Tag: Ameer Abdullah

Fantasy Football waiver wire: 12 running backs to target in Week 6

These 12 running backs should be waiver wire targets in your fantasy football league this week.

As we wait for tonight’s Monday Night Football showdown between the Chiefs and Saints to wrap up Week 5, fantasy football managers are already considering their waiver wire options for next week.

The top option at wide receiver this week is Josh Downs (35%). Zach Ertz (49%) is a quality tight end option, and quarterback Kirk Cousins (46%) is coming off a huge game on Thursday Night Football last week. 

Today, though, we’re focusing on running back. We’ve put together a quick list of 12 running backs to target on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 6. If you’re looking for reinforcements at RB, consider these options.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Running Backs

1. RB Tank Bigsby (10%): Bigsby got more carries (13) than Travis Etienne (six) and he rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns while Etienne ended the day with just 17 rushing yards. Etienne remains an option in PPR formats after hauling in six catches, but Bigsby played one more snap in Week 5 and he could emerge as the team’s new RB1.

2. RB Tyrone Tracy (19%): Devin Singletary missed Sunday’s game with a groin injury and Tracy stepped up, rushing 18 times for 129 yards. That kind of production should signal more opportunities going forward. 

3. RB Braelon Allen (42%): Allen (and the entire Jets offense) struggled on Sunday, but he’s still taking away touches from Breece Hall. Allen is an important handcuff with standalone flex value when New York has better matchups. 

4. RB Tyler Allgeier (43%): Another important handcuff with standalone value, Allgeier got nine touches this week, eating into the workload of Bijan Robinson (15 touches). 

5. RB Ty Chandler (35%): Aaron Jones left Sunday’s game with a hip injury and Chandler took over RB1 duties after that. The Vikings have a bye this week, but if Jones misses any games, Chandler will be an important pickup. 

6. RB Roschon Johnson (12%): D’Andre Swift (21 carries, two targets) remains Chicago’s top running back, but Johnson got 10 carries this week and he scored twice on the ground. He’s worth flex consideration. 

7. RB Jaylen Wright (8%): De’Von Achane suffered a concussion on Sunday, which led to 13 carries for 86 yards for Wright. Raheem Mostert (63%) seems to be the RB1 when Achane is unavailable (he got 19 carries this week), but Wright could remain fantasy relevant if Achane misses any games. Miami has a bye this week. 

8. RB Trey Sermon (50%): Jonathan Taylor missed this week’s game with an ankle injury and Sermon got the nod in his place. Sermon rushed 10 times for 38 yards and a touchdown while adding six catches for 25 yards. If Taylor misses any more games, Sermon is a serviceable fill-in at RB. 

9. RB Alexander Mattison (41%): Zamir White missed Sunday’s game with a groin injury, but even if he hadn’t, coach Antonio Pierce had previously hinted that the Raiders planned to make changes at running back. Mattison led the team with 15 carries in Week 5 and he also drew three targets.

10. RB Ameer Abdullah (1%): Mattison was the Raiders’ starter on Sunday, but Abdullah arguably looked like the team’s best running back. The veteran turned five carries into 42 yards and a touchdown and he also caught all three of his targets. Abdullah is worth a look in deeper leagues. 

11. RB Audric Estime (1%): Estime is eligible to return from injured reserve this week and the Broncos have left a spot open for him on the 53-man roster. Estime could quickly earn a role in Denver’s backfield. 

12. RB Keaton Mitchell (4%): Mitchell (ACL) was eligible to return last week, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he’s yet ready to return to practice. Mitchell might still be worth stashing on your IR spot if it’s open.

Bonus: Nick Chubb (79%), Kareem Hunt (72%), Jonathon Brooks (63%) and Bucky Irving (58%) are already rostered in most leagues, but double check just to make sure they’re not still available in your league. 

Roster percentages for players listed in this article were sourced from ESPN. For more fantasy coverage, check out our fantasy football hub.

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When it comes to kick and punt returns Raiders have good problem

When it comes to kick and punt returns Raiders have good problem

One position on the Raiders roster that doesn’t get discussed much, but probably should be is return specialist. It has become one of the more deep positions on the team, with several very good options to line up there.

Last season, the Raiders had one return specialist. One. It was DeAndre Carter who is no longer on the team. He returned both kicks and punts.

