Fantasy Football

The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a 41-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.

The Raiders offense struggled to get going for much of the night. So what did we learn about the Las Vegas receivers?

Second-year wideout Bryan Edwards had his best fantasy game of the season, recording a team-high 88 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. It just was his second time reaching the end zone this year.

Edwards was targeted by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr four times, which trailed receiver Hunter Renfrow (nine), tight end Darren Waller (seven) and running back Josh Jacobs (five). The South Carolina product has yet to top 100 yards in a game in his career, but he showed some promise on Sunday.

Veteran receiver DeSean Jackson, on the other hand, had a lackluster showing in his team debut. Jackson caught his only target, a 38-yard reception that he ended up fumbling as he tried to gain some yards after the catch.

Jackson signed with the Raiders last week after being released by the Los Angeles Rams. The 14-year veteran was unhappy with his role in the Los Angeles offense and requested his release. While Jackson has never been a target hog, we can expect him to garner a couple of more looks from Carr as he continues to acclimate to the offense.

For fantasy managers seeking help at wide receiver, it's hard to trust either Edwards or Jackson. Waller usually dominates the target share for Las Vegas, and Renfrow is Carr's favorite option at wide receiver.

Due to injuries or desperation, it might be worth rostering Edwards and hoping for the best. If he can develop some consistency in the latter half of the season, he could emerge as a WR3 or flex option. Jackson's days as a steady fantasy receiver are long gone, and he should be avoided until he proves otherwise.

After enduring a disappointing rookie season, AJ Dillon may now be expected to deliver in a big way for the Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Jones—who was ruled out for the end of Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks with a knee injury—is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL but will undergo further testing, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. If Jones were to miss time, it would thrust Dillon into the starting job.

Many were surprised when Green Bay took the former Boston College star in the second round of the 2020 draft, given the presence of Jones and the team's need for help at wide receiver. Dillon proceeded to carry the ball just 46 times for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

His usage has increased a bit in Year 2. Through nine games, he has 355 rushing yards and zero touchdowns while adding 14 receptions for 134 yards and one touchdown.

Even with Jones' return this offseason, the departure of Jamaal Williams meant the 23-year-old was going to assume a bigger role in the backfield. Because of that, he's almost assuredly unavailable in the majority of fantasy football leagues.

Splitting time with Jones didn't prevent Williams from having a big game here and there or capitalizing on the right matchup. Dillon had one such outing (15 carries, 81 yards; one reception, 16 yards) in a Week 4 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Green Bay's depth chart also guaranteed he was only an injury away from becoming the primary ball-carrier.

If you have him on your roster, then a promotion to RB2 or the flex position is more than warranted.

Big NFL injury news broke Saturday as Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods (torn ACL) is out for the remainder of the season, while Tennessee Titans wideout Julio Jones (hamstring) will miss at least three games after being placed on injured reserve.

Hopefully, the talented Woods (45 catches, 556 yards, four touchdowns) comes back in time for the beginning of the 2022 season.

As for Jones (21 catches, 336 yards), the hope is that he misses only the three-game minimum before contributing for the Titans during the stretch run.

From a fantasy perspective, anyone who rostered Woods needs a waiver-wire replacement. The same goes for Jones, though that one may be more temporary with the wideout potentially returning in early December.

Here's a look at the best waiver-wire wide receiver options out there. All players listed are available in at least half of Yahoo leagues.

Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (Available in 50 Percent of Leagues)

Baltimore Ravens rookie wideout Rashod Bateman isn't an option this week after he played on Thursday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins, but the former Minnesota star should be a popular pickup for the last eight games of the regular season.

Bateman has averaged seven targets in his four games, and he's turned that into 18 catches for 241 yards. He's proved to be an explosive, playmaking wideout that has actually garnered the third-most receptions out of any Ravens pass-catcher since his debut on Oct. 17.

