Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; The Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Time to Give Up on Raiders Star's Fantasy Prospects

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders just took a very deflating loss in Week 4 to the Chicago Bears. The game itself was heartbreaking. The Raiders had a plethora of opportunities to go out and take this one, and instead gave it away to their opponents. Still, they had a chance in the final seconds to knock down a game-winning field goal and escape with a victory.

Ultimately, Daniel Carlson's 54-yard boot was blocked by Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell, and Chicago came out on top, 25-24. With the loss, Las Vegas dropped to 1-3, effectively decimating its odds to make the playoffs. On the bright side, the AFC has been relatively weak all around so far this season, which leaves the door open for the Raiders to possibly contend for a Wild Card spot with a strong late-season run.

However, the way they failed to take advantage of an opportune matchup with Chicago has thrown Las Vegas' hopes of turning its year around into question. A lot of the pessimism revolves around quarterback Geno Smith, who hasn't come close to meeting expectations with his new team, especially in fantasy football.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Should fantasy players give up on Geno Smith?

Geno Smith has arguably lost the Las Vegas Raiders two games in the 2025 NFL season, having thrown three picks each against both the Los Angeles Chargers and the Chicago Bears in narrow losses. He's also likely tanked several fantasy matchups for his owners.

There were high hopes that Smith could continue to ascend after an encouraging outing in Week 4 versus the Washington Commanders. The Chicago Bears presented him with an advantageous matchup with a highly questionable defense. Unfortunately, he couldn't capitalize.

This is the second game this season Geno Smith has thrown at least THREE interceptions.

He leads the NFL in picks with seven in less than four complete games played with the Raiders. pic.twitter.com/f5JsK7PDNx
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 28, 2025

ESPN's Tristan H. Cockcroft believes that Geno Smith's three-pick performance against the Bears made him one of the biggest fantasy losers of Week 4:

"A popular streaming option due to the matchup against the Chicago Bears — he was started in a season-high 21.9% of ESPN leagues — Smith flopped, scoring only 9.78 fantasy points in large part due to his throwing three interceptions. He struggled particularly on deeper throws, as all three picks came on throws at least 10 yards downfield, giving him a league-leading seven now in those situations. Fantasy managers will be much less likely to trust him when the matchups are right."

Looking ahead, Smith may have already played the worst defense he'll see this season when he gave up three turnovers to the Bears. He has one favorable matchup left against the Tennessee Titans, but faces a flurry of strong defenses, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, and Philadelphia Eagles.

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

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