This year, those duties could go to as many as five different players on the team.

If you look at the depth chart on the Raiders website, they have Ameer Abdullah, DJ Turner, and Dylan Laube listed as kick returners and Tre Tucker and Abdullah as punt returners.

It was Abdullah who was the team’s primary kick returner back in 2022, which explains his spot atop the depth chart. Turner returned a few kicks and punts that season as well. Tucker was originally drafted for his speed and was electric returning punts this preseason. And Laube was drafted this year in part because the team hoped he would be a a good fit for the new kickoff rules. Though he didn’t show much in preseason.

The funny thing is, though, it may be that none of them are the team’s primary return specialist this season. That job could go to former CFLer Tyreik McAllister.

“I remember the first time Tyreik caught a punt return and it wasn’t even a full cover,” Abdullah recalled. “He just went along his track and he was just dat-dat-dat-dat-dat. His feet was just kinda like the Roadrunner. I was like ‘that dude can spin’. And to see it in live action, it just shows that it translates. I think the world of him.”

When Abdullah says it translates, he’s speaking of McCallister’s 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in the team’s preseason finale against the 49ers while averaging 30 yards per kick return in the preseason opener in Minnesota

McAllister put up return records last season with the CFL’s Hamilton Tigercats. The Raiders brought him in for that reason and he was a mainstay with the return specialists throughout the offseason and camp. The skills he put on display in the CFL showed up big time for the Raiders and earned him a place on the Raiders roster.

This does present a bit of a dilemma, though, for head coach Antonio Pierce.

McAllister lit up two of the preseason games on kicks and punts and Tucker showed off his speed with a 43-yard punt return in the second preseason game against the Cowboys. So, who gets the job come the season? That’s a good problem to have. And it sounds like the team is leaning toward McAllister.

“One is cool. Two’s better,” Pierce said of picking between Tucker and McAllister. “I mean, to be honest, McAllister’s role on offense is still to be determined, but we know what he can do. We’ve all seen that, and he did that even as a kickoff returner. . . And we got to be smart, right? Tre Tucker is one of our starting receivers, so McAllister has a role. I don’t know, is it this guy this week? Is it that guy? Is it the hot hand? But I think both guys have done an outstanding job now in the return game. I think we’ve seen that both as punt returners, and McAllister punt return and kickoff return.”

Tucker is impressing the team more and more as a receiver, so it could be smart to keep him focused on that. And with the depth they clearly have at return specialist, along with McAllister’s return talents, they have the luxury of making that decision.

Raiders preseason Week 1 vs Vikings: What to watch for

What to watch for in Raiders preseason opener in Minnesota

It’s game day. For the first time in over seven months, the Raiders take the field for a game. This first outing is their preseason opener in Minnesota.

The game will air on NFL Network at 1pm Pacific (3pm local, 4pm ET). You can see all the details of how to watch here.

For that, here are a few things to watch for.

Quarterback competition

This is the number one reason to tune in by a wide margin. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will each get a quarter of play. Antonio Pierce has not revealed who will take the field first, but the order will be flipped next week when the face the Cowboys in Las Vegas.

What does matter here is we could get to see one QB against Vikings starters and the other against backups and fringe players. As in most cases the expected starters play very little in the first preseason matchup, if at all.

This competition has been raging on through training camp and to anyone watching, Minshew has a clear lead between the two, if only a slight one. It’s not decisive, which is why O’Connell still has a chance to come charging back in the competition with his play in preseason and the remaining practices before the season begins.

Rookie standouts

Raiders fans are no doubt excited to get to see 13th overall pick Brock Bowers take the field for the first time. There are obviously high hopes for the decorated tight end out of Georgia and Napa California native. 

The rest of the class has some guys hoping to continue their fine play from the camp in the preseason. Including Round three tackle DJ Glaze, Round four cornerback Decamerion Richardson, Round five linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, Round six running back Dylan Laube, round seven CB MJ Devonshire, and undrafted receiver Ramel Keyton.

Kick returns

This year the kick returner job is far more exciting due to the new kickoff rules.For that reason, it will be very interesting to see how the Raiders handle it and specifically *who* handles it. The previously mentioned Dylan Laube figures to find a role there, but others have gotten work there as well, including Ameer Abdullah and even cornerback Jack Jones.

