In the 17th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Las Vegas Raiders.
Key Off Season Acquisitions
The Raiders acquired seven notable players in the offseason, not including drafting the first overall pick, quarterback Fernando Mendoza of Boston, Massachusetts. They signed center Tyler Linderbaum of Solon, Iowa to a three-year contract worth $81 million on March 9, defensive end Kwity Paye of Guinea to a three-year contract worth $48 million on March 9, linebacker Quay Walker of Cordele, Georgia to a three-year deal worth $40 million on March 9, linebacker Nakobe Dean of Cocoa, Florida to a three-year deal worth $36 million on March 9, wide receiver Jalen Nailor of Palmdale, California to a three-year deal worth $35 million on March 9, and quarterback Kirk Cousins of Barrington, Illinois to a two-year contract worth $12.6 million on April 2. The Raiders also acquired cornerback Taron Johnson and a seventh round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft from the Buffalo Bills for a sixth round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Linderbaum played the last four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, and was selected to the Pro Bowl the last three seasons. Paye has spent the last five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. In 17 games this past season, he had 39 combined tackles (24 assisted tackles and 15 solo tackles), nine quarterback hits, six tackles for a loss, four sacks and one pass deflection.
Walker has played the last four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. In 2025, he had 128 combined tackles (58 solo tackles and 70 assisted tackles), eight tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hits, five pass deflections and two and a half sacks.
Dean was with the Philadelphia Eagles the last four seasons and won a Super Bowl in 2025. This past season, Dean had 55 combined tackles (30 solo tackles and 25 assisted tackles), seven tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection.
Nailor is joining his second NFL franchise after four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He had 29 catches for 444 receiving yards and four touchdowns along with two rushes for 13 rushing yards in 2025.
Cousins is joining his third NFL franchise. He previously played six consecutive seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 2018 to 2023, and the last two seasons with the Falcons. In 2025, Cousins completed 166 passes in 269 passing attempts for 1721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He had 14 rushes for seven rushing yards and one touchdown run. The rushing touchdown was for one yard and came in a 26-19 Falcons win over the Arizona Cardinals on December 21.
Johnson spent the last eight seasons with the Buffalo Bills. In 2025, Johnson had 57 combined tackles (34 solo tackles and 23 assisted tackles), one tackle for a loss and four pass deflections. The tackle for a loss came in a 31-21 Bills win over the Miami Dolphins on September 18.
Fantasy Star
Brock Bowers of Napa, California is the third ranked tight end in fantasy football. He had 64 catches for 680 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2026. Ashton Jeanty of Jacksonville, Florida is the eighth ranked running back in fantasy football. He had 266 rushes for 975 rushing yards and five touchdown runs along with 55 catches for 346 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Projected Finish
The Raiders are clearly the worst team in the AFC West. They are the only team rebuilding, and are well behind the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers.
