2023 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Las Vegas Raiders player outlooks, projections, schedule and more to know

The Las Vegas Raiders enter the 2023 season with a similar look besides one major difference, and that change will play the biggest factor in determining the Fantasy Football success of everyone on the roster. The Raiders traded out Derek Carr for Jimmy Garoppolo. In 2022, both Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs returned easy WR1 and RB1 value at their positions, with Jacobs having a strong case to be the breakout Fantasy player of 2022. How much of an impact will Garoppolo have on their success? Can rookie tight end Michael Mayer buck the trend of rookie tight ends starting slow in Fantasy? 

• AFC West: Chiefs | Chargers | Broncos

Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Raiders' entire team outlook, including a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, key player projections, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for notable Raiders players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.

Fantasy Football Today Newsletter

Know What Your Friends Don't

Get tips, advice and news to win your league - all from the FFT podcast team.

I agree to receive the "Fantasy Football Today Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies.

By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge Paramount's Privacy Policy.

See All Newsletters

Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.

Thanks for signing up!

Keep an eye on your inbox.

Sorry!

There was an error processing your subscription.

Raiders 2023 team outlook

By Chris Towers

The Raiders moved on from Derek Carr this offseason, tying their short-term hopes to Jimmy Garoppolo and his surgically repaired left foot. This team has too many expensive veterans to embark on a full rebuild, but this also feels like a team where things could go south a lot quicker than it might seem right now. 

Burning question: Will Jimmy G be healthy enough

Garoppolo underwent surgery on his foot shortly after signing with the Raiders this spring, and that led to a hold-up with his contract that apparently led to the addition of a clause where the Raiders can release him without penalty anytime this summer. That's a pretty big concern for your starting quarterback. The Raiders have a few high-profile Fantasy options in Jacobs and Adams, but it would be a lot harder to take them seriously if they had to go into the season with Brian Hoyer as the starter. There's some serious risk built into this offense. 

Raiders player projections

2023 NFL Draft class

1. (7) Tyree Wilson, OLB
2. (35) Michael Mayer, TE
3. (70) Byron Young, DL
3. (100) Tre Tucker, WR
4. (104) Jakorian Bennett, DB
4. (135) Aidan O'Connell, QB
5. (170) Christopher Smith II, DB
6. (203) Amari Burney, LB
7. (231) Nesta Jade Silvera, DT

Strength of Schedule rankings by Dave Richard

• QB PSoS: 19th easiest
• RB PSoS: 6th easiest
• WR PSoS: 20th easiest
• TE PSoS: 12th easiest

Raiders 2023 player outlooks

By Heath Cummings unless otherwise noted

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Garoppolo was supposed to be Josh McDaniels' replacement for Derek Carr in Las Vegas this year. He still may be, but offseason foot surgery has left Garoppolo's health in doubt. 

The veteran has only played 16 games once in his career and he's only played double-digit games three times. We won't advise drafting him in one-QB leagues even if he's 100% in the preseason, but you can't even consider him a two-QB starter until he's a full go. If the Raiders add another veteran QB in training camp, you can take that as a sign things may not be going well in Garoppolo's recovery. If Tom Brady shows up in silver and black, we'll know for sure.

RB Josh Jacobs

Jacobs should be selected in the first two rounds in the majority of Fantasy leagues and valued as a top-10 running back in all formats. 

There is an argument for him even higher than that. Jacobs is still just 25 years old and he averaged 23.1 touches per game last year. He returns to the same team with the same coach and the same competition for touches. He is younger than the other backs who touched the ball as much as him last year, and so less likely for a decline. His receiving volume has generally spiked when either Darren Waller or Hunter Renfrow have been off the field, and Waller has already been jettisoned to New York. 

If Jimmy Garoppolo is 100% in training camp, Jacobs has a real case to be this year's RB1.

RB Zamir White

White should be the primary backup to Josh Jacobs, at least on early downs. 

But if the Raiders distribute the ball like they did last year, it won't matter much. Jacobs hogged 79.4% of the team's rush attempts in 2022, and both Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden are more suited for the passing downs work than White. That leaves White as a late-round flier at best, and someone you'll likely cut once the bye weeks hit assuming Jacobs is healthy. 

