Las Vegas

Raiders

Bryant, the team’s No. 3 TE, and No. 4 TE Justin Shorter (illness) were both unable to practice on Wednesday but, fortunately, No. 2 TE Michael Mayer (personal) returned to play in Week 11 after an extended absence. Mayer’s presence helps negate concern over depth.

Raiders slot CB Nate Hobbs (ankle) and No. 2 perimeter CB Jack Jones (back) were also unable to practice on Wednesday. The development pushes the Broncos’ ascending rookie QB Bo Nix firmly into the QB1 ranks. His pass catchers are likewise on the rise this week.

The ineffectual north-south rusher was forced from play in Week 11, as was backfield-mate Alexander Mattison (ankle). The two kickoff Week 12 unable to participate, potentially consolidating touches to long-time veteran Ameer Abdullah. Pierce may opt to give rookie Dylan Laube another shot though.

Both Mattison and Zamir White (quad) will begin Week 12 with DNP designations after being forced from play in Week 11. Mattison was barely fantasy-relevant before this development. His injury makes him an easy drop candidate.

We’re beginning to think we’ll never get to see Desmond Ridder waste the Raiders’ time. Minshew went for 282, two touchdowns, and one pick on Sunday against a Dolphins team that seemed pathologically unable to guard Brock Bowers. The Broncos will be a tougher test, one that likely will make Minshew a bottom-tier QB2 at best in most Week 12 rankings.

The Raiders kept things close through two quarters but started taking on water in the second half, forcing them to cut Gardner Minshew loose. For Minshew, that meant peppering Bowers with easy looks to keep the chains moving. In turn, Bowers did the bulk of his damage in the final two quarters. He had four grabs for 40 through 30 minutes of action and then lit the Dolphins up for nine catches, 86 yards, and a touchdown in the second half. Staring down a likely loss to the Broncos next week, we should expect a similar game script for the Raiders in Week 12. Bowers will remain a contender for the TE1 overall rank next week.

Tucker finished third on the team in targets but was only tied with Jakobi Meyers for fourth in yards. He is one of many ancillary Raiders pieces with the potential to pop up for a usable fantasy game, only to return to the depths of fantasy obscurity the following week. Fantasy managers can ignore Tucker, DJ Turner and the rest of the Vegas pass-catchers outside of Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers heading into Week 12.

Meyers finished second on the team in targets but took a backseat to rookie tight end Brock Bowers this week. Bowers saw 16 targets and went for 126 yards and a touchdown. With Gardner Minshew attempting 43 passes, Meyer’s six targets were good for a measly 14 percent target share. Meyers and Bowers will continue to trade off high-volume games, but it’s painfully clear that Bowers is the better option for the success of the offense. Meyers should rebound in Week 12 versus the Broncos, but his WR2 aspirations have become WR3 reality moving forward.

Abdullah normally plays an extremely limited role in the offense, subbing in for some passing downs with little impact on the fantasy landscape. That would have been the case this week, but both Alexander Mattison and Zamir White left with injuries and did not return. With Dylan Laube a healthy scratch, Abdullah was the last man standing. If both backs are out next week, Abdullah would presumably get the start and split the backfield with Laube. Fantasy managers desperate for an RB3 could do worse off the waiver wire this week.

Minshew game-managed his way to two field goals and a four-point deficit at halftime. The Dolphins started to pull away and Minshew initially looked capable of keeping up with a touchdown toss to Brock Bowers. The rookie did most of the work, catching the ball near the line of scrimmage before shedding a would-be tackler en route to a 23-yard score. Still, it was a solid drive for the offense that kept them in the game. Minshew again answered the call with another touchdown throw on the team’s next drive, this one another YAC-based completion to Ameer Abdullah. This is where the magic ended as Minshew threw a brutal interception on a possible miscommunication with Jakobi Meyers late in the fourth quarter, functionally ending the game. Minshew is still the Raiders’ best bet at quarterback, but that isn’t saying much. Head coach Antonio Pierce may still turn to Desmond Ridder for Vegas’s Week 12 matchup with Denver.