In a surprising twist, just days before kickoff, Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers has requested a trade from the team. Meyers had been seeking a new contract, but negotiations stalled to the point where he requested a trade.
Meyers trade request, the Raiders signing of veteran Amari Cooper, and rookie WR Dont'e Thornton emerging has suddenly set up the Raiders WR depth chart as one of the most interesting in the league, especially with the QB upgrade to Geno Smith in the offseason.
Meyers is in the last year of his 3-year, $33 million deal with the Raiders. He was very productive for the Raiders with very limited QB play in 2024, finishing with 87 receptions, 1,027 yards, and 4 TDs.
This is certainly not what new HC Pete Carroll was hoping for as they gear up for kickoff in less than two weeks.
Now, the Raiders will be scrambling to put a passing game together with newly acquired Geno Smith and the remaining WR corps ahead of Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
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With No Meyers, Raiders WRs &Offense Takes a Hit
The Raiders’ offense was already projected to struggle this season. Now, Meyers’ trade request only makes things worse.
However, the Raiders did their due diligence by bringing back a familiar face. They went out and signed Cooper to a 1-year deal.
Cooper, Thornton, WR Tre Tucker, and TE Brock Bowers are the new top weapons for the Raiders.
This signing signals the Raiders are more willing to trade Meyers than extend him. Even with the addition of Cooper, this WR corps is lackluster at best. Here’s the current WR group Geno Smith will be throwing to:
Raiders New WR Depth Chart
The Raiders WR depth chart is a bit up in the air right now, as it's not completely certain where Cooper will slot in.
That said, Thornton looks to likely benefit the most from the Meyers potential departure, as he already developed a connection with QB Geno Smith in the preseason, making a few impressive catches.
WR1: Jakobi Meyers (Currently, Trade Request Pending)
WR2: Amari Cooper - Signed 1-year deal
WR3: Tre Tucker - 47 receptions, 539 yards, 3 TD in 2024
WR4: Dont’e Thornton Jr. - fourth-round rookie, lots of preseason hype as a deep sleeper
WR5: Jack Bech - 2025 second-round rookie
Jakobi Meyers & Raiders WRs: Fantasy Football Outlook
Jakobi Meyers was looking like a solid pick in the later rounds of fantasy football prior to his future being in doubt. According to FantasyPros, Meyers' ADP is currently 84th overall (WR38) as the Raiders clear WR1.
With his future with the Raiders in doubt, his draft stock is likely to keep falling leading into kickoff, as his secure WR1 spot in Vegas likely is the best position he could have been in.
There’s still a chance the two sides could reconcile, but all signs point to a split between the two, especially after the Raiders quickly signed Cooper on Monday.
Meyers leaves behind 129 targets (87 receptions), 1,027 receiving yards, and 4 TDs if he does leave — and that was with wworse QBs than Smith. So who can we expect to soak up that usage?
TE Brock Bowers
With Meyers out of the picture, the de facto number one option for Geno Smith is TE Brock Bowers, with all other options a modge-podge — some with more upside than others.
Bowers is currently being drafted 17th overall (TE1), which is a hefty price for a second-year TE. However, Bowers had 153 targets in his 2024 rookie season.
Without Meyers, Bowers target share should see a bump up, making him an even stronger second-round pick.
RB Ashton Jeanty
2025 first-round draft pick RB Ashton Jeanty could also see an uptick in volume on the ground and even through the air. He is just two years removed from having 43 receptions, 569 yards, and 5 TDs through the air for Boise State.
Jeanty’s current ADP is 12th overall (RB6), which is steep draft capital to pay for a rookie RB. However, if we know anything about Pete Carroll, he loves a workhorse RB, and Jeanty profiles as exactly that.
Other Raiders WRs: Cooper, Thornton
Outside of Bowers and Jeanty, the rest of the roster offers little fantasy appeal, but it does offer some long-shot fantasy football upside picks.
I don’t see this Raiders offense putting up a ton of points, so it’s going to be tough for them to support more than two fantasy-relevant players for the 2025 season.
That said, if you're looking for some late-round picks, rookie WR Dont'e Thornton is your guy. At 6-foot-5 with 4.3-second 40-yard speed, he's a rare breed, and he's already been playing with the starters in the preseason.
While we're uncertain about where Cooper will slot in, if Meyers is not active for Week 1, it's a guarantee that Thornton will be an every-down WR. Even if Meyers does return, Thornton has the build to make him an interesting pick.
As for Cooper, he may be worth a look as well, as they surely signed him to be in the WR rotation. But it's hard to expect high upside fantasy production from the 31-year-old. That said, he is only a year and six months removed from a 72-catch, 1,250-yard season in Cleveland.
It’s going to be interesting to see where the Las Vegas Raiders and Jakobi Meyers go from here. Where the Raiders and Meyers go from here will be one of the league’s early-season storylines to watch, as well as how the Raiders WRs develop withouthim.
