Rival front offices have begun gauging Las Vegas’ willingness to sell, but NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero provided essential context regarding Crosby’s personal stance and the front office’s upcoming dilemma.

“Maxx Crosby wants to be a Raider, he has no desire to leave, and he is definitely not forcing his way out. But GM John Spytek is sure to get calls over the next 10 days, leaving open the possibility of another blockbuster.”

The Baltimore trade fallout and Maxx Crosby’s market value

Trade chatter surrounding Maxx Crosby is not a new phenomenon. Offseason negotiations saw Las Vegas agree to a blockbuster deal sending Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for two first-round draft picks. However, Baltimore halted the transaction after citing a failed physical, ultimately pivoting to acquire Trey Hendrickson instead.

Crosby returned to Las Vegas, reaffirmed his dedication to the silver and black, and has continued to deliver high-level production. But with the Raiders’ season unraveling, competing general managers view his situation differently ahead of the deadline:

• Sellers’ Market Capital: A trade involving an elite 29-year-old edge rusher under contract would net Las Vegas multiple early-round selections.
• Building Around Fernando Mendoza: Offloading major veteran contracts allows Spytek to stockpile high draft picks to build a dominant offensive foundation around rookie signal-caller Fernando Mendoza.
• No Player Friction: Unlike other star trade sagas across the league, Crosby remains fully committed to the locker room, meaning any potential transaction would be purely a strategic business decision by the front office.

Will John Spytek pull the trigger before November 10?

While Crosby is not demanding a trade, Spytek’s phone will ring continuously over the next 10 days. Super Bowl contenders searching for a primary pass-rusher view Crosby as a game-changing addition capable of shifting playoff odds.

Unless Las Vegas snaps its four-game losing streak immediately, the front office may determine that accepting a rich futures package is the most logical path to building a long-term contender.

Key takeaways

• Tom Pelissero confirms Maxx Crosby has no desire to leave Las Vegas and is not forcing a trade.
• GM John Spytek is expected to receive major trade inquiries over the next 10 days as rival contenders test the Raiders’ resolve.
• Following a four-game losing streak, trading veteran assets could provide essential draft capital to build around Fernando Mendoza.

“Rams are optimistic that WR Puka Nacua will play vs. the Raiders,” Adam Schefter reported on X. “Nacua was feeling better Saturday and, as one source said, ‘as long as there aren’t any setbacks, we feel good about him being available to play’.”

What was supposed to be a dream year has turned into a nightmarish ride for the Rams, who sit third in the NFC West with a 2-4 record. As things stand in the NFL season, their best players have made more headlines because of injuries than because of highlight-reel plays.

Nacua raising eyebrows

Coming into the 2026 NFL season, there were many questions surrounding Nacua’s offseason and off-field scandals, but virtually none about his play or ability to lead the Rams’ receiving corps. However, Nacua has barely been able to stay healthy.

When healthy, Nacua could very well be considered the best wideout in the NFL. As cliché as it sounds, availability is indeed the most important ability. Nacua has already missed two games this year and could still miss a third in Week 7.

Nacua’s numbers

So far in the 2026 NFL season, Nacua has caught 37 passes for 512 yards, ranking 16th among WRs, and has scored only one receiving touchdown (he has another on the ground). Nacua’s struggles so far are just par for the course for Los Angeles, as it seems everything that could go wrong has gone terribly wrong.

More job for RBs and TEs

If Nacua is ruled out for Week 7 against the Raiders, the Rams will be staring at a virtually empty wide receiver room, with only Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, Tutu Atwell, CJ Daniels, and Alex Bachman confirmed to be active.

Missing both Nacua and Adams in Week 7 would only add to the workload and pressure on the shoulders of running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

Tight ends Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson would also be in line for expanded roles, which has been a common theme for them all year long, as the Rams still have Terrance Ferguson on Injured Reserve (IR).

Key takeaways

• Puka Nacua suffered a calf injury, leaving his Week 7 status questionable for the Rams.
• The Los Angeles Rams sit 2-4 in third place in the NFC West division.
• Puka Nacua has 37 catches for 512 receiving yards during the 2026 NFL season.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, “WR Puka Nacua suffered what is believed to be a minor calf injury.” However, he also stated his status vs Raiders is “up in the air.” Hence, alerts are going off, as this is a must-win game for the Rams.

Davante Adams ruptured his hamstring, so if Nacua isn’t able to go, the WR room will be absolutely decimated. Hence, it’s key for the Rams to have Nacua. However, they also can’t risk him as he is arguably the best player on the roster.

Who would be the Rams WR1 vs Raiders if Nacua can’t go?

If Nacua is out, paired with the absence of Adams, it will be second-year wideout Konata Mumpfield taking the baton. The former seventh-round pick has been slightly featured this season, however, he also had a great match already.

In Week 3, with Nacua out due to injury, Mumpfield had a breakout performance where he had eight targets, four catches for 93 yards and one touchdown. Now, he might be poised to have the best stretch of his career if he has to be the No.1 wideout on the team.

The tight ends will feature heavily too

While their best tight end, Terrance Ferguson, is still on IR, the Rams also have guys like Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson who are very serviceable tight ends. They will feature heavily against the Raiders.

Kyren Williams is also a very good pass-catching running back. Hence, between tight ends and him, the passing game should see less explosive plays, and more progressive ones. Still, Mumpfield is there as a vertical threat.

Key takeaways

• Puka Nacua left Thursday’s practice with a calf injury, making his Week 7 status uncertain.
• Konata Mumpfield recorded 93 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 with Nacua injured.
• Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson remains on injured reserve heading into the Raiders game.

Even though Bills head coach Joe Brady threatened to take James Cook’s prominent role away, Buffalo may have no choice but to pound the rock as Moore won’t play against Las Vegas. That, or the Bills will need Josh Allen to play hero ball, not that it would be anything new for him.

Dealing with a shoulder injury, Moore was a limited participant in Buffalo’s Friday practice and is listed as questionable for the Week 6 matchup against Las Vegas in the 2026 NFL season. Moore didn’t play in the Bills’ primetime win over the Los Angeles Rams last week.

Bills WR depth chart

Joshua Palmer is also questionable to play against the Raiders. That means Josh Allen’s confirmed receiving options for Week 6 will include Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Greg Dortch, and Skyler Bell.

That’s not taking into account the loaded tight end room, which boasts the likes of Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, and Jackson Hawes. If neither Moore nor Palmer can dress, expect Kincaid and company to have an even bigger role in Pete Carmichael’s offense.

Key takeaways

• Bills face Raiders in Week 6 with DJ Moore’s playing status still unconfirmed.
• DJ Moore listed questionable with a shoulder injury after practicing limited on Friday.
• Joshua Palmer questionable alongside DJ Moore, leaving Bills wide receiver options depleted.

Jeanty expressed to the media that he is feeling the best he’s felt all year. The running back was dealing with ankle injuries since training camp. The team took that injury off the weekly practice report this week.

That means the Raiders will have their top two weapons, Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers fully healthy. Bowers had a minor