As far as how Daniel Carlson changes his kicking strategy, I would be surprised if he reveals much about that in this game. Best to keep it status quo before the games count. Gotta keep Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers guessing until the season opener.

Next men up

Often times the entrenched starters won’t play in the preseason opener. But some will not play for other reasons. Left tackle Kolton Miller is on the PUP list, as is rookie left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson. Davante Adams was absent the last week of camp because he was home in Las Vegas awaiting the birth of his child.

Stepping up for those three will be three veterans: Andrus Peat (LT), Cody Whitehair (LG), and Kristian Wilkerson (WR).

Other game coverage:

How to watch Raiders preseason Week 2 vs Vikings

5 Raiders battles to watch on offense in preseason opener in Minnesota

5 Raiders battles to watch on offense in preseason opener in Minnesota

9 players who opened some eyes at Raiders camp

Raiders preseason opener will be ‘very telling’ in QB competition

Breaking down Raiders first unofficial depth chart of preseason

Winners from Raiders training camp scrimmage

Dylan Laube felt since first day of Raiders camp ‘I truly belong here’

Dylan Laube felt since first day of Raiders camp ‘I truly belong here’

There’s a reason you may have heard the name Dylan Laube a few times through the first week of Raiders training camp. And it isn’t just because people like to talk about rookies and their potential. He’s been doing work out there on the field in a lot of different areas.

Even though the Raiders selected him in the draft, they waited until the sixth round to pull the trigger. And that’s because playing at a small school comes with questions about the level of competition and therefore how well what you see on film will translate to the pros. It became clear to his coaches quickly that he is answering that question in the affirmative.

“It’s translating,” Antonio Pierce said of his rookie running back. “Sometimes you watch film in college and you say ‘well, the guy played at New Hampshire. Can he do that in the NFL?’ Then you come out here and it’s like wow. Nine on seven? Wooh? Pops. Blitz pickup? Wooh. Catching the ball out the backfield? He’s working. The thing about it is it’s not flashy. If you don’t really watch practice closely, you might miss him. But if you really watch his body of work…he’s getting his opportunity and he’s making the most out of it.”

Rookies often talk about their biggest strides coming when the game ‘slows down’’ for them. Usually that comes with learning the playbook and the scheme. 

For that Laube reached out to some players he knew who played in the league and they imparted upon him how to best prepare for his first time facing NFL competition.

“When you step on this field you don’t know what to truly expect,” Laube said. “The first day of camp was my first day when I was like I truly belong here. And it’s been all business since. So, yeah, it’s been fun.”

It has showed on the practice field obviously. He gets a good deal of work with the second team, surpassing several other backs who have been with the team and are trying to break on the roster. He even seems to be getting some pass catching duties out the backfield that were previously reserved for Ameer Abdullah. And don’t think Abdullah hasn’t noticed.

“The young guy Dylan Laube, he’s bringing the spark every time he gets the ball,” said Abdullah. “He’s a very special guy.”

Laube shows an understanding of the blocking and often finds the creases and push through tackles for extra yardage. Those instincts show up on run plays and in his duties in kick returns. 

His coaches have shown a level of confidence in him you don’t often see with a late round rookie. From the looks of things, Laube at very least has the inside track on the primary kick return job. And at most he could have an early role as a receiver out of the backfield and get a handful of carries.

Raiders 2024 camp position battle: Return specialist

New special teams rules makes for a very interesting battle for Raiders return specialists.

Kick returns this season are going to be a whole new experience. One that may require a whole new breed of return specialists. Punt returns should stay relatively the same. But there could still be a battle for who gets that job this season.

The new kickoff rules are such that neither team moves until the ball lands. So, there will be no running start for the coverage team. That means the previous ideas of what a kick returner will look like have changed.

It becomes a new job with a new set of skills that should be more akin to that of a running back than a speedy wide receiver or cornerback as was previously most common. Though some receivers could also thrive in this role. There are a lot of unknowns and therefore a position truly up for grabs.

For that reason, I can’t do a simple player vs player here.

A topic of discussion when the team drafted Dylan Laube in the sixth round of April’s draft was that perhaps his skillset would translate perfectly to the new kick return duties. We shall see.

Second year receiver Tre Tucker would figure to be the favorite for the punt returner job. Others who fielded punts in minicamp included Tyreik McAllister, Ameer Abdullah, Tulu Griffin, DJ Turner, and Nate Hobbs.

