Raiders Stock Up, Stock Down: Roller Coaster Season Continues

The Raiders had a wild game in New York. Some players were excellent and took on expanded roles, while others faced steep falls. 

Las Vegas trailed the Jets by nine in the third quarter before ripping off a 17-3 run to end the game and secure a fourth win in Klint Kubiak’s first season. That win came with some big decisions, as Kubiak made changes at running back, right guard and corner back.

Stock Up

Mike Washington

The biggest story line of the win over the Jets was Mike Washington taking over the backfield. The rookie got 25 carries and rushed for 83 yards, a total Ashton Jeanty has failed to reach in 21 of his 25 career games. 

Washington probably won’t get that many carries going forward. There are clear areas where he struggles, but the Raiders are likely going to use him quite a bit as a runner in the future. 

Trey Zuhn

The Raiders also made a change up front. Trey Zuhn became the third different starting right guard this season. That the Raiders won the game and had some success running the ball bodes well for his chances to keep the job. 

Zuhn may not actually keep it for the rest of the season, as the 49ers could make life much more difficult in Week 9. But for now, Zuhn is a starter in the NFL.

Kirk Cousins

One week after the calls for Fernando Mendoza were as loud as they have been all season, Kirk Cousins showed up. He threw three more touchdown passes and ran in a fourth. 

Cousins has been one of the best players on the team this season. So any change at quarterback will strictly be a move for the future, not one to make the 2026 Raiders better. 

Stock Down

Ashton Jeanty

Ashton Jeanty has had a disappointing career. He has routinely struggled to top 50 yards, but until Week 8, he was the unquestioned bell-cow back in Las Vegas. Jeanty was getting the carries whether he produced or not. 

That finally changed with Klint Kubiak effectively benching Jeanty. The Raiders used him as a passing-down back only. He did have three catches for 64 yards, but that is not the role general manager John Spytek envisioned when he took Jeanty sixth overall in the 2025 draft.

Hezekiah Masses

Hezekiah Masses has had the most tumultuous season in Las Vegas. He started the year as a backup, but after Darien Porter was hurt in Week 1, Masses quickly jumped into the starting lineup. The rookie picked off three passes in his first two starts and looked like a breakout star.

But those interceptions hid his struggles in coverage. The Patriots and Chiefs exposed Masses, which sent him back to the bench. However, Porter was injured on the first defensive play of the game in Week 8. But it was another rookie cornerback, Jermod McCoy, who got the call before Masses. 

Masses still ended up playing, but he has fallen from interception leader to third choice.