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Taking a look at some potential sleepers to play in Week 16 for fantasy football.
Just two weeks remain in the fantasy football season as the playoffs have gotten underway in the majority of leagues.
Whether you’re looking for a boost to help your playoff lineup or simply looking for some dart throws in daily fantasy, we’ve got you covered on potential sleepers at every position.
Be sure to check out The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings as well as the start/bench list to help formulate the best lineup possible.
All the latest updates and news on Raiders injury report ahead of a Week 16 game vs. Jaguars.
The Raiders are back at it on a short week preparing to face the Jaguars this Sunday. The bad news was placing Maxx Crosby and RB Sincere McCormick on injured reserve. But the injury report saw the team get their starting quarterback on the field.
O’Connell returned to practice and was a full participant after missing Monday Night’s game with a bone bruise in his knee. Desmond Ridder had started in his place.
Meredith missed practice with an ankle injury. He is the team’s starting left guard. Should he be unable to go, Cody Whitehair would replace him in the lineup.
Meyers was limited by an ankle injury.
Mattison suffered a neck injury on the team’s first drive against the Falcons. He returned to the game and appears to be good to go.
Where things went wrong for the Raiders in their loss to the Falcons.
The Ballers were made up mostly of defensive players. It was the offense and special teams that doomed the Raiders in this one. So, the makeup the Busters may not surprise you.
This offense was severely hampered by the limitations of Ridder. He had several opportunities in this game, provided by the Raiders defense, on which he couldn’t capitalize.
Only once in the first three quarters did the Raiders get past the 50-yard-line. And even the one that did move into Atlanta territory ended with two bad throws by Ridder. Both were for Brock Bowers, the first was too low and the other was an overthrow and the Raiders settled for a long field goal.
Just before the half, he finally connected for a decent gain to Bowers. Then followed it up with another bad overthrow to Bowers and then took a sack to send the two teams to the locker room with a 9-3 Falcons lead.
The third quarter saw the Raiders offense convert one first down. One. The first possession, Ridder was sacked twice, neither were the fault of his Oline. Then after the only first down — on an Alexander Mattison run — he overthrew Tre Tucker, nearly threw an interception, and rolled out right and threw the ball away. He had one more three-and-out in the quarter.
To lead out the fourth quarter, the Raiders possession ended with two incompletions — one on an overthrown screen pass — and Ridder getting sacked. Again, it was not the fault of his Oline. Next series lasted two plays with Ridder throwing an interception, giving the Falcons the ball already in scoring range. It was just luck that they missed the field goal.
Most of Ridder’s completed passes came on the final two drives. But being flagged for a delay of game on fourth and three certainly didn’t help matters. It meant it would take an amazing play by Ameer Abdullah to keep hope alive.
When’s the last time you saw three blocked kicks by one team in one game? I can’t recall ever seeing it before. But that’s what happened in this game.
Two of the blocked were on punts. Chris Smith was the personal protector and was blocking no one while a free runner got to AJ Cole. One of the blocks was a deflection that caused a punt to travel just 30 yards. The other was a full on block. Both gave the Falcons great field position.
The other block was on the extra point after the late touchdown. In this case, Michael Mayer was left to try and block two players on his own and that didn’t work out well.
Smith also missed the tackle on a 38-yard return to the 45-yard-line.
Four times the Raiders offense started a drive inside their own ten-yard-line. And despite being backed up against their own end zone, Ridder lined up in the shotgun each time, often times handing the ball off. That’s a dangerous play as it mean the runner basically has three yards they have to run with the ball before they even reach the line of scrimmage.
The first time they did this was on a drive that started at their own three-yard-line. It led to consecutive tackles for loss and a safety to give the Falcons a 9-3 lead.
They did it again from their own three in the third quarter. Similar result. This time it was a run for no gain to start things off followed by two short catches and a punt.
The final time, they led out with another run for a loss. And the next play Ridder threw an interception to give the Falcons the ball in scoring range.
The Falcons’ only touchdown was from some easy film study. Last week Jones bit on a sluggo off a pump fake for a long completion. So, with the Falcons at the Vegas 30-yard-line, they said ‘hey, let’s do that too’. And, so they did. And Jones bit, leaving Drake London wide open for the long touchdown.
