Jakobi

Meyers

The Raiders restructured Meyers’ deal and cleared $4.125 million in cap in the process. Meyers joined the Raiders on a three-year, $33 million contract last offseason and caught 71 passes for 807 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns in his first year with the team. Assuming the Raiders don’t do anything drastic to address receiver this offseason, Meyers should have upside as a WR3 this upcoming season.

Meyers was brought in as a free agent by the Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler regime that he worked with in New England. His familiarity with the system was on full display early in the year as he averaged 58 receiving yards and scored five times in seven games before McDaniels was fired. His numbers took a hit under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Meyers averaged 49 yards per game over the second half of the season. Still, it was clear he was the team’s second-best pass-catcher behind Davante Adams. Meyers finished the year with 71 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran for two scores and threw one more. The Raiders’ quarterback situation for 2024 is up in the air, but Meyers should manage WR3 fantasy numbers no matter who is throwing him the ball.

Meyers was a distant second to Davante Adams in targets, as Adams had 21 looks on the day. Meyers had an up-and-down 2023 campaign, his first with Vegas. He functioned as the team’s No. 1 receiver early in the season largely because he is a former Patriot and former head coach Josh McDaniels strived to recreate the Pats in Vegas. Adams rightfully took over as the runaway WR1 after McDaniels’ firing. Meyers had more than four receptions in just three of the team’s final eight games. Five of his seven touchdowns came in the season’s first six weeks. Meyers will be a decent WR3 option in 2024 if Adams stays in Vegas.

Meyers was on the receiving end of half of Aidan O’Connell’s completions and accounted for over two-thirds of his team’s receiving yards. The Raiders offense was just that bad. Meyers has topped 50 yards once in his past eight games and has two touchdowns over that stretch. He will rank as a WR4 versus the Colts for the final round of most fantasy playoffs.

Yes, things got weird enough that Meyers was allowed to attempt not one, but two passes, with the second going for a three-yard touchdown strike to Davante Adams. It made the score 49-0 four minutes into the third quarter. The Raiders went on to win 63-21. You could argue that actually makes Meyers’ box score mediocre, but the Chargers kept setting up short Raiders fields with turnovers. Vegas also scored two defensive touchdowns. It is true that Meyers is no longer seeing WR3 volume. That’s unlikely to change in Week 16 against the Chiefs.

Meyers struggled in a horrendous game for Aidan O’Connell, who managed a meager 171 yards without a touchdown against Minnesota. Meyers was coming off a strong performance against Kansas City (79 yards and a touchdown) and should suffice as a fine WR3/4 option in Week 15 against the Chargers. Meyers had two catches for 33 yards in Week 3 against LA.

Jakobi Meyers matched Davante Adams in most respects on Sunday, seeing the same number of targets and six more yards. The first-year Raider didn’t just work over the middle of the field either, hooking up with Aidan O’Connell on a beautiful sideline fade as well. Meyers’ touchdown was a well-designed crossing route with Hunter Renfrow, where the Chiefs defense simply lost track of Meyers over the middle of the field. He is no longer just a PPR-league target in fantasy leagues.

Meyers saw pedestrian usage in the Raiders’ loss, getting some deep looks in the fourth quarter. He was targeted on a deep endzone throw from Aidan O’Connell, but it was inaccurate and fell incomplete. Meyers is number two to Davante Adams, and has a boom-or-bust outlook in the Raiders offense. He is a touchdown-dependent WR3 for Week 12 against the Chiefs.

Meyers and fellow wide receiver Davante Adams seem to be trading volume performances with the recent emphasis on the ground game under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. As such, expect the once-high floor seen earlier in the season to be relegated to a more boom-bust fantasy profile for the remainder of the season.

Meyers didn’t do much in the receiving game (like everyone else), but was able to run in a reverse for a 17-yard touchdown. He salvaged his fantasy day with that, but it’s hard to know whether or not he can be consistent with Aidan O’Connell at quarterback.