Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Final Score: KC 19 – LV 17
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp on Twitter)
The second annual Black Friday game was between the Raiders and the Chiefs. It was a mistake-driven game between these teams that would lead Kansas City to use their magic to win another close game. The passing game led the Chiefs’ side of the ball, as the run game was inefficient. Aging veterans DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce would lead the way in yardage on the day. The Raiders had their new quarterback, Aidan O’Connell, back under center and did the best we’ve seen this Raiders passing game in a while. Unfortunately, a lack of running early on would not help this offense, leading to them losing.
Three Up
- Isiah Pacheco – The Chiefs star running back finally returned to the field after fracturing his fibula in Week 2. He looked fast off his limited touches, which could be good news for the rest of the season.
- Raiders passing offense – The Raiders had O’Connell under center once against and helped produce their Raiders’ first 300-yard passer this season. He was able to help both Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers have fantastic games.
- Sincere McCormick – The undrafted third year running back got a shot to see extended playing time with Zamir White and Alexander Mattison OUT. He could have earned a spot on the roster with solid produce in this game.
Two Down
- Kareem Hunt – The return of Isiah Pacheco has indeed hurt Kareem Hunt’s playing time. This was the first time in all season that Hunt didn’t see at least ten carries.
- Tre Tucker – While Tre Tucker did score a long touchdown, he finished the day with one target. Tucker averaged five targets per game, but O’Connell may continue to lock in on Meyers and Bowers as the primary target leaders. Tucker losing targets could hurt his value for the rest of the season.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Aidan O’Connell: 23/35, 340 yards passing, 2 TDs, FUM | 1 carry
The Raiders got O’Connell’s return just in time, as Gardner Minshew went to the injured reserve. O’Connell was uneven in this performance despite his solid statistical finish. The bad was that O’Connell couldn’t help the Raiders offense with his legs, as he doesn’t have much mobility in his game. He also had a few very inaccurate throws when he pushed the ball downfield, including an attempt to Meyers that he missed poorly and could have had a big play that never happened.
On the positive side of things, O’Connell did help this Raiders offense get the ball moving downfield quickly. He made quick throws and had a few really good deep shots. He had two great plays: one deep shot to Tucker for a touchdown and one to Bowers. O’Connell would keep his eyes moving downfield, but his physical limits are stopping him. He can be a good BYE week replacement next week as they face off against the Buccaneers in Week 14.
Running Back
Ameer Abdullah: 10 carries, 39 yards rushing | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards
Veteran running back Ameer Abdullah did not have the same success that we saw last week in his fantasy production. Most of his touches were in the first half of the game. He ran well a few times but isn’t a traditional strong running back. His best value was in the receiving game. The lack of check-downs for Abdullah hurt his fantasy value. We could see the return in White and Mattison, so his fantasy value could fall off again.
Sincere McCormick: 12 carries, 64 yards rushing | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 1 yard
Sincere McCormick was called up from the practice squad again and saw extended playing time this week. He saw his first touch in the second quarter of this game. He was very ineffective early on but ran hard. In the second half, McCormick would run better, with four runs over seven yards. He may get put back on the practice squad, but he probably had one of the better games on the ground for the Raiders all season.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Brock Bowers: 14 targets, 10 receptions, 140 yards receiving, 1 TD | 1 carry, 2 yards
The star of the Raiders offense today was the rookie tight end Bowers. He was used all over the field in this game, but was primarily a safety blanket on short passes for O’Connell to dump it off when he was pressured. He also made plays downfield for big gains. Bowers showed off his speed, being able to produce after the catch. It seems like he was able to gain extra yards at every reception. His only poor play was that he had an bad drop in the third quarter of this game. Bowers remains a high TE1 in any given week for the rest of the season.
Jakobi Meyers: 11 targets, 6 receptions, 97 yards receiving
Meyers had a great game against the Chiefs. With another double-digit target day, Meyers made the most of his opportunities, as he looked open all game long and did a great job gaining separation from the Raiders secondary. He could have had a bigger day if O’Connell hadn’t missed him a few times. At least two times, O’Connell missed Meyers on plays that he had open field ahead of him. Meyers should continue to look like a strong FLEX option for the rest of the season with O’Connell as quarterback again.
Tre Tucker: 1 target, 1 receptions, 58 yards receiving, 1 TD | 1 carry, 11 yards
The Raiders second receiver Tucker was pretty much non-existent in this game outside of two plays. He would have an 11-yard run in the second quarter. His other touch was on a long touchdown at the end of the third quarter. He used his feet to make his defender lose his balance and get that separation for the touchdown. It is concerning that Tucker only saw one target after averaging five in the last six games.