He missed the first chunk of the season to recover from groin surgery, but Bateman has looked great ever since. Bateman also has the added bonus of being available every week with the Ravens' bye in the rearview mirror.

Having one of the game's best offensive talents in quarterback Lamar Jackson also helps matters. He's been dominant with his legs in his four-year NFL career and has proved capable of keeping plays alive and finding his receivers downfield in the face of ferocious pass rushes.

In sum, the best of Bateman is probably yet to arrive, and he's already off to a great start anyway, so he's worth a shot.

New York Jets WR Elijah Moore (Available in 50 Percent of Leagues)

Moore has seen as many targets (20) over his last three games as he did in his first four. The rookie out of Ole Miss has made the most of his looks lately, catching 14 passes for 164 yards and two scores.

He's been the Jets' top wideout with Corey Davis absent, although the Jets' big free-agent acquisition is expected to return Sunday against the Buffalo Bills after a hip injury that sidelined him for two games.

That may mean fewer targets for Moore, especially considering that the team already has a crowded wideout room with Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims, Keelan Cole and Jeff Smith.

Still, Moore has shown more than enough to earn playing time over the past two weeks. He's a dynamic, shifty, playmaking receiver, someone the Jets desperately need to play consistent snaps.

New York has averaged just 18 points per game this year (27th in the NFL), but Moore's two-game outburst has helped the team post 64 points over its last two contests. The 2-6 Jets can't afford to keep him on the bench.

Like Bateman, Moore is past the bye, so anyone rostering him would have him for the remainder of the season barring unforeseen absences.

New York Giants WR Kadarius Toney (Available in 53 Percent of Leagues)

Adding Giants rookie wideout Kadarius Toney is a boom-or-bust proposition.

He showed what he's capable of when targeted, catching 16 passes for 267 yards on 22 targets over a two-game stretch in October versus the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. Toney then started a game against the Los Angeles Rams with three catches for 36 yards in fewer than four minutes of action before leaving with an ankle injury.

However, he's been quiet ever since. Toney missed the Giants' 25-3 win over the Carolina Panthers with the ankle ailment, but he's only amassed five catches for 35 yards on six targets in the two games since.

A short-handed offensive line that hasn't given quarterback Daniel Jones much time to work with hasn't helped, nor has the conservative play-calling of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

The latter might be the more serious concern, as Toney somehow only had one target in the Giants' 23-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. The Giants had 31 rushing attempts versus 20 passes.

Still, if your fantasy team is in a bind, Toney is worth a shot to add to your bench and at least consider as a flex option moving forward.

Five of the Giants' eight remaining games are against losing teams, so the schedule is going to soften up and give Toney chances to do work.

The Giants are in a bye this week but return Monday, Nov. 22, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Julio Jones' ailing hamstring will keep him out for at least three games, leading fantasy football managers to question how the status of A.J. Brown and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine will be affected going forward.

The Titans announced Saturday that they placed Jones on injured reserve.

Brown is an easy enough projection. He was already ahead of Jones in the pecking order and is a solid WR2 with WR1 upside. If anything, more targets should be heading his way. He'll continue to be Tennessee's top option in the passing game.

Things get pretty bleak for the Titans' receiving corps after Brown.

Not having Jones and Derrick Henry, who is still recovering from foot surgery, could dramatically alter the way Tennessee's offense operates. The unit only had 194 total yards in last week's 28-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Looking ahead to Sunday, the Titans are taking on a New Orleans Saints defense that ranks third in Football Outsiders' total DVOA and 13th in pass DVOA.

Westbrook-Ikhine had a decent fantasy game in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts when Brown left early because of a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old caught all four of his targets for 53 yards and one touchdown.

Since that game, though, Westbrook-Ikhine has only had 86 yards and one touchdown on nine receptions.

Betting on anyone from the Titans aside from Brown to produce is a dangerous proposition. Wait to see how much attention Westbrook-Ikhine gets from Ryan Tannehill on Sunday before deciding whether to even add him to your roster.