The Las Vegas Raiders were one of the most active teams in the offseason. They brought in a new head coach and offensive coordinator in Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly, traded for a new quarterback in the Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith, and drafted a new running back in Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. So far, the additions haven’t paid off: Las Vegas is just 1-3, Smith leads the league in interceptions, and Jeanty didn’t break out until Week 4. The only bright spot in the Raiders’ season so far, besides Jeanty’s Week 4 performance, is third-year wideout Tre Tucker, who’s caught 15 of his 22 targets for 224 yards and four touchdowns.
Tucker actually only ranks third on the team in target share behind Jakobi Meyers (33 targets) and Brock Bowers (27), but he’s been a go-to touchdown scorer. Of Smith’s six passes inside the 10-yard line, two have gone to Tucker, two to Jeanty, and one each to Bowers and Michael Mayer. Tucker and Jeanty have scored both of their targets, but Tucker has also scored twice from outside the red zone. He’s also the most likely of Las Vegas’ receivers to record an explosive play, as his 11.3-yard average depth of target is the best of the three receivers with 20 or more targets. Smith — who ranks seventh league-wide in intended air yards per passing attempt — should continue being aggressive, which should help Tucker.
Regardless, I’m not yet convinced that Tucker is a fantasy asset. The vast majority of his damage — eight catches, 145 yards, and three touchdowns — came in a Week 3 loss to the Washington Commanders, and his 61-yard touchdown came on a blown coverage after the result had basically been decided. In a more competitive game against the Chicago Bears in Week 4, Smith targeted him just twice. If Smith keeps struggling, the Raiders have invested too much in him to bench him, but they could opt to hand the ball off to Jeanty more. At five-foot-eight, Tucker can’t block well enough to be an asset in play-action if Jeanty’s runs prove to be a sufficient threat.
Tucker’s only good performance came against the Commanders, who have had by far the league’s worst secondary so far, according to Pro Football Focus. Moving forward, Las Vegas will still have two games against the Kansas City Chiefs and one each against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles, all of whom have had top-10 coverage units this season. I’ll have to see Tucker and Smith perform against one of those teams before I’m willing to back any Raider not named Jeanty.