DJ Turner: 1 target, 1 reception, 25 yards receiving
DJ Turner, the Raiders slot receiver, usually doesn’t produce much in games for the Raiders but had one of the longer plays for the offense. Turner took a short pass and gained another 20 yards. He showed off the speed he had to make that play. He doesn’t have much fantasy value.
Michael Mayer: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
Terrace Marshall Jr. : 1 target
Backup tight end Michael Mayer was mainly used for blocking. His one catch was on the Raiders’ final drive of the game. Terrace Marshall would see one target in the second half, but it wasn’t nearly catchable. Neither one has much fantasy value.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 26/46, 306 yards passing, 1 TD | 2 carries, 4 yards
Patrick Mahomes knows how to win football games and he did what he could to help move this offense down the field. He wasn’t overall great. Mahomes was as good with his pocket presence as possible but was pressured all day. He was sacked a lot and had to move around to keep a lot of drives. While his passing was not great, as he would miss his receivers a couple times in the game, his pass catchers made his day look better. This was one of his worst games during his hot stretch but Mahomes remains a QB1.
Running Back
Isiah Pacheco: 7 carries, 44 yards rushing | 1 target, 1 reception , 5 yards
The Chiefs star running back returned to the field after nearly two months of recovering from an injury. He got touches throughout the entire game and his best play was a 34-yard run in the third quarter that showed off his explosiveness and toughness. Outside of that play, he was still not very effective in the game, although he played in all the drives during the third quarter and see the final few carries of the Chiefs’ last drive. He didn’t look like a running back who was out for two months from playing football. You have to assume he will see more work as the season progresses.
Kareem Hunt: 7 carries, 15 yards rushing | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 0 yards
The running back who has been keeping the Chiefs backfield alive this season has been Hunt. Hunt saw the first few carries of this game, but he was ineffective for most of the game, as his longest run was for four yards. He would have two-thirds of his touches in the first half of this game. Besides a few carries in the fourth quarter, he wasn’t used all that much after halftime. It is concerning for Hunt’s fantasy value moving forward with Pacheco back, as he thrived on a high carry share since his yards-per-carry has been poor this year. Hunt may not be a valuable FLEX option in fantasy moving forward.
Samaje Perine: 1 target, 1 receptions, 15 yards receiving
The Chiefs’ veteran running back Samaje Perine took a hit in playing time with the return of Pacheco, as he would only play some third-down snaps. Perine wouldn’t get a target until the fourth quarter of this game. However, his yardage looked better after a Kelce catch and lateral where Perine would gain 10 yards. He likely doesn’t have much value moving forward now.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DeAndre Hopkins: 9 targets, 4 receptions, 90 yards receiving
Hopkins had a day that showed off what he was so good at doing: ball adjustment. Hopkins would get an incredible one-handed catch during the game’s first drive. Many times, Mahomes would miss him on targets, especially twice in the end zone. On the receptions that Hopkins did have, he was able to make adjustments to the ball and would look like vintage Hopkins. While he had a solid day, he could have had a better one if Mahomes had connected with him better. He remains a low end WR2 in fantasy.
Travis Kelce: 13 targets, 7 receptions, 68 yards receiving
The Chiefs star tight end Kelce had a respectable fantasy outing this week, being used as the short area/middle-of-the-field target for Mahomes in this game. Kelce saw plenty of short passes where he would break off a tackle and gain yards after the catch. Kelce seemed consistently open or was able to beat his defender to have separation. There were a few throws that Mahomes threw towards Kelce that were uncatchable, but there was one that Kelce would drop that would have gotten him an additional ten yards. Kelce has been playing better and remains in that TE1 area for fantasy.
Noah Gray: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 58 yards receiving
Noah Gray, the backup tight end, continues to be very involved in the Chiefs offense. Gray was great at finding the open space in zone coverage and worked the Raiders linebackers. He would have a few wide-open catches that went for 20+ yards. Gray has become another safety blanket over the middle of the field for Mahomes, and he is seeing a solid target share. He can be a desperate tight end worth starting any week for the rest of the season.
Xavier Worthy: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 54 yards receiving
Rookie receiver Xavier Worthy had a decent outing in this matchup. The Chiefs aren’t using Worthy correctly, but he is producing. Most of his receptions were from short curl routes that he would go up nine yards and turn. He wouldn’t get much yardage after his catches with a defender already behind. He did have one play where he would go deep, and Mahomes overthrew him. Worthy has decent FLEX value in this offense, but it’s not consistent.
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards receiving
Justin Watson: 3 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards receiving, TD
The Chiefs third and fourth receivers both had a reception in this game. JuJu Smith-Schuster had a catch in the first quarter for an easy catch and run. He has not been relevant since returning from injury. Justin Watson is just one of the outside receivers who plays a lot but doesn’t see many other targets. He got a short six-yard touchdown before the end of the first half.