White is a solid hold in Dynasty because Jacobs is a free agent at the end of this year. White becomes much more interesting if Jacobs holds out of training camp and continues to refuse to sign his franchise tag.

WR Davante Adams

We view Adams as a top-six wide receiver who should be drafted early in Round 2 in a majority of leagues.

 Adams' performance last year with Derek Carr and Jarrett Stidham provided further evidence that he is as quarterback-proof as any receiver in the league, so we aren't concerned about how he will do with  Garoppolo. But if Garoppolo's foot does not heal enough for him to play, and the Raiders enter the year with Brian Hoyer or Aidan O'Connell as the starter, we would have to reconsider just how QB-proof he really is. 

The other concern with Adams is his age, but that is a bigger concern in Dynasty -- where he is a No. 2 receiver now -- than it is in redraft. Adams has at least 100 catches and 1,300 receiving yards in four of his past five seasons. He's showing no signs of slowing down.

WR Hunter Renfrow

Renfrow saw 16 targets in his first two games last year, but he battled injuries the rest of the way and only saw more than four targets in a game twice from Week 3 on. 

He has added competition with the arrival of Jakobi Meyers, which is why we wouldn't draft him before Round 15 in any league. As long as Davante Adams remains on the roster, it is hard to see enough targets for both Meyers and Renfrow to be Fantasy relevant, and it's quite possible neither will be. Adams was the only player on the roster to average more than 44 receiving yards per game in 2022. 

Barring an injury, Renfrow's best path to Fantasy success may be on a different roster.

WR Jakobi Meyers

From Jamey Eisenberg

After signing with the Raiders, Meyers is expected to be the No. 2 target in the passing game behind Davante Adams, making him worth drafting as a No. 4 Fantasy receiver with a mid- to late-round pick. 

In Las Vegas, Meyers should get a quarterback and offensive coaching upgrade with Jimmy Garoppolo and Josh McDaniels, who hopefully can get even more out of Meyers, who had a breakout year in 2022 by averaging 12.9 PPR points per game. He scored a career-high six touchdowns last season, and we'll see how he does operating opposite Adams. The Raiders also have Renfrow and Michael Mayer in need of targets, but Meyers should be a favorite option for Garoppolo. 

If things go right, Meyers could emerge as a weekly starter in three-receiver leagues.

TE Michael Mayer

Mayer was the third tight end drafted in the NFL Draft and should instantly compete with Austin Hooper for the targets vacated by Darren Waller's departure. 

Mayer's value is much higher in Dynasty than redraft, partially because Hooper is there and partially because rookie tight ends traditionally struggle to make a Fantasy impact. In redraft leagues, we aren't drafting him before Round 15, but that could rise with some camp buzz and a good preseason. In Dynasty leagues, he should be drafted in Round 2 of most rookie-only drafts. Don't be surprised if you have to wait a year or more, but Mayer has all the tools to eventually turn into a must-start Fantasy option in the right offense.

TE Austin Hooper

Hooper will compete with rookie top-35 pick Mayer and veteran O.J. Howard for snaps and targets in Las Vegas. Although projected starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo has generated production out of the tight end position throughout his career, Hooper hasn't given much reason for optimism that he can be a Fantasy asset. Hooper finished inside the top 12 at TE just twice in 2022, and one of those games featured two short touchdowns – his only two of the season. Hooper is best left undrafted.

K Daniel Carlson

Carlson is one of the top kicker options available in Fantasy and should be drafted in the final two rounds of your draft. He has made over 90% of his kicks three seasons in a row and led the NFL in both field goal attempts and field goal makes in 2021. Carlson will kick in controlled conditions in 13 of 17 games, including all but one game after Thanksgiving. We are currently ranking him as if Jimmy Garoppolo will be the starting quarterback. If Garoppolo's foot isn't better by the start of training camp, Carlson could see a small dip in his ranking.

Raiders DST

Only the Bears scored fewer Fantasy points than the Raiders in 2022. They set out to fix that by adding Marcus Epps, David Long and Robert Spillane in free agency. Then they used their first-round pick on pass rusher Tyree Wilson. While they should be better in 2023, we still don't believe they'll be good enough to be a top-20 unit. At best, they'll be a streamer against the league's worst offenses.