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.

Davante Adams might be getting long in the tooth, but he showed no signs of slowing down last year. He finished with at least 100 receptions, 1,300 receiving yards, and 11 receiving touchdowns for the fourth time in the last five seasons. He led all wide receivers in target share (32.6%) while also ranking fifth in air-yard share (39.4%) and eighth in fantasy points per route run. While the Raiders look unsettled at the quarterback position with the team moving on from Derek Carr, Adams should be perfectly fine in 2023 as a volume-based WR1.

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 and Foster Moreau's likely free agency departure. 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, since he's hitting free agency this spring and won't be re-signed. Jimmy G would be miscast in a high-volume passing offense, and he adds minimal rushing value, so at best he'll be a midrange QB2 in fantasy. 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. But wherever he lands, he probably won't have as strong a supporting cast as he had in San Francisco.

After finishing TE3 in fantasy points per game in 2019, Austin Hooper has largely been a fantasy afterthought ever since. He's had fewer than 450 receiving yards in each of the last three years, and he finished TE25 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring last season. Even though he has signed with the Raiders and has less target competition in the TE room, the 28-year-old Hooper offers limited upside for 2023.