On their second scoring drive, he gave up an eight-yard first down run and on their third scoring drive, he gave up a five-yard catch on third-and-four that put them in field goal range.
The first drive of the game, Meyers was given the ball on an end around and set up to pass the ball. But his target was double covered, so he instead took the sack for a ten-yard loss.
The next time they looked to Meyer, was to lead out the third quarter. He made the catch but pushed off and was called for offensive pass interference.
Next pass for him, he couldn’t get to it and it was knocked away. His first catch didn’t come until there was just over five minutes left in the game. To his credit, he had three catches on the drive for 26 yards and the Raiders would score the TD on the drive.
The final drive, he had a couple more catches. But also had one in his hands get knocked out on the way down. And on the hail mary on the final play, he let Jesse Bates high point him to make the interception.
JPJ gave up run stuffs for a loss on each of the first two possessions. The second leading to a three-and-out. Even on the field goal drive, he found himself blocking no one while the run was stuffed at the line.
The Raiders running backs averaged 2.17 yards per carry in the game on 17 carries. And while that certainly doesn’t fall on him alone, there weren’t any instances in which he was the key block on a run
Overall, he seemed to have a decent game. But his holding penalty on the final drive was a killer. He was completely beaten on the play and his hold was about as obvious as you’ll see. It would take the Raiders four plays to make up for it, taking 44 vital seconds off the clock. Which ultimately meant the game hinged on Hail Mary passes, which is never a great bet.
Here are the top fantasy football sleepers to play in Week 15.
The fantasy football playoffs are here with the majority of leagues starting up the postseason.
Congratulations to the teams that made it and especially those who have a bye this week. For those still fighting for a final spot or those entering the first round of the playoffs, finding sleepers will be crucial.
Be sure to check out The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings as well as the start/bench list to help formulate the best lineup possible.
With Jakobi Meyers Questionable with an ankle injjury week 14 vs the Buccaneers, the Raiders elevated practice squad WR Kristian Wilkerson.
Thursday, Raiders starting receiver Jakobi Meyers suddenly missed practice with an ankle injury. Friday morning, head coach Antonio Pierce said Meyers would be full go for practice, but when the official injury report came out, Meyers was limited with the ankle and officially Questionable for the game.
The Raiders can ill afford to lose any receivers due to their already lacking depth at the position, especially after DJ Turner was placed on injured reserve this week. But of all the receivers they can least afford to lose, it’s Meyers.
Pierce seemed confident Meyers would be able to play Sunday in Tampa, but Saturday the team made a contingency plan, elevating Kristian Wilkerson.
The four-year veteran originally signed with the Raiders in May of 2023 and has been with the team off and on since then. He appeared in two games last season with one start and this would be his third game with the team this season. He has two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown this season.
Earlier this week, they signed practice squad wide receiver Terrace Marshall to fill the spot on the depth chart when Turner was placed on IR.
But even with Marshall, the Raiders had just four wide receivers on the active roster. Should Meyers be unable to go, they would have been left with just three, making the Wilkerson elevation a must, if only to ensure they could field a full starting lineup with one reserve.
All the latest updates and news on TEAMA’s injury report ahead of a Week X game vs. TEAMB.
The final injury report is out for the Raiders week 14 matchup with the Buccaneers.
Hobbs has officially been ruled OUT. Bringing his missed games now to four. He suffered an ankle injury in the team’s week nine game in Cincinnati. He will once again be replaced at slot cornerback the by Darnay Holmes.
Mattison returned to practice last week, but still missed his second game with an ankle injury. He was limited all week and is officially Questionable for the game.
White will once again be OUT. He was lost to injury in the same game in Miami in week 11 as Mattison was and will miss his third straight game as a result. In his and Mattison’s absences, the Raiders primary backs have been Ameer Abdullah and practice squad back Sincere McCormick who the team officially signed this week.
Suffered a back injury in practice this week and is officially Doubtful for the game.
Suffered an ankle injury in practice this week which caused him to miss practice on Thursday. He is officially Questionable for the game.
Turner was placed on injured reserve this week, which means he will be out at least the next four weeks, potentially the remainder of the season. He will be replaced in the lineup by Terrace Marshall.
Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell and WR Jakobi Meyers missed practice Thursday. Here are the latest updates.
Thursday’s injury report brought a bit of a surprise with both QB Aidan O’Connell and top WR Jakobi Meyers missing practice. O’Connell was out with an illness while Meyers had an ankle injury.
