There was a lot of news with the Raiders on Monday, and we might not be done talking about them prior to Week 1. Amari Cooper signed a one-year deal with Las Vegas, while the NFL Network reported that Jakobi Meyers has requested a trade because he’s unhappy with his contract. The Raiders also traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett, but that’s a fantasy-worthy story — for now.
The receivers matter to us, and we’ll work off the current depth chart, which includes Meyers, Cooper, Dont’e Thornton Jr., Jack Bech, and Tre Tucker as the top five options. If everyone remains with the team this season, then I still like Meyers the best, but his value is on the decline.
He’s coming off a career-best season in 2024 at 14.5 PPR points per game, and he also averaged 13.8 PPR points per game in 2023. Meyers was being drafted in Round 7 based on his CBS Sports average draft position, which felt like solid value. Now, the earliest I would draft him is Round 8, if he remains with the Raiders.
He still has the chance to be the best receiver in Las Vegas, but there are plenty of mouths to feed after Cooper was added, especially with Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty. Thornton had a strong training camp and was looking like a quality sleeper with a late-round pick, and Bech and Tucker were going to be complementary options.
We’ll have to see what Cooper, 31, has left to offer, but he was awful last season with the Browns and Bills. In six games with Cleveland and eight with Buffalo, Cooper combined for just 44 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns on 85 targets. He only had four games with more than 10 PPR points.
I’m not expecting much from Cooper, and Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him to turn back the clock with the Raiders. He started his career in Oakland in 2015, and he averaged at least 13.2 PPR points per game in each of his first two seasons with the Raiders.
At this point in his career, Cooper might not even start ahead of Thornton. I would only take a late-round flier on Cooper in deeper leagues.
I’m more interested in Thornton; the fourth-round rookie from Tennessee was working with the starters in practice. He also caught a nice touchdown in the third preseason game against the Cardinals on a 17-yard reception in tight coverage. Thornton is worth a late-round flier in all leagues since the 6-foot-5 speedster will hopefully continue to have a prominent role, even with the addition of Cooper.
Bech is more of a long-term option in Las Vegas, and he should only be rostered in dynasty leagues or deeper redraft formats. That is, unless Meyers is traded. That would give Bech the opportunity to be the primary slot receiver for the Raiders, and that’s where he’s best suited.
At TCU in 2024, Bech had 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns, and he could be a weapon in Las Vegas once Meyers is gone. Of course, that might not happen until 2026.
I would expect Cooper’s addition to likely impact Tucker the most. The third-year receiver has yet to produce consistent production, and while he was slated to start this season, I’m hopeful the Raiders keep Thornton on the field and move Tucker to the bench if Cooper is going to start. But even if Tucker remains a starter, he’s not worth drafting in the majority of leagues.
Geno Smith isn’t going to get drafted in one-quarterback leagues, but he’s not bad as a low-end starter in Superflex and two-quarterback formats. And don’t worry about Pickett, who was added for depth since Aidan O’Connell (wrist) is out.
Finally, we can’t talk about the passing game in Las Vegas and not mention Bowers. Even with the addition of Cooper, Bowers remains the No. 1 Fantasy tight end to draft this year, and he should be selected in the middle to the end of Round 2 in all leagues.
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