Ryan

Grant

Grant passed his physical with the Colts, but left without a deal. In Oakland, he would compete with Seth Roberts for the No. 3 role behind Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson.

The Raiders needed Grant’s roster spot for LB Justin Phillips coming up from the practice squad. 28-year-old Grant caught four balls for a measly 14 yards in three games. He’s running out of gas as an NFL player.

It’s a telling sign that both Geronimo Allison (concussion) and Davante Adams (toe) will likely be sidelined against the Raiders. Grant most recently caught just four ball in two games with the Raiders. Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow will play alongside Marquez Valdes-Scantling if the aforementioned duo is ultimately ruled out on Sunday.

The Raiders will roll with Tyrell Williams, JJ Nelson and Hunter Renfrow in 3-WR sets. The entire passing game is set up poorly on the road against the Vikings’ always-beastly secondary.

Most have expected Renfrow to win the job, but Tafur notes “everyone seems to forget about Grant.” Grant was pretty bad with Andrew Luck in Indianapolis last year, getting passed on the depth chart at times by Chester Rogers and Zach Pascal. But coach Jon Gruden’s brother, Jay, loved Grant in Washington, and Gruden is a big fan of veterans. Whoever wins the job between Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams won’t be of fantasy relevance.

This was the expectation all along. Renfrow has big fans in coach Jon Gruden and OC Greg Olson. Set to turn 24 this year, Renfrow is on the older side for a rookie. He’s also neither big nor fast with subpar measurables, but Renfrow wins with strong hands and a willingness to do the dirty work. Tafur expects Antonio Brown to play in the slot quite a bit, with Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson on the outside, so there likely won’t be enough to make Renfrow fantasy-viable. Meanwhile, Grant is dangerously close to falling out of the league altogether.

It’s worth “up to” $2.5 million. Grant, 28, played for Jon Gruden’s brother, Jay, in Washington and earned the nickname “Ryan Gruden” because of how much Jay loved him. He’s now back in the family. Grant spent last season with the Colts and mustered up a disappointing 35-334-1 line on 52 targets across 14 games with Andrew Luck. Grant won’t be guaranteed a roster spot but should be viewed on the inside looking out right now. He obviously will not be a fantasy option in Oakland.

All are healthy scratches.

There are no surprises. Robert Tonyan (hip) and FB Dan Vitale (knee) are both active.

Grant has yet to be active as a Packer and could soon be sent back to free agency.