Their sudden absences left things up in the air as to their availability for the team’s game in Tampa on Sunday. Friday morning, head coach Antonio Pierce updated the status of the two players. And it was good news.
“He’s out here ready to go,” Pierce said of O’Connell. “He’s full go. He’ll be fine.”
If for whatever reason O’Connell were not able to go, the next man up is Desmond Ridder.
For Meyers, it was a similar answer from Pierce “Full go. He’ll go today.”
Should Meyers be unable to go, it would fall to undrafted rookie Ramel Keyton to step up. Former second round pick Terrace Marshall is another option.
The Raiders lost in spectacular fashion against the Chiefs on Black Friday, but who played the best for Las Vegas despite the defeat?
The Raiders and Chiefs put on a show for a national audience on Black Friday, but Kansas City escaped with a win as Las Vegas was left to wonder what could have been.
The Raiders were in position to kick a game-winning field goal but ran one too many plays, resulting in a miss-timed snap, fumble, and a crushing last-second defeat.
However, some Raiders had a productive day. Tight end Brock Bowers was spectacular, catching 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. He’s the highest-graded player on the team this week, according to Pro Football Focus.
The highest-graded Raiders in Week 13 vs the Chiefs:
🥇 Brock Bowers – 90.6
🥈 Jonah Laulu – 80.1
🥉 Aidan O'Connell – 77.6
🏅 Sincere McCormick – 72.0
🏅 Jakobi Meyers – 71.3(min. 25 snaps) pic.twitter.com/keunpvBKNK
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) November 30, 2024
The No. 2 player on the list is graded 10 points below Bowers’ impressive 90.6 rating. Defensive tackle Jonah Laulu earned playing time on Friday and rewarded his coaches with three tackles and a pass breakup. He helped the Raiders’ strong run defense on Friday.
Three more players on offense — quarterback Aidan O’Connell, running back Sincere McCormick, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers — complete the list this week. That’s no surprise, as the Raiders offense outgained the Chiefs offense by a healthy margin, 434 to 329.
But at some point, it would be nice for the Raiders to earn grades from PFF after a victory. Las Vegas has lost eight straight, and coach Antonio Pierce probably has to win a game or two to save his job, regardless of how hard his team plays on gameday. They’ll try for a win aginst Tampa Bay in Week 14.
A hard-fought game in Kansas City yielded some very conflicted results in this weeks tally of the best and worst performances.
This team put up a hell of a fight in Kansas City. They nearly pulled off a repeat performance to their Christmas Day upset last season. And very well should have done it if not for a botched snap on the final play.
Both teams started slowly, with the score just 10-3 at the half. Then the Chiefs pulled away, adding a couple field goals to make it a 16-3 game. But just when you thought the game was out of reach, the Raiders went on two touchdown drives to take the lead.
In the end they had the chance to win it on a field goal, but watched it slip through their fingers.
Ballers
TE Brock Bowers
Bowers just keeps upping his game. He put up double digit catches again, this time for a career-high 140 yards and a touchdown. He even had a ridiculous one-handed grab in the game. And on the final drive into field goal range, he made a 25-yard catch to midfield.
DE Maxx Crosby, DE K’Lavon Chaisson
Last week it was Tyree Wilson sharing the spotlight with Crosby. This week it’s Chaisson who routinely got into the backfield. Chaisson got to Patrick Mahomes three times, for 1.5 sacks and a pressure that led to Crosby’s sack. In total, Crosby had four QB hits and two tackles for loss. While Chaisson had a tackle for loss and three QB hits.
WR Jakobi Meyers
Meyers had two huge catches of 43 yards and 24 yards to lead out the Raiders first scoring drive. He added a ten-yard catch on the final drive that put the Raiders at the KC 40-yard-line. He finished with six catches for 97 yards.
RB Ameer Abdullah
His 69-yard kick return in the third quarter came just in time. The Raiders were down 16-3 at the time and it put the team in business at the KC 26-yard line. They would score their first TD two plays later to make it a one-score game. He would add two catches for 14 yards on the final drive, including the seven-yard catch to put the team in field goal range for what would have been the game winner.
