Raiders RB Josh Jacobs operated as the team’s lead back in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. He played 60% of the snaps and saw nearly 77% of the team’s rushing attempts. Unfortunately, while Jacobs posted 5.7 YPC, this was a pass-happy script for the Raiders, who fired off only 13 total rushes. He also watched as Brandon Bolden factored into the passing game with 2 grabs, 21 yards and 1 downfield score. Jacobs caught his only target for 16 yards. He’ll look for more Sunday against a Cardinals defense that might remain without J.J. Watt.
Insider Albert Breer calls Raiders RB Ameer Abdullah a "camp revelation" and believes he's set to play the James White role in HC Josh McDaniels' offense. Abdullah quietly caught 35 balls in 11 games for the Panthers last year and tested as an 87th percentile athlete prior to getting drafted in 2015. Vegas' backfield is murky right now, but if Abdullah is truly pegged for the "James White role," it'd be bad news for RB Josh Jacobs and would leave RB Kenyan Drake undraftable.
The Athletic's Tashan Reed believes that, among the Raiders' RBs, rookie Zamir White "is the closest to pushing [Josh] Jacobs for his role as the lead back." White looked good in his NFL debut in last week's Hall of Fame Game, running 11 times for 52 yards and catching 3 of 4 targets for 23 yards. "This guy just plays hard. He loves football," HC Josh McDaniels said. "You saw how he finishes runs. He’s a physical player. He’s a tough guy; he adds that element to our team." We'd still consider White a long shot to overtake Jacobs as Vegas' lead back this season. But White could earn a big enough role to dent Jacobs' fantasy value.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Raiders “are not looking to trade [RB] Josh Jacobs.” Speaking on Jacobs’ extended action in the Hall of Fame Game, Rapoport says that it was simply a case of the new coaching staff wanting to evaluate its lead back. We'll see how his usage looks over the next few weeks.
We saw some funky usage in the Raiders backfield in Thursday night's Hall of Fame game. QB Derek Carr, WR Davante Adams and TE Darren Waller got the night off, but RB Josh Jacobs played the first 2 series, tallying 5 carries and 2 targets. "I always think it's good for (running) backs to carry the ball in the preseason," HC Josh McDaniels said afterward. “There’s a lot of things that happen when you’re getting tackled and hit that you can’t simulate in practice." Ameer Abdullah and Zamir White were the next 2 RBs in the game for the Raiders -- then came Kenyan Drake. We're not going to read too much into any of this just yet, but we're definitely keeping a closer eye on this backfield going forward.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs sat out OTA practices the past 2 weeks with an undisclosed injury, according to Marcus Mosher of Raiders Wire. "Because it’s still voluntary OTAs, it’s probably not worth getting too concerned about," Mosher writes. "But if Jacobs doesn’t practice in some capacity during next week’s mandatory minicamp, then it might be time to worry." We'll keep an eye on the situation.
Vic Tafur of The Athletic believes there’s a “good chance" RB Zamir White will start for Las Vegas in 2023. Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake enter contract years, although White joins the league with uninspiring draft capital (mid-Round 4 as the RB8). Vegas did trade up to land the Georgia product. He brings a nice speed/power combo to go along with a 6’0, 214-pound frame. Just don’t expect much of an impact in redraft leagues.
The Raiders chose Georgia RB Zamir White in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. White hit Georgia as a heralded prospect. An ACL tear in the summer before his true freshman campaign slowed his progress, though – and came shortly after a tear to his other ACL that ended his final high school season. White wound up leading the Georgia backfield in carries the past 2 years, averaging 5.4 yards per rush each year. But he watched teammates claim most of the receiving work and beat him in rushing efficiency. White’s 4.4-second 40 at the Combine points to rushing upside, but we see a limited fantasy ceiling here. He’ll struggle to unseat RB Josh Jacobs this year, although Jacobs is currently set to hit free agency next offseason.
The Raiders declined the 5th-year option on RB Josh Jacobs. Such a move would have cost the team $8 million in 2023. Jacobs, 24, heads into his 4th season fresh off an RB11 finish.
When asked about RB Josh Jacobs on Tuesday, new Raiders HC Josh McDaniels praised the 24-year-old and called him a back who "can play on all 3 downs." That's obviously worth noting because it indicates that McDaniels likes Jacobs' passing-game ability. Jacobs has seen his targets and receptions increase each of the past 2 seasons. It remains to be seen, of course, what else the Raiders do with their backfield ahead of the 2022 campaign. But it can't hurt for the new coach to like the incumbent lead RB. McDaniels did also say he has already spoken with Jacobs about ball-security issues. Let's hope the 4th-year back works to decrease his fumbles as he begins life under a Bill Belichick disciple. Under McDaniels, fumbles could impact Jacobs' playing time.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (ribs) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Chargers. He got in 3 limited practices this week and should be ready for his usual workload in this must-win game.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (ribs) is listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game vs. the Chargers. He got in 3 limited practices this week. We’d be surprised if Jacobs missed this must-win game but will keep you updated on his status.
The Raiders at Browns game originally scheduled to kick off at 4:30 pm ET on Saturday is being moved to Monday due to the rash of COVID positives on the Browns, according to insider Josina Anderson. Even that is probably still subject to change based on more positive COVID tests in Cleveland. We'll see if any of the Browns currently on the COVID list -- namely Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum, Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper -- are activated before Monday. But, as of now, we'd still plan on not having those guys in Week 15 fantasy lineups.
Update: Raiders-Browns will kick off at 5 pm ET on Monday, per Fox Sports' Jay Glazer.
Raiders RB Jalen Richard has been activated from the COVID list. He's not a fantasy option but could siphon a few passing-down snaps from RB Josh Jacobs down the stretch. It's worth monitoring in Saturday's game vs. the Browns, but Jacobs remains a rock-solid fantasy starter in that one.
Raiders RB Jalen Richard remains on the COVID list and won't play vs. the Chiefs today. With RB Kenyan Drake done for the season, Vegas is down to RBs Josh Jacobs and Peyton Barber. Jacobs, who's averaged 12.8 carries and 5.8 targets over the last 5 games, should continue to see big volume today.
Raiders RB Kenyan Drake broke his ankle in Sunday's loss to Washington and will miss the rest of the season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Drake has averaged 5.1 carries and 2.6 targets behind Josh Jacobs over the last 8 games, so his absence could mean a few extra touches for Jacobs. RB Jalen Richard landed on the COVID list on Sunday morning, so we'll see when he's cleared to return. RB Peyton Barber also figures to be active for Vegas the rest of the way.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (ankle) is active for today’s game vs. Washington. He was added to the injury report on Thursday and limited in the final 2 practices of the week, but we haven’t heard anything about Jacobs’ usage being impacted today.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (ankle) is expected to play vs. Washington today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jacobs was added to the injury report on Thursday and limited in the final 2 practices of the week, so he carries a bit more risk than usual in Week 13 fantasy lineups.
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