Last Updated on June 17, 2025 1:08 pm by André Lemos | Published: June 10, 2025

The Raiders look a lot different than they did a few months back, but boy is it an improvement in a multitude of ways. Most importantly, they hired head coach Pete Carroll to guide the team and rebrand the franchise purposefully with a respected guy that has a winning pedigree. They hired GM John Spytek away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he’s helped transform football in Las Vegas in a hurry. Arguably the most significant move they made this off-season was the move for QB Geno Smith, which is a massive upgrade over the carousel they implemented last season. What’s probably turning even more heads in Vegas was the selection of Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft. New OC Chip Kelly is going to have a blast with the Raiders’ new franchise superstar, who’s often been described as a generational talent. Las Vegas also drafted WRs Jack Bech from TCU and Dont’e Thornton Jr. from Tennessee in the second and fourth rounds, respectively. The Raiders also added a couple of offensive linemen in the third round to an OL that was passable in 2024. Of course, phenomenal young TE Brock Bowers will be the alpha pass-catcher of the offense entering his sophomore year in the NFL, followed in the pecking order by the returning Jakobi Meyers, and furthermore by Tre Tucker, who has a decent chance at losing some opportunities to the newcomers. The Raiders also signed veteran RB Raheem Mostert to help round out their running back room, and potentially serve as the backup RB. Overall, a ton of turnover for the silver and black, but it comes in the form of some major and much-needed upgrades. The team is likely going to play fast football with Chip Kelly under center, and we’ve seen him turn in run-heavy teams that still wind up above average in passing volume due to just how fast he gets the gears turning on offense. That should mean a ton of fantasy potential for the new-look Raiders, but it’s unclear just how fast this new regime and roster can rewrite modern history for a franchise that has been a couple of seasons shy of perpetual ineptitude in the 21st century. 

Player most likely to beat ADP: Geno Smith (ADP 165, QB25)

Geno Smith is an above-average NFL quarterback at this stage of his career, and he didn’t finish worse than the QB19 in his three years of resurgence in Seattle. He suffered from some pretty poor interior offensive line play and pass protection at times in his Seahawks tenure, and still managed to finish well above the QB26 price tag he has now in an improved situation. One could argue that Brock Bowers is the most talented pass catcher that Smith has had, and he’s back with coach Pete Carroll in his corner, the man who helped kickstart Smith’s turn a new leaf and rebrand himself in Seattle. The Raiders could shell shock the league with a quick turnaround, and paying a 15th round pick for the leader of that offense could prove to be a massive steal if enough of the scoring can go through the air. I will admit, though, Geno Smith likely won’t make enough noise to be a true seperator

Player most likely to fade based on ADP: Jakobi Meyers (ADP 73, WR 40)

Yes, I’m very excited about Geno Smith leading the way for the Raiders as a massive upgrade to the QB play the franchise has seen since now-retired quarterback Derek Carr parted ways with the franchise he spent a decade with. However, I’m a little hesitant about Jakobi Meyers having enough of an upside case to justify drafting him so high. We’ve seen Chip Kelly teams also see a naturally high passing volume because of their pace of play, but make no mistake this is likely a run-first team through and through. That said, Brock Bowers is this team’s alpha pass catcher, and with a couple of intriguing rookie pass-catchers added to the mix from this year’s draft, Meyers just may not have of the opportunity share, both in touches and scoring volume, to warrant a pick at the 6/7 turn, roughly.

Late-round flier that could blow up: Raheem Mostert (ADP 215, RB 76)

While everyone wants to draft Ashton Jeanty as his ADP jumped to ninth overall in best ball drafts after he landed with the new-era Raiders, Raheem Mostert is currently going virtually undrafted as the could-be RB2 behind a rookie RB in a run-heavy offense with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Taking a last round dart on Mostert here and there is a great way to leverage off the first rounder in Jeanty. Mostert may be one of, if not the oldest active back in the NFL, but he’s less than two years removed from leading the league with touchdowns, and he has a history with Kelly, who brought him along in both of his prior NFL coaching ventures with the Eagles and 49ers. He’s going to be competing with Sincere McCormick and Zamir White for second-string opportunities, which may indicate an outright lack of a competition.

