Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
The Las Vegas Raiders added another piece on the offensive side of the ball, signing Jakobi Meyers to a three-year deal worth $33 million. It’s been a quiet 24 hours at wide receiver, with Meyers being the only noteworthy free agency signing. A cool wideout market likely limited what got in this deal, as his number is well short of what Christian Kirk fetched last year.
In Meyers, the Raiders get a capable wideout who has significantly exceeded expectations at the pro level after entering the league as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019. After surprisingly making the New England roster in his rookie season, he emerged as the team’s best wideout in 2020. Meyers then notched an impressive 83 catches in 2021. While that number fell off slightly this past season (67), he did top 800 receiving yards and tallied a career-best six touchdowns.
Like fellow Raiders’ signee Jimmy Garoppolo, Meyers enters the building with a familiarity with Josh McDaniels. The two spend three years together in New England, so this should be a smooth transition. However, at the same time, this signing is a bit of a headscratcher given Hunter Renfrow’s presence on the depth chart. As primarily a slot receiver, Meyers’ role seems somewhat redundant to Renfrow’s.
Regardless of how the wide receiver corps shakes out, this isn’t an optimal landing spot for Meyers from a fantasy standpoint. Davante Adams is the de facto target monster with Darren Waller and Renfrow also in the mix for Garoppolo’s attention. Of course, with Garoppolo under center, the team does not figure to be pass heavy as well. Meyers’ short-term fantasy arrow is pointing down.
