Fantasy Football Player Notes

The No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft could have an enormous fantasy impact right away. Jeanty is fast, has great vision, and his contact balance is otherworldly. Jeanty is used to handling big workloads after being a heavy-duty back at Boise State, and he adds value as a pass catcher. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly likes to run his offenses at a brisk pace, which should help Jeanty pile up touches. I have no issues with anyone who wants to take Ashton Jeanty in the top half of the first round in 2025 fantasy drafts.

It will be fascinating to see what Brock Bowers can do for an encore after a fabulous rookie year. Playing most of the season at age 21, Bowers had 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns, breaking the records for most receiving yards by a rookie tight ends and most receptions by a rookie at any position. It was the highest reception total by a tight end since Zach Ertz had a record-setting 116 catches for the Eagles in 2018. Bowers managed all of that despite the Raiders finishing 27th in team passer rating. Las Vegas has upgraded its QB situation by trading for Geno Smith, and the only significant pass-catching addition the Raiders made in the offseason was drafting WR Jack Bech in the second round. Bowers should once again be the leading pass catcher in the Las Vegas offense and has a good chance to repeat as the fantasy TE1.

The Raiders traded a third-round draft pick for Geno Smith in March and gave him a two-year contract extension worth $85.5 million. Smith will helm an intriguing Raiders offense that will be guided by new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who likes to run his offense at an uptempo pace. TE Brock Bowers was a revelation as a rookie, WR Jakobi Meyers is a dependable veteran, and the Raiders added RB Ashton Jeanty and WR Jack Bech in the draft. Smith finished QB13 in fantasy scoring last season, averaging 16.5 fantasy points per game. He completed 70.4% of his passes last season for 4,320 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Smith will be drafted as a low-end QB2 or high-end QB3 but could once again finish as a high-end QB2.

Jack Bech was one of the most efficient receivers in the 2025 class, leading all rookies in expected points added (EPA) per target - a clear sign that good things happened when the ball was in his hands at TCU. The Raiders took notice, selecting him 58th overall and giving him solid Day 2 draft capital that cements his status as a top-tier rookie WR for fantasy. Bech posted a 28% dominator rating in 2024 and impressed at the Senior Bowl, helping shake the "one-year wonder" label that stems more from circumstance than ability - he began his career at LSU competing with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. With Jakobi Meyers in a contract year (and requesting a trade) and little depth behind him, Bech has a real opportunity to carve out a meaningful role early.

I love the addition of Thornton to this Raiders' wide receiver room. He fits in nicely with the receivers they already have on the roster as a field-stretching compliment. He should be starting in three wide receiver sets shortly over Tre Tucker. Thornton had only 34 targets last season, but he posted a whopping 3.72 yards per route run (per PFF). With his elite build-up speed, he will take the top off of plenty of defenses in 2025. If Las Vegas hands Thornton Jr. the D.K. Metcalf route tree in year one as a full-time starter, he could surprise people, but that's not a given. It's tough to project him to become a high-end target share earner in 2025, but he could easily offer some week-winning upside from the flex when the matchup is right.

Raheem Mostert lands with the Raiders as Ashton Jeanty's backup. Jeanty should be the team's clear bell-cow, with Mostert only offering some change of pace carrries weekly. Mostert looked like a player on his last NFL legs last season, with only a 14% missed tackle rate and 1.76 yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). He's a deep league/final-round handcuff pick only.

The Raiders play the second-most games indoors in 2025. Daniel Carlson has one finish outside the top-10 in the last five seasons (2023).

After entering Preseason Game Week 3 after Ashton Jeanty, Zamir White appears like the handcuff in Las Vegas over veteran Raheem Mostert. Doesn't need to be drafted in most formats but in deeper formats he could be stashed for Jeanty managers.