My take:

I must say, I don’t have one. Mainly because I don’t think the Raiders have one just yet. The rule is so new that there is a lot still to figure out. Each team’s special teams coordinator will have their own ideas of how to best attack the new rule. Who they like handling those duties will change as their plans change.

In the meantime, special teams may actually be something worth watching in camp and preseason this year. The hope being that there are fewer touchbacks and therefore kick returns become a bigger part of the game than they were before.

Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell No. 4 no more, 3 others switch back to their college numbers

Three Raiders switching back to their old college numbers, Aidan O’Connell shedding No 4

More Raiders players are joining the number switching party.

QB Aidan O’Connell will now wear No. 12, switching from the No. 4 he wore as a rookie and which Derek Carr had worn for nine years in Silver & Black.

Safety Tre’von Moehrig will begin wearing No. 7 after wearing No. 25 his first two seasons with the team. Moehrig wore No. 7 in college at TCU.

Two others are getting their college numbers back. Running back Zamir White is switching to the No. 3 he wore at Georgia after wearing No. 35 his first two seasons. While his backfield mate Amir Abdullah is switching to the No. 8 he wore at Nebraska after wearing No. 22 the past two seasons with the team. He was unable to get the number last year as Josh Jacobs wore it.

O’Connell wore 13 and 16 at Purdue. Those numbers currently belong to QB Anthony Brown and WR Jakobi Meyers respectively. As it happens, both of are also wearing their college numbers.

It’s interesting seeing all the players taking advantage of the rule that allows more than just QB’s and kickers to wear single digit numbers. Players become attached to their college numbers and so it’s special for them when they get a chance to wear it again.

What Condition the Position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at RB ahead of the Draft

What Condition Raiders RB Position is in heading into the Draft

With the Draft just weeks away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ running back position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starters: Zamir White, Alexander Mattison
Backups: Ameer Abdullah, Brittain Brown, Sincere McCormick, Tyreik McAllister

White played well in the final five games of last season after Josh Jacobs was lost to injury. But new GM Tom Telesco made it clear he didn’t want a workhorse back, but rather a committee in the backfield. Mattison has been a part time player for most of his five-year NFL career. He put up a career-high 700 yards on 180 carries last season along with 30 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Condition: Stable

Notes: From the looks of it, the Raiders have the duo they like in White and Mattison. Though the depth is suspect. I wouldn’t put it past them to take a running back in this draft, but it would likely be no higher than a day three pick should someone they like happen to be there later than they expected.

Raiders bring back veteran RB Ameer Abdullah

Raiders bring back veteran RB Ameer Abdullah

With free agency approaching, the Raiders have some in-house business to take care of. Namely attempting to hold onto some of their own players who will otherwise become free agents.

Today they made their first move to retain one of their impending free agents. They have re-signed veteran running back Ameer Abdullah.

The journeyman back has been with the Raiders the past two seasons and will now have a shot at a third.

This will be Abdullah’s 10th NFL season. He turns 31 in June.

Over his two seasons in Las Vegas, the 31-year-old has posted 451 yards from scrimmage with one touchdown. Most of his yards come as a receiver out of the backfield. He has just 19 carries for 109 yards with no touchdowns over those two seasons.

Other running backs under contract for the Raiders include late season starter Zamir White and roster fringe players Brittain Brown, Austin Walter, Sincere McCormick, and Tyreik McAllister.

Longtime starter Josh Jacobs is slated to become a free agent should the team be unable to reach a deal before then.

These 17 Raiders are slated to be free agents in March

There are no more games for the Raiders to play this season. And several of the players who suited up for the team this season won’t be back. Over the final couple weeks of the season the players begin thinking about coveting the time they have …

There are no more games for the Raiders to play this season. And several of the players who suited up for the team this season won’t be back.

Over the final couple weeks of the season the players begin thinking about coveting the time they have together, because the way this business is it’s unavoidable that the locker room will not be the same by the time they re-convene in April.

Some players will be in demand should they hit the market. Others will not. The ones who are re-signed are not necessarily the ones the team wants more. Likewise the ones that get away are not necessarily the ones they didn’t want. There are always a few free agents they may have wanted to bring back, but got an offer they liked better elsewhere.

At least 17 of those players will hit free agency unless the Raiders re-sign them beforehand.