Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Final Score: Chargers 31, Raiders 14
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)
What started as a close game ended up being relatively lopsided as the Chargers pulled away from the AFC West rival Raiders in the second half. Las Vegas played the Chargers tough in the first half, trading touchdowns to take a 7-7 game into the break, but the second half went entirely L.A.’s way. The Bolts scored on four out of five second-half drives (not including end of game kneels) to pull away and complete their season sweep of the lowly Raiders. The biggest story to come out of this contest wasn’t what the Chargers gained by improving to 8-4, but rather what they nearly lost as Justin Herbert broke his non-throwing hand in the first quarter. He finished out the game and seems intent on playing next week, but his status will be important to monitor for fantasy managers.
Two Up
- Kimani Vidal — The volume was exquisite and the production was awesome, too. The touchdown — chef’s kiss.
- Brock Bowers — The only relevant pass catcher in silver and black pulled in two more touchdowns.
Three Down
- Ashton Jeanty — Involved in the passing game, but couldn’t get a running lane to save his life.
- Tre Tucker — Just another guy that the Raiders trot out there to run routes.
- Omarion Hampton — The rookie practiced this week but did not come off of IR to play. With Vidal’s success, his rest-of-season role becomes murkier.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 18/23, 165 Yards, 2 TDs, INT | 2 Carries, -6 Yards
The Raiders have clearly made a concerted effort to limit his pass attempts, even in negative game scripts. When he wasn’t running for his life (sacked five times), Geno Smith was relatively effective in getting the ball to his playmakers (mostly just Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty). If he can continue to limit the mistakes, he might be able to give the Raiders a fighting chance in their remaining games.
Running Back
Ashton Jeanty: 15 Carries, 31 Yards | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 30 Yards
A long day for Ashton Jeanty on the ground, as he struggled to find any sort of space to run. His longest rush of the day was a 9-yard scamper — the other 14 carries amounted for just 22 yards (about 1.5 yards per carry). At least the Raiders have figured out to get Jeanty the ball in space in the passing game. He caught six of his eight targets and gained nearly as many yards through the air.
Raheem Mostert: 1 Carry, 6 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Brock Bowers: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 63 Yards, 2 TDs
Brock Bowers is really good at football and the Raiders have figured out that he might be the only offensive player that is. Bowers rivaled Puka Nacua and Treylon Burks for the best catch of the week, pulling in a one-handed touchdown grab for one of his two scores. It would be really cool to see this guy play for a contender, but for now we have to watch him rot away on the Vegas roster while he continues to be a fantasy stud.
You have to watch the replay to truly appreciate this Brock Bowers TD catch. pic.twitter.com/11k2YQZsFq https://t.co/bncePzXSNx
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 30, 2025
Dont’e Thornton: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
Tre Tucker: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 20 Yards
Tyler Lockett: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
Jack Bech: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
Ian Thomas: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
The rest of this receiving corps is just generally irrelevant, even Tre Tucker. Anyone not named Bowers that’s tied to Smith as their quarterback isn’t going to produce enough consistent fantasy goodness to matter the rest of the way.
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
Justin Herbert: 15/20, 151 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 3 Carries, 8 Yards
Herbert played most of the game with a large glove on his left hand, protecting what appears to be a hand injury. We found out postgame that he’ll undergo surgery Monday, but it’s unclear if he’ll play next week or not. This week, though, Herbert was pretty solid outside of one poor decision where he tried to force a late throw to Ladd McConkey in the end zone that was picked. Herbert didn’t have to throw much as the Chargers leaned on the ground game, but when he did he was up to task most of the time.
#Chargers QB Justin Herbert has a break in his left hand and will have surgery tomorrow, coach Jim Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh wasn’t sure if Herbert will miss time. pic.twitter.com/PFsBiRQKVO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 1, 2025
Trey Lance: 1/1, 9 Yards
Running Back
Kimani Vidal: 25 Carries, 126 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
The volume is elite. There’s no denying it. But Kimani Vidal could be second string as soon as Omarion Hampton returns from IR (or we could see Vidal hold off the rookie while he gets back to full speed). We have no idea what his role will be moving forward, but any running back getting 25 carries is worth a starting spot, especially the ones that average 5 yards per carry. His best tote of the game was his 59-yard touchdown run where he took a pitch, made a couple players miss and zoomed past the rest of the defense for a score.
This is third game with 100 or more rushing yards for Kimani Vidal this season, the most for a Chargers player in a single season since Melvin Gordon in 2018 pic.twitter.com/YbmZLWOGi2
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) November 30, 2025
Jaret Patterson: 11 Carries, 54 Yards, TD
Elevated from the practice squad earlier this week, Jaret Patterson showed some zip with a solid approach and found the end zone. Not bad for a guy collecting an NFL minimum salary.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Quentin Johnston: 3 Targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards, TD
Quentin Johnston was on the field for 45 snaps, ran 23 routes and was targeted three times, including once in the red zone. He pulled in all three targets, and shook off a big hit on the goal line to lean into the end zone for a score. He’s not as prolific as the start of the season, but he’s still a solid option on a potent offense.
Keenan Allen: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 30 Yards
Old man Keenan Allen basically functions like a tight end split wide these days, pulling in short to intermediate routes as Herbert’s safety valve. It’s not pretty for fantasy, but it’s vital for real football.
Ladd McConkey: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 39 Yards, TD
Ladd McConkey has led the Chargers’ receivers in yardage for four of the last five games, and has pulled in touchdowns in three of those contests. Ladd was on the field for the most snaps and ran the most routes as well. He’s pulled ahead of Johnston and Allen as the Chargers’ WR1 and should be rostered as such. It’s just that sometimes the volume in this Greg Roman offense just isn’t there. He’ll have to be efficient with his opportunities to continue producing.
Tre’ Harris: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 30 yards
A solid showing for the rookie, who was primarily used as a run blocker for most of the season. Tre’ Harris ran just 11 routes but was targeted on four of them.
Oronde Gadsden II: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 27 Yards
Oronde Gadsden II isn’t quite the same from an athletic standpoint as he was prior to his injury, or maybe the scouting report is finally out on the rookie tight end. Either way, his production has dropped off since returning from injury and he hasn’t popped off in the same way. He was on the field for 46 snaps, but the Chargers utilized fullback Tucker Fisk more often in pass protection, taking away some snaps from the rookie, Gadsden. Keep an eye on that moving forward.