Writer’s Season Win Prediction: 8-9

The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot to like about the upcoming season, especially considering where the team has been in the last few seasons. They underwent a huge makeover this off-season, and that’s where the positives can mostly be found for their 2025 fantasy football outlook. Headlined by the introduction of Pro Bowl caliber QB Geno Smith, who has looked like a borderline elite signal caller with head coach Pete Carroll in his corner, who will also be joining him in Las Vegas. They have an outstanding young cast of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, namely TE phenom Brock Bowers and rookie RB1 Ashton Jeanty, who figure to be one of the best offensive duos of the league for years to come in Vegas. For the Raiders, the turnaround has already put them in a position to exceed everyone’s expectations for them following the 2024 season, it’s just a matter of how quickly and effectively this team can execute its plan under the new regime.

The biggest thing going against Las Vegas right now is unfamiliarity. While undergoing such a dramatic transformation should only do wonders for the often-hapless Raiders, it’s all happened practically overnight, so we may not see the team at their best until well into the season. The good news is, they’ve got great leadership in place to give them the best shot at righting the ship as soon as possible. The Raiders were simply lacking talent in 2024, and thankfully they were able to bring in a handful of new players to round out the roster. The offensive line is a bit of a work in progress, but they were solid last season and have a couple of intriguing young big guys that could serve as the foundation of the starting lineup for the future. For Vegas, the thing giving them the most hope for the upcoming season is simultaneously a drawback to their team’s fantasy profile for 2025. The Raiders are relying on a lot of young talent on the offensive side of the ball, and with a new coaching staff and offense to learn for everybody, there’s a decent chance Vegas suffers from some growing pains. With that said, perhaps fantasy players who draft Jeanty should consider taking some early veteran depth to potentially turn in some more valuable performances in the early going while Jeanty and the new-look Las Vegas offense find their footing against NFL competition.

For me, all eyes are on the young duo of Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, who are the second most expensive pair of teammates according to current best ball ADP, behind only the Lions and their pair of first round fantasy football talents. Jeanty is currently going ninth overall as the RB4, while Bowers often goes early into the second round as the first tight end off the board. While the Raiders’ young duo are far and away the most talented on the roster, their success hinges on the team’s overall play calling and opportunity distribution. The Raiders have been one of the most pass-happy teams in the NFL over the last few seasons, despite it being a talent drought under center for years in Las Vegas. While that percentage should shift in the favor of the ball-carriers with Chip Kelly entering the Raiders organization with a history of high-octane, rush-heavy offenses, the team should still be playing fast enough to rifle off enough pass attempts per game to feed its fantasy-relevant pass-catchers. Bowers has the ability to attack every level of the field and has shown a knack for YAC. If he was able to put forth the best fantasy rookie TE season in the abysmal state of the offense of the 2024 Raiders, Bowers should unironically score a million fantasy points catching passes from Geno Smith. If this team can find a way to compete top-to-bottom out the gate, especially in the trenches, we could see a meteoric debut season of fantasy fireworks in Sin City. Bowers and Jeanty could both realistically finish at the top of their respective fantasy positions, and I’m not even sure if that’s a bold take at this point, given the respect already reflected in their ADPs.

[/wcm_restrict]

Come join us at SportsEthos by filling out an application here: https://sportsethos.com/nba-fantasy-news-and-advice/become-a-contributor/

Follow us on Twitter for our latest pieces, content that will help winning your leagues and much more @EthosFantasyNFL! 

Follow Nate on Twitter @nateh714

• About the Author
• Latest Posts

Nathan Hernandez

• Fantasy NFL 2025 Top-75 RB Rankings
• Fantasy NFL: 2025 Dark Horse Running Backs to Score the Most Touchdowns
• Fantasy NFL: 2025 Running Backs to Avoid in 2025