Tre

Tucker

With Kenny Pickett making his first start in place of Geno Smith, Tucker was held without a grab for the first time all season. Not that he, or really anybody in this Raiders offense, has been producing of late. With a limited floor and several months without a ceiling effort, Tucker is out of sight, out of mind for the fantasy playoffs.

Raiders QB Geno Smith looked Tucker’s way twice during the two-minute drill in the second quarter, but the two were unable to connect. The first pass hit the dirt as Tucker attempted to dive for it. Broncos CB Pat Surtain II easily batted down the second along the left sideline. Tucker nearly added a long gain on the Raiders’ sixth drive. He got open on a post route, but Smith’s pass arrived late, resulting in a failed spinning catch attempt by Tucker in the middle of the field. The camera angle showed just one safety between Tucker and the end zone. Tucker is a boom-bust FLEX against the Eagles next week.

The Chargers’ pass rush consistently impacted Raiders QB Geno Smith’s dropbacks and the secondary covered Tucker well. The speedy wide receiver had a nice 10-yard, sideline snag on a comeback route on the Raiders’ eighth drive. A few plays later, he got open in the red zone by hesitating at the top of his stem before breaking inward. He secured the pass and was tackled at the Chargers’ three-yard line. Tucker is a boom-bust FLEX against the Broncos’ elite defense next week.

Tucker holds a three-target lead (64) over his teammates, but his role is occasionally limited to running cardio, given the offense’s overall dysfunction. The team fired OC Chip Kelly earlier this week, elevating QB coach Greg Olson to the interim offensive coordinator position. Olson previously served as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator twice before. Tucker is a boom-bust WR4/FLEX.

Tucker pops up on the Raiders’ first injury report of the week with a knee issue. He was limited, so little cause for concern thus far and he is still trending to play in Week 13. If Tucker cannot go, Dont’e Thornton and Jack Bech will see more opportunities, though we cannot recommend investing in any Raiders wide receivers outside of Tucker. The veteran Tyler Lockett (ankle) was a full participant in practice and is the best non-Tucker wide receiver option in Las Vegas.

Geno Smith simply could not connect on his deep shots to Tucker in this game. Per Pro Football Focus’s initial charting, Tucker racked up 217 air yards. That will easily lead all wideouts on the Sunday slate. Tucker committed one drop, but the bulk of his looks were misthrown passes from Geno. The speedy wideout has been held under 50 yards in every game since Week 6. Even as his team’s top wideout, Tucker will sit on the WR3/4 border for Week 13 versus the Raiders.

Tucker has been forced into an unnatural role in the Las Vegas offense following the trade of Jakobi Meyers to the Jaguars, and he now has just 113 yards receiving in the three games since Meyers’ departure. It is clear he is not ready to fulfill primary duties and his counting stats are likely to continue to suffer the rest of the way while playing the X-type role. Up next is a difficult matchup with the man-heavy Browns in Week 12.

The 33-year-old wide receiver has a balky knee. Since Lockett mostly functions as a target thief, mildly infringing upon the Raiders’ intriguing, youthful fantasy assets, fantasy managers should keep an eye on this one. Lockett is on track to play, but if he were to miss Week 11 against the Cowboys on Monday night, WR Tre Tucker could work his way onto the FLEX radar, while TE Brock Bowers and RB Ashton Jeanty steal the show.

Tucker had a touchdown taken off the board when Dont’e Thornton was called for offensive pass interference. The wideout was hardly involved on a day where the Raiders mustered all of 188 total yards against the stout Denver defense. Tucker and the Las Vegas passing game will get a chance to get going against the Cowboys in Week 11.

Meyers finally finds his way out of Vegas four months after requesting a trade to escape Chip Kelly’s offensive scheme. Meyers never gelled with Geno Smith and hardly saw an increase in usage during Brock Bowers’ extended injury absence. Meyers managed 32 catches for 352 yards and zero touchdowns over seven games with the Raiders this season. Jacksonville acquiring Meyers at the trade deadline could mean the team is anticipating a worst-case scenario for Brian Thomas, who suffered a serious ankle injury in Week 9 against the Raiders. The team is already without Travis Hunter, who last week was placed on IR with a knee injury. Meyers’ fantasy prospects likely get a boost in Jacksonville if Thomas is sidelined for a while. Meanwhile, Tre Tucker becomes the de facto WR1 in Vegas, though Bowers should continue dominating targets as he did in Week 9. The Raiders could see what they have in Jack Bech as well.