The Las Vegas Raiders will kick off their 2024 season on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, and three of their top fantasy football assets, tight end Brock Bowers, wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Zamir White, are all expected to play.
White and Adams are not in question at all, as both are healthy and have been practicing lately. However, Bowers has been sidelined since after the preseason Week 1 game due to a foot injury and has not practiced.
Thankfully, Bowers' injury doesn't appear to be serious and head coach Antonio Pierce has said he expects the rookie to play in Week 1.
“Yeah, I feel really good about that to be honest,” Pierce said of Bowers' chances of playing in the season-opener. “Just again, I’m going to go back to protecting the young guy. Sometimes you get in the league, you have got to be smart and sometimes you have got to protect them from themselves. So, that’s all it is.”
So, should you have Bowers, Adams and/or White in your lineup for Week 1? Let's find out now as we take a look at some start or sit advice for all three.
Fantasy Football start or sit Week 1
TE Brock Bowers: Sit
Bowers has a legit shot to be a generational talent at the tight end position, but we have to temper expectations early on. After all, it's difficult to expect a ton out of a rookie, especially in Week 1.
Bowers will have some competition for targets, including Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer, and the Raiders have a shaky quarterback situation with Gardner Minshew. Adding to that, Bowers has missed a lot of practice time, so it isn't crazy to think he doesn't get a full complement of snaps.
If you have a more experienced option on your bench, you're probably better suited rolling with that player over Bowers. But, if you have to start Bowers because there's no better option available, you could do a lot worse than a matchup against a Chargers team that usually has a poor defense. Don't expect anything more than TE2 production, though.
WR Davante Adams: Start
While having Minshew as his quarterback isn't great, Adams had a worse situation in 2023 with Jimmy G and a rookie in Aidan O'Connell, yet Adams still finished as WR10 overall in PPR last season. He remains a locked-in, every-week starter until further notice. The Chargers should offer a soft matchup, also.
RB Zamir White: Start
White is expected to lead the backfield in Las Vegas in 2024 and the anticipated volume along is enough to give him a look in Week 1. Add in the fact that the Chargers' defense is scaring nobody and that makes White a strong flex play.
