The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Miami Dolphins in Week 11. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Raiders skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 11 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Gardner Minshew II, QB
Gardner Minshew II just doesn’t have the support to return anything close to viable numbers. There will be weeks where Jakobi Meyers and/or Brock Bowers elevate his status to that of a reasonable DFS punt play as part of a contrarian stack, but I’d rather not tempt fate against an above-average blitzing defense that could pin its ears back if it plays with a lead.
Minshew has thrown 139 passes on the road this season — he has three touchdowns and seven interceptions to show for them.
Alexander Mattison, RB
“Matchup-proof” is typically used in a positive light, but the Raiders’ run game is “matchup-proof” in the sense that there is no matchup that would prove worthy of our attention.
Alexander Mattison is the lead in this backfield, and I think that title is reasonably safe, but considering he hasn’t had a 20-yard gain since September, what exactly is the path to viable production?
If not for a garbage-time score at the very end of Week 9, cutting a 24-point deficit to 17 with 22 seconds left, this Raiders team would be without an outing of 21+ points since Week 3. There is no requirement for every backfield in the NFL to have a running back who deserves to be rostered, let alone considered in the Flex conversation, something of which Las Vegas is proof positive.
Jakobi Meyers, WR
As we grow older, we learn that not all calories are created equal. Some foods offer more value to your body than others, even if one specific category reads the same. Five catches in five straight games in most spots would result in that player garnering top-25 interest in my rankings. But the empty-calorie nature of Jakobi Meyers’ targets has me treating him like any health nut would Pop-Tarts.
Avoid.
I think Meyers is a good player and would love to see him given the ability to thrive elsewhere, but betting on this Raiders offense is something I’m getting less comfortable doing weekly as the importance of every fantasy matchup rises. Despite the volume, Meyers has reached triple digits in air yards just once this season and has three games this season without a red-zone target (two of which saw him not even run a route inside the opponents’ 20-yard line).
Woof.
If you’re in a bind and need a reasonable floor in a PPR setting, I could see squinting your way to getting him into your lineup. But without much of a ceiling, I’m looking elsewhere in most situations.
Brock Bowers, TE
You read my concerns about Jakobi Meyers — you can go ahead and transfer them all to Brock Bowers (held without a red-zone target in six of nine games this season). But by playing the tight end position, we have no problem taking on more risk, and that makes the raw volume of Bowers more than enough to slot him in as a top-five option at the position week in and week out.
The rookie has at least eight targets in a position-best six games this season — and that’s plenty. You got a bargain on Bowers during your draft and can feel good about riding him for the remainder of the season, understanding that the cost is going to be significantly different entering next season.
Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins Trends
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: The Raiders are -14 in the turnover department, their worst mark through nine games since 2004 (-15).
QB: In his last two starts, Gardner Minshew is 24-30 when not pressured (80%, though none of those passes resulted in a touchdown).
Offense: Only once this season has Las Vegas scored more than two offensive touchdowns in a game (Week 2 vs. Panthers).
Defense: In their past two games, the Raiders have allowed 20 third down conversions (in their first seven games total: 24).
Fantasy: Despite the volume that comes from a favorable role, Jakobi Meyers has reached triple digits in air yards just once this season and has three games this season without a red zone target (two of which saw him not even run a route inside the opponents’ 20-yard line).
Betting: The Raiders have seen under tickets cash in five of their past six games played on extended rest.
Miami Dolphins
Team: Based on lookahead lines, the Dolphins are expected to have a +5 point differential for the remainder of the season.
QB: Tua Tagovailoa has thrown at least 28 passes and completed at least 71% of his attempts in all three of his games back from the concussion. Patrick Mahomes is the only other player to string together three games like that since the beginning of 2023.
Offense: The Dolphins have multiple red zone touchdowns in all three games since Tagovailoa’s return (they have zero such games through Week 7).
Defense: In Weeks 1-3, Miami allowed 58 first half points. In their six games since, they’ve coughed up just 38 first half points.
Fantasy: Miami threw a pass on seven of their first eight plays on Monday night against the Rams with a focus on getting Jaylen Waddle involved (three targets, two catches, 55 yards).
Betting: Under tickets have cashed in seven of Miami’s last eight home games in Week 11 or later.