In a below-average free-agent WR class, Jakobi Meyers was likely the crown jewel. And he didn’t last long, as the former undrafted free agent agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract with the Raiders on Tuesday. Meyers will join Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow for a Raiders team spearheaded by newly-signed Jimmy Garoppolo. Let’s examine what this signing means for fantasy purposes.
JAKOBI MEYERS
Old projection: 65.1 receptions on 99.3 targets for 771.5 yards and 4.3 touchdowns
New projection: 59.8 receptions on 90.8 targets for 715.6 yards and 4.0 touchdowns
- There was some speculation Meyers could get a larger-than-expected contract similar to what Christian Kirk did last year, but $11 million APY is not quite that. Still, Meyers should immediately step in as a starting receiver for the Raiders. Mack Hollins — who is almost certainly a worse target earner than Meyers — commanded a 16.0% target share as the WR2 for Las Vegas in 2022, although that was artificially buoyed by injuries to Waller and Renfrow.
- According to Pro Football Focus, 60.1% of Meyers’ snaps came from the slot last year — a position that will be occupied by Renfrow in Vegas. It is worth noting that Renfrow’s 2023 salary and roster bonus don’t become guaranteed until Friday; the Raiders could look to move him if they want Meyers as their primary slot. However, the Waller trade probably makes that less likely, meaning Meyers should take on a larger outside role in 2023.
- This looked like a super crowded receiving corps before Waller got traded, but his exit opens the door for Meyers and Renfrow to inherit respectable volume in secondary roles behind Adams.
OTHER RAIDERS PLAYERS
- Mack Hollins takes the biggest hit — although we were already assuming he would not enter 2023 as the Raiders’ starting outside WR — as he falls to WR4 on the current depth chart. Otherwise, we initially slightly dinged Renfrow and even Adams (barely) as a result of the Meyers signing, but the departure of Waller allowed us to put Adams and Renfrow back where they were previously and increase our Meyers projection from where we initially had it right after he signed. Meyers is blocked from receiving an alpha WR1 target share — as he had at times in New England — as long as Adams stays healthy, but he can still be a fantasy contributor in best ball formats.
