Dynasty Fantasy Football Free Agency Preview 2026: Las Vegas Raiders

It has not been smooth sailing for the Las Vegas Raiders since the pirate team moved further inland. But they have some promising pieces, a new head coach, and the first overall pick in the draft. So now is the time to turn the tide and set sail in a new direction.

The big move here was hiring Klint Kubiak as head coach, fresh off his Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks. He brings offsneive line guru Rick Dennison with him. They have a boatload of money and some top-tier draft picks to work with, so this offseason is obviously going to be huge. 

Our job today is to look at the depth chart, the contracts, and the cap space to figure out what they might do in free agency. If there is a fantasy football spin, we’ll weigh in on that as well. If you’d like to see where we rank the Raiders' assets, become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*
 

Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

KEY

• White = free agent
• Green = role is safe
• Yellow =  role in flux
• Orange = likely a depth piece
• Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Las Vegas Raiders Free Agency 2026

• CURRENT PROJECTED TOP 51 2026 SALARIES: $225M
• CURRENT ESTIMATED 2026 TEAM CAP SPACE: $86M

Free Agent Types

Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. They are free to negotiate with any team.

Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. The CBA allowed for NFL teams to tender these players to one-year qualifying offers to retain them. Another team can sign them, but would need to provide the tendering team with compensation. In layman’s terms, if a new team signs a player, the current team can match it, or they receive the corresponding pick from the new team. These are the projected RFA tender levels per OverTheCap.com:

• 1st Round - $7,893,000
• 2nd Round - $5,658,000
• Right of First Refusal - $3,453,000

Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. If the team wants the player back, these contracts are a no-brainer, as the player either needs to play on the contract or sit out. 
 

Raiders Quarterback Depth Chart

Geno Smith

We watched Brad Holmes leave the Rams, bring Jared Goff, and have success with the Lions. Pete Carroll, to some degree, tried that here with Geno Smith going to the Raiders.  Pete Carroll has already been fired, and Geno Smith is likely out soon as well. 

The Raiders are expected to draft Fernando Mendoza at 1 overall in the upcoming draft. So leaving would be in the best interest for his fantasy value. The teams that he’d either start or at least have a shot to compete to start as of right now are the Dolphins, Cardinals, Steelers, Browns, Vikings, Falcons, and Jets - though that last one is likely off the table given their history. Those first three teams would hypothetically have little to compete with, while the Browns, Vikings, and Falcons have young QBs looking to keep their job. I don’t hold out a lot of hope for Geno Smith returning to fantasy starter status. 

Kenny Pickett

The Raiders made a move right before the season to acquire Kenny Pickett from the Browns for a 5th round pick (who was previously acquired via trade from the Eagles after landing there once he left the Steelers). Quite the journey for him, and I do think he will get picked up somewhere as a backup, but he’s an unrestricted free agent and not the answer for the Raiders. 

Aiden O’Connell

Aiden O’Connell has his fans out there. But the Geno Smith signing was a big hit to the pride, and the Kenny Pickett trade really wiped away whatever hope was remaining. Raiders fans don’t really want to root for Mendoza to fail, so I guess now you just hope for a fresh start elsewhere in 2027 when he’s a free agent. His roster spot isn’t safe as is with the coaching changes, so maybe he’ll be able to test the market sooner rather than later.

• Reserves/Futures: N/A

RAIDERS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: It seems pretty set in stone at this stage that the Raiders will be drafting Fernando Mendoza at 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. That doesn’t mean they won’t consider bringing in a veteran backup to help guide the way. Certain guys like Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, and Kirk Cousins have mentioned that they would rather “lead by example” than mentor as backups. So you’d probably want someone willing to take on an Andy Dalton-like role. 

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Marcus Mariota, Tyrod Taylor, Carson Wentz, Josh Johnson, Case Keenum, Mitchell Trubisky

Raiders Running Back Depth Chart

Ashton Jeanty

We were very excited about Klint Kubiak joining the Raiders - especially with him bringing along offensive line guru Rick Dennison. And then Klint Kubiak came out and said that he wants to have “two-man show” in the backfield to share the load because it’s a long season. And that cut into our excitement just a little.

It really all depends on what kind of “two-man show” we get. The two-back system in Atlanta was fine because Bijan Robinson got all the meaningful work, and Tyler Allgeier just supplemented him on less meaningful downs. The two-back system Klint Kubiak just ran in Seattle was fairly frustrating because Zach Charbonnet was getting all the goal-line work. We think Jeanty is in line for a better year, and we are willing to bet on the talents, but Kubiak could have given us a little more time to enjoy his signing before pouring the cold water.  

Raheem Mostert

The hope now for Jeanty in fantasy football is that the Raiders don’t go crazy spending up on another back. I don’t think the soon-to-be 34-year-old Raheem Mostert is the solution to that problem, but we’d be happy if he were. He’s an unrestricted free agent - he did contribute on kick returns, too, so he could be back for depth. 

Dylan Laube

Laube got some steam as a rookie as a potential pass-down back in the NFL. But that never materialized. He led the team kick returns while also playing over 200 special teams snaps across multiple different units. He’s on a rookie deal through 2027, so he should be back in that capacity. 

Zamir White

Another player who got some steam in fantasy circles and even started briefly. But this year, he was often a healthy scratch at times with the lack of a role on offense and little special teams usage. He’s likely gone as an unrestricted free agent here.

• Reserves/Futures: Chris Collier

RAIDERS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: We don’t think the Klint Kubiak will go as far as bringing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Gainwell with him. We hope. That would be a complete nightmare. More realistically, given the investment in Jeanty, we see something like what the Falcons and Lions did last year. You have a dynamic back like Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs. Then you have a second back that helps to spell them, as David Montgomery or Tyler Allgeier were used.

