Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has yet to decide on a starting quarterback for the preseason opener against the Vikings, but he indicated that both Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell will each play a quarter. Pierce noted that the order of the starters is not significant because the other quarterback will start the following week. Throughout the offseason, Pierce allowed O'Connell to take the initial reps while equally distributing opportunities with Minshew. Early in camp, neither quarterback has managed to distinguish themselves. Although Minshew appeared to gain an edge over the past week, Pierce has maintained that the situation remains "status quo," with no final decision made. "This preseason game will be very telling," Pierce said of the QB battle. "I want to see these guys manage the ball, lead the team, and handle situational football." The unofficial depth chart for the game also lacks clarity, listing the first-team QB as either O'Connell or Minshew. While neither quarterback is likely to be worth rostering in single-QB leagues, monitoring the situation to determine who will be throwing passes to receiver Davante Adams and rookie tight end Brock Bowers is essential.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce won't announce a starter at quarterback for the team's preseason opener this Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings but said Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell will each get an opportunity to set themselves apart in the QB competition. "Like I said, both quarterbacks are gonna play a legit quarter. Who goes out first and who goes out second really doesn't matter. [They will] get hopefully an equal amount of snaps and opportunity to showcase," Pierce said. The head coach has allowed O'Connell to get the initial reps throughout the offseason but has equaled out the opportunities with Minshew. Through the opening stages of training camp, neither signal-caller has distanced themselves, despite some speculation that Minshew has the slight edge. By all accounts, it sounds as though the Raiders offense has struggled under both Minshew and O'Connell so far.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White seems to be in the driver's seat for the starting running back job. This is no surprise given that White finished the final four games of 2023, averaging 99.25 yards per game on 4.7 yards per carry in relief of an injured Josh Jacobs. With Jacobs now in Green Bay, White can step into a significantly voluminous role. Still, the Raiders added Alexander Mattison in free agency and Dylan Laube in the draft while retaining Ameer Abdullah. It would seem that none of those players have done enough to threaten White's job. The Raiders have indicated they want to win games with a stifling defense and a downhill rushing attack. This is not projected to be a high-powered offense, but volume is king. Given the volume that Jacobs used to receive, White could end up returning value on his ADP of RB24. There is, of course, a world where White's small sample size does not indicate his potential for full-season production. Proceed with caution, but the lack of risk is built into White's ADP.

Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Dylan Laube is making an early case for playing time in training camp this summer. "I hope so. He is off to a great start," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. "He has a great feel for it, and he doesn't have the errors as far as what his responsibilities are. That's really cool to see from such a young guy." Laube was selected in the sixth round in April out of New Hampshire and has a long ways to go before he's a realistic option in the Raiders backfield in his first NFL season. As of right now, the 24-year-old is behind Zamir White, Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah, so it would likely take an injury or two to the RBs ahead of him for him to become a realistic waiver-wire pickup in standard fantasy leagues in 2024. However, the 5-foot-10, 208-pounder is one to keep an eye on for the rest of camp and the preseason.

Given all the trade talk surrounding Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams this offseason, his agents, Kenny Chapman and Frank Bauer released a statement on Tuesday, saying: "This is baseless, unfounded speculation and Davante is expected to be with the Raiders as there has been absolutely no trade talk - period." Adams reiterated earlier this offseason that he fully plans to play the 2024 campaign with the Raiders, which will be his third with the organization. Despite the Raiders moving on quickly from Jimmy Garoppolo in 2023, the 31-year-old Adams had a fourth straight 100-catch season, in addition to 1,144 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. However, his yardage and TD total were his lowest marks since 2019. The QB situation isn't much better in 2024 with Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew, making Adams more of a low-end WR1 in fantasy than a high-end WR1.