The Las Vegas Raiders are preparing for a Week 2 divisional game against the Los Angeles Chargers. This matchup creates several interesting questions for fantasy football managers. We will analyze the weekly outlook for key Raiders players, including Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty, Jakobi Meyers, and Brock Bowers. This breakdown will help you make the right start-or-sit decisions for the upcoming week.
Geno Smith, QB
Smith is a professional quarterback who can take what the defense gives him.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s really not unique these days.
He was able to pile up the numbers against the Patriots last week because the Raiders couldn’t move the ball even a little on the ground, something that I don’t expect to be a common occurrence this season.
What I do love is that Smith fed Bowers or Meyers 54.5% of his targets. That sort of distribution is how a more pocket-based quarterback will provide value in the right matchup for a depleted fantasy team.
Inject Geno Smith throws directly into my veins pic.twitter.com/DD3XqFAQ91
— Blaiden Kirk (@blaiden) September 12, 2025
But the Chargers aren’t that matchup-wise, and Week 2 isn’t the time to worry about the waiver wire at the QB position. Vegas gets the Jaguars with a week to prepare in early November and the Cowboys two weeks later. Smith is going to be in the conversation when your options get thinner in the middle of the season, so keep an eye on what he’s doing.
Ashton Jeanty, RB
There is something to be said for the rookie jitters, but that’s not what Week 1 was for the Raiders.
They just lack high-end talent around their two-star players, and that was abundantly clear.
Against the Patriots, a defense that we are lukewarm on at best, 115.8% of Jeanty’s rushing yards came after contact.
That’s not a typo.
The touchdown showcased his ability to run hard and through arm tackles, but maybe we work a little harder to get him into space? You know, give him a chance to succeed? Please?
We believe him to be a generational talent, yet he failed to gain yardage on eight of his 19 carries on Sunday. That 42.1% clip ranked him 660th of 662 RBs with at least that much work in a game since 2020.
READ MORE: Soppe’s Week 2 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
That’s not a Jeanty problem, but it will be a problem for Jeanty managers if it doesn’t get cleared up sooner rather than later.
The Chargers allowed Chiefs not named Patrick Mahomes to pick up just 41 yards on 11 carries last week and have had plenty of time to build out a game plan that exploits Las Vegas’ weaknesses.
I’m not overly optimistic that we get any sort of breakout performance this week, but his featured role is safe, and his talent is undeniable. That makes him an easy start, even if the house around him is at risk of burning down.
Jakobi Meyers, WR
Meyers was the first Raider to have multiple receptions last week and went on to finish as their top player in both catches and targets (30.3% share).
Surprised?
You probably shouldn’t be.
Per-game metrics since Week 8, 2024:
- Meyers: 15.9 points, 6.4 catches, 101.0 air yards
- Drake London: 15.6 points, 5.8 catches, 115.1 air yards
- Terry McLaurin: 15.5 points, 4.5 catches, 89.6 air yards
- Garrett Wilson: 14.9 points, 5.6 catches, 80.6 air yards
- A.J. Brown: 13.9 points, 4.7 catches, 79.3 air yards
- Tyreek Hill: 13.6 points, 5.1 catches, 82.8 air yards
That seemingly random starting point was Meyers’ first game following the trade of Davante Adams. He’s seen 9+ targets in eight of those 11 games, and it’s not as if his production has come at the expense of Brock Bowers, so what is stopping you from playing him?
I will say that I don’t love this matchup. The Chargers were the best short pass defense in the league last season, and if that spreads the range of possible outcomes, maybe you have two receivers and a flex that I prefer, but that’s not overly likely.
Meyers is a low-end WR2 for me, this week and until I’m given a reason to pivot.
Brock Bowers, TE
If you’re reading this, you’re aware of Bowers, and that’s a machine. We’ve seen him on the professional stage 18 times, and he’s already hit 90 receiving yards seven times.
For context, Justin Jefferson, Puka Nacua, and Ja’Marr Chase all had seven such stat lines through their first 18 career games. In fact, since 2000, Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz are the only players to top seven in that very niche stat that you can now flaunt at your Week 2 watch party.
#Raiders TE Brock Bowers is back at practice today
He missed the last two days with that knee injury pic.twitter.com/9IdMV4Rvu2
— Jesse Merrick – Silver & Black Sports Network (@JesseSBSN) September 13, 2025
I’m not worried about the knee injury that he seemed to pick up late last week, and I’m not concerned about Michael Mayer earning a red-zone target. For me, Mayer is Tyler Allgeier to Bowers’ Bijan Robinson, case closed.
You spent up at the position this summer to have a built-in edge every week over your league. While Smith may not be a perfect QB, he certainly looked comfortable in funneling the targets where they needed to go in this offense, and that’s all you care about.
Bowers had 8+ targets in both Charger games last season, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t make it three-for-three in that regard this week.
