Fantasy Football Player Notes

Josh Jacobs was arguably the most valuable fantasy asset during the fantasy football regular season based on his finish as the RB2 overall in relation to his super cheap draft-day ADP. The market was convinced that Jacobs would become part of a dreaded RB-by-committee under new head coach Josh McDaniels, but that was hardly the case. He was a full-blown bellcow for the Raiders leading the NFL in touches through 17 weeks. The 24-year-old is returning to Las Vegas on the franchise tag after leading the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards. With a similar cast of characters returning as depth behind him, it's hard to envision the Raiders not heavily leaning on him again as a true featured back.

Nobody boasted a higher target share than Davante Adams in 2022. The ex-Packers WR showed the entire world he didn't need Aaron Rodgers, hanging a league-leading 32.3% target share while finishing third in fantasy points per game (16.8). He even showed that he could thrive without Derek Carr, catching 7 balls for 153 yards and 2 TDs in a Week 17 contest with Jarrett Stidham under center.

The obvious concerns about Adams are his age (will be 31 in December) and how he will gel with injury-prone Jimmy Garoppolo as his new QB. But Adams showed zero signs of aging with the league's fifth-highest yards per route run (2.45) as PFF's second-highest graded WR. I also don't believe the fit with Jimmy G is as poor as many may lead on. Garoppolo is an accurate quarterback - 6th in completion rate last season - which should allow Adams to vacuum up targets and add yardage after the catch.

I also fully expect any QB issues to be mitigated to some extent by sheer volume, as the depth chart is barren behind Adams and Jakobi Meyers for targets. Hunter Renfrow is expected to be traded or cut by June 1st.

Josh McDaniels took another step today in making the Raiders "Patriots west" as they inked Jakobi Meyers to a three-year deal. This is a welcome addition to a Raiders' wide receiver room that was looking thin outside of Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow (Mack Hollins is a FA). The dominoes might not be done falling, though, as this could also signal a Renfrow departure. Renfrow can be cut, and the Raiders can save 1.5 million against the cap. The likeliest outcome is that Renfrow remains in Vegas this year and is cut bait next year when the team can save 8.2 million against the cap next year by kicking him to the curb. The Raiders are surrounding their new starting quarterback with underneath weapons. Meyers will rotate slot work with Renfrow. Meyers played 69.5% from the slot last year (Renfrow 86.0%), drawing a 22.0% target share (29th), a 25.8% target per route run rate (22nd), and a 27.4% air yard share as the Patriots' number one option. He was 29th in PFF receiving grade and 23rd in yards per route run (minimum 50 targets per PFF). Meyers has been the WR29 and WR35 in fantasy points per game over the last two seasons. Meyers' signing could signal the Raiders' plan to deploy more 11 personnel this season after ranking 18th in the use of three-plus wide receiver sets last year. Meyers will compete with Hunter Renfrow for second in line at the target water fountain. Meyers is a low-ceiling WR3/4 that gets a small boost in PPR formats.

Jimmy Garoppolo was averaging 16.7 fantasy points per game through the first 12 weeks of the 2022 season before breaking his foot in a Week 13 game against the Dolphins. The injury ended Garoppolo's season and ended his time with the 49ers. Now Garoppolo is replacing Derek Carr as the starting quarterback for the Raiders. He isn't going to be a high-volume passer in Las Vegas, and he adds minimal rushing value, so at best Garoppolo will be a lower-end QB2 in fantasy this year. But Garoppolo is an underrated passer who's completed better than 67% of his passes in each of the last four seasons and has a career YPA of 8.3 yards. He's no fantasy savior, but he has at least modest value in redraft leagues.

The addition of Jakobi Meyers this offseason bumps Hunter Renfrow down a peg. Any hope of his magical 2021 season resurfacing this year with improved health should be put to bed. Meyers won't come off the field when the Raiders utilize multiple tight ends or running backs. Renfrow will. Last year Las Vegas was 18th in the NFL in the usage of three or more wide receiver sets. Renfrow will be regulated to a part-time role with flex appeal when a soft nickel matchup presents itself. He's not worth drafting for your redraft squads, as you'll likely drop him to waivers by Week 3.

Regarded by many as the top two-way tight end in the Class of 2023, Michael Mayer of Notre Dame has drawn comparisons to Jason Witten because he shines as both a pass catcher and blocker. Mayer had more than 800 receiving yards in each of his last two college seasons, scoring seven touchdowns in 2021 and nine in 2022. Mayer will replace Darren Waller as the Raiders' top tight end and should at least flirt with fantasy relevance as a rookie.