Mao, Dalton Johnson and Tristin McCollum providing depth at the position. Stukes put together a strong training camp and finished the preseason with 10 tackles (five solo) across three games. He'll be part of a defensive unit that was middle-of-the-pack in passing yards allowed per game (201.0) during the 2025 regular season. |
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Michael Mayer Michael Mayer Likely to start at TE for Raiders in Week 1
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 3:08 PM
Mayer appears lined up to take on a pronounced role as the Raiders' top tight end in Sunday's season opener against the Dolphins after Brock Bowers underwent a meniscus trim Tuesday and is expected to be out for "a game or two," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Bowers missed five games in 2025 due to a PCL injury and bone bruise in his left knee, and Mayer suited up in four of those contests and logged 90-plus-percent snap shares in all of them. In those four games, Mayer put together an 18-196-1 receiving line on 24 targets, a level of production that could make him an appealing lineup option in both DFS and season-long leagues in Week 1. |
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Brock Bowers Brock Bowers Undergoes meniscus trim, out 1-to-2 games
Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 3:04 PM
Bowers underwent a meniscus trim procedure Tuesday and is expected to miss "a game or two," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: This is huge news just before the season gets underway, as one of the top tight ends in the league is now expected to miss regular-season time. Per Schefter, Bowers suffered a minor knee injury in camp that was diagnosed last week. He underwent a meniscus trim rather than a repair, which will speed up his time to return to the field. Michael Mayer projects to see a usage boost for however long Bowers is sidelined. |
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