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Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll stands on the sidelines against the Washington Commanders during the third quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Raiders Waiver Wire Stack Could Save Fantasy Football Teams

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are struggling through the first three games of the 2025 NFL season. They sit at just 1-2, after dropping two straight against potential contenders: first to the Los Angeles Chargers in last week's Monday Night Football matchup and then to the Washington Commanders without star quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Against the Commanders, the defense showed its warts, allowing a Marcus Mariota-led attack to drop 34 points on them. They ultimately lost 41-24, with Washington also scoring a punt-return touchdown. On the bright side, they were able to showcase some of their offensive potential in this one, even if a lot of it came when the contest was already out of hand.

For anyone who came into this fantasy football season with Raiders players on their roster, this last game against the Commanders marked a promising turnaround. For those considering adding some members from Las Vegas on the waiver wire, the time is now.

2 Raiders that need to be picked up off the waiver wire

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

1. Geno Smith

Geno Smith wasn't able to lead his Las Vegas Raiders back into the win column, but he did have an encouraging statistical output in Week 3. He finished with 289 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing against the Washington Commanders. Eric Karabell believes that Smith's 10 percent roster rate on ESPN fantasy leagues is way too low:

"Through Sunday's games, Smith was the third-highest QB scorer for the week (behind only Caleb Williams and Jalen Hurts), tossing three TD passes as his team was getting shredded by the Washington Commanders. OK, so garbage time football matters, too. Smith rebounded after throwing three interceptions in Week 2. The Raiders continue to have trouble running the football -- and defending -- so there may be more games that Smith must throw often because his team trails. That works in fantasy!"

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

2. Tre Tucker

Tre Tucker was the primary beneficiary of Smith's bounce-back game versus the Commanders. After three middling seasons to begin his NFL career, there was hope that Tucker could break through this year with a more daring and capable quarterback to throw to him. That proved to be an astute prediction in Week 3. Karabell thinks that picking up both Smith and Tucker would be a worthwhile maneuver:

"Tucker was the beneficiary of Geno Smith's late-game work, hauling in eight catches for 145 yards and all three touchdowns (two coming in the final quarter). The 40.9 PPR points easily represented a career best. Tucker caught five passes over the first two weeks. We shouldn't assume he steals many targets from top Raiders options TE Brock Bowers and WR Jakobi Meyers, but there is also little indication this offense seems intent in getting rookies Dont'e Thornton Jr. or Jack Bech more involved. Tucker isn't exactly old. He's 24, in his third season, and he caught 47 passes last season. Still, he may not score 40.9 points over the next month, either."

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr to find all of our Raiders' fantasy updates throughout the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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