QB Aidan O’Connell
If the Raiders could have closed the deal, O’Connell may have been Top Baller for this game. He threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, led the Raiders from down 16-3 to the lead early in the fourth quarter, and then down the field for what would have been the game-winner. But his clapping confused the line on the final play, causing the ball to be snapped early and costing them the win. He was superb other than that. Hence him getting credit for it despite his big mistake at the end.
Honorable Mention
DT Adam Butler — Second on the team in tackles (6) and had a half sack and a tackle for loss.
WR Tre Tucker — got open deep up the left sideline for the go ahead touchdown to open the fourth quarter.
RB Sincere McCormick — Had 12 carries for 64 yards (5.3 yards per carry)
Collecting the individual performances both good and bad for the Raiders in their week 13 game against the Denver Broncos.
The streak hit seven games last week. That’s seven straight losses for the Raiders. Two of those losses were at the hands of the Broncos, which means after four seasons of Raiders sweeps over their Denver rivals, the tables have officially turned.
This time they made a game of it, leading into the third quarter, before ultimately things reverted to the new normal.
Crosby put up three tackles for loss which put him over 100 for his career which has him joining some Hall of Fame level NFL greats. While Wilson had easily the best game of his career.
Wilson got pressure that led to a run stuff for one yard and the Broncos first drive ended one play later with a punt.
Late in the first quarter, the Broncos drove into scoring range, but on third down, Crosby got the tackle to jump early and then on third and longer showed why the tackle jumped by getting pressure to force an incompletion. They settled for a field goal.
The next Broncos drive again moved into scoring range, and Crosby and Wilson stopped it. With Denver in first down at the 26, Crosby got his first tackle for loss and then on third down, Wilson came right up the gut on a stunt for an 11-yard loss on a sack. It made the Broncos convert a 53-yard field goal and preserved the Raiders’ lead at 7-6.
Late in the second quarter, the Broncos drove into scoring range again. In first down at the 32, Wilson shot into the backfield to make an open field tackle for a five-yard loss. And they again had to settle for a long field goal while preserving a 10-9 Raiders lead.
The games first interception gave the Broncos the ball at the Vegas 18. And on first down, Wilson made the stop for no gain. They would still get the touchdown on the next play to take a 16-13 lead.
Crosby and Wilson would keep it a three-point game with Crosby making the tackle on a two-yard catch and he and Wilson getting pressure on third down to force an incompletion.
Early in the third quarter, with the Broncos in scoring range again, Crosby put up consecutive tackles for loss to force another Broncos field goal and keep it at a one score game. Wilson would add a tackle for loss late in the game, but by then it was too late and the Broncos added a field goal to put the game away.
Weapon. Cole was pinning the Broncos back all day. And a bit more. His first punt was a pooch punt that was fair caught at the 11-yard line. He second punt was from his own end zone and he launched it 60 yards with no return as he bounced out of bounds.
His next play was not with his leg, but his arm. The Raiders caught the Broncos by surprise. Cole sold it well, catching the snap and spinning it like he was going to punt it, but instead pulling it back and lofting a pass for Divine Deablo who made the easy catch and took it 34 yards to the Denver 30. They got a field goal out of it to make it a 10-6 game.
With the lead lost in the third quarter, Cole had another beauty of a punt that DJ Turner collected at the one-yard line. Four punts. Three with no return, two inside the 20, one downed at the one, and one with a net 60 yards. And the pass off the fake. Have yourself a game, AJ.
Two games ago, Meyers had his first ever 100-yard receiving game with the Raiders. Now he has two. And outdid the last one. Jakobi finished with 121 yards on ten catches.
Late in the second quarter, he made a tough catch while simultaneously being nailed in the back by a defender. It went for 18 yards to put them in field goal range to take a 13-9 lead at the half.
He drew a pass interference penalty on third down to lead out the fourth quarter that put the team in field goal range so they could cut the Broncos lead to 19-16. The next drive he had four catches for 42 yards to keep it a one-score game and give the Raiders a chance late. It was the strip sack on the next drive that killed their chance.
He scored the Raiders’ only touchdown of the game. He also had 65 yards on 13 touches
RB Dylan Laube — His 59-yard kick return set up the Raiders’ only TD of the day. And it gave him a much better last memory than having fumbled his only offensive carry of the season.
LB Divine Deablo — Make the 34-yard catch off the fake punt and added five tackles on defense.