In fact, David Montgomery was just traded to the Houston Texans. And Tyler Allgeier is actually available. As long as Jeanty is that starter, gets meaningful pass work, and goal line, he has upside in fantasy football. If he loses any one of those opportunities, it caps his upside somewhat. Here are some affordable guys who could make sense. 

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Tyler Allgeier, Isiah Pacheco, Brian Robinson, Dameon Pierce, Najee Harris

Raiders Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Tre Tucker

Tre Tucker ended up being the clear top WR here, especially after the Jakobi Meyers trade. In fact, from the trade on, he never played fewer than 93% of the snaps and played 100% multiple times. So it’s really concerning here that he didn’t even crack 700 yards, something that he’s never done. Only two players got 75+ targets and had fewer yards per route run last year - Jerry Jeudy and Elic Ayomanor. 

His playing so much has pushed a performance escalator that has raised his contract. So, despite him being one of the only viable receivers, it’s not crazy for them to potentially cut him with ~$3.75M in savings and under $250K in dead cap. He’s in the last year of his deal, but they might not be able to turn things around quickly, so he could also end up being a top two WR on the team once again. It’s a big offseason for him here.

Jack Bech

Jack Bech failed to make a major impact or even carve out a meaningful role as a rookie. But they haven’t given up on him. GM John Spytek made some telling comments about “moving people all over” and not having a true No. 1 guy. One thing we do know from this scheme is that the fullback and tight end usage means there are, at most, two full-time guys. And, with Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty there, you MAYBE have room for one more fantasy-relevant guy. With that in mind, we are looking to sell Bech if he still has any value, as it seems likely the Raiders bring someone in. 

Dont'e Thornton

Thornton has a much more interesting athletic profile than Bech. He has the speed to succeed on the outside and rip off chunk plays, which could help him here if he gets a role. Right now, he’s a more interesting stash than Bech, but we are in the same boat in terms of selling if it’s possible. 

Tyler Lockett

Tyler Lockett was brought back after his release from the Titans. But he’s a Pete Carroll guy, and Carroll is gone. He didn’t overlap with Kubiak in Seattle, so they’d really have to want to bring him back on his own merits. I’m not sure that’s likely. 

Alex Bachman

Bachman was signed to a reserves/futures contract last offseason to continue trying out for the squad. And he actually did appear in 13 games, primarily on special teams. He’s an unrestricted free agent, though, and would need to start from square one with the coaches. 

Shedrick Jackson

Jackson was also signed to a reserves/futures contract at this time last offseason. He’s technically under contract but with zero guaranteed money, so not a roster lock by any means. 

• Reserves/Futures: Justin Shorter, Brenden Rice, Phillip Dorsett

RAIDERS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Raiders have a ton of money here in free agency, so that’s not holding them back. The willingness to join the organization and play for a rookie QB could be the problem. But let’s assume they can attract free agents - who would be a good scheme fit?

We’ve seen, with multiple versions of this offense, that they like using multiple tight ends and a fullback. That not only limits the offense to a lot of two WR sets, but you don’t really need a big split end. Jaxon Smith-Njigba just led the league in 20+ yard plays with over 100 yards more than the next guy on such plays. Now that George Pickens has been tagged, the best free agent options that fit that type of mold would likely be Alec Pierce and then Rashid Shaheed (who also has extensive experience with Klint Kubiak). Then there’s Tyreek Hill, who worked with Shanahan disciples in Miami… 

Other types of WRs, like Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk, are also familiar with Kubiak from his time in San Francisco in 2023. All the other options would be discounted versions.  

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Alec Pierce, Rashid Shaheed, Tyreek Hill, Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk (via trade), Tyquan Thornton, Marquise Brown

Raiders Tight End Depth Chart

Brock Bowers

Even when hobbled, Brock Bowers is pretty darn good. He was a top tight end in key stats like route participation, target share, aDot, pass block rate, WR snap percentage, catches vs. man to man, yards per route run, you name it. This season might represent the last chance to acquire him in dynasty leagues, if you can. But the person who has him probably already knows how special he is.

Michael Mayer

One person who actually becomes more valuable in this scheme is Michael Mayer. Maybe not much for fantasy, but we have seen guys like Foster Moreau, AJ Barner, and Charlie Woerner play big inline snaps in different iterations of this scheme in the past. Last year, before Elijah Arroyo got hurt, AJ Barner was the inline tight end, and Elijah Arroyo was the “big slot” tight end. So I think we see a lot of snaps with Mayer as the inline blocker and Bowers doing his thing at WR. And, if they do decide to trade Mayer, as some suggest, guys like Moreau are out there in free agency. 

Ian Thomas

After leaving the Panthers, Thomas landed as an inline depth and special teams player for the Raiders. And he played some 50%+ snap shares when Michael Mayer was out. He’s an unrestricted free agent but could return as depth. 

Carter Runyon

Runyon primarily played special teams, but he actually played the fifth-most special-teams snaps on the team, appearing on four units. So I do expect him back. 

• Reserves/Futures: Albert Okwuegbunam

RAIDERS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Raiders are pretty set at tight end. If they do trade Michael Mayer, here are the names that could come in to be the inline blocking tight end. Some of these guys have played under offshoots of the Kyle Shanahan tree, including Klint Kubiak himself, so they are already familiar with the scheme. 

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Adam Trautman, Foster Moreau, Daniel Bellinger, Grant Calcaterra, Charlie Kolar, Harrison Bryant, Durham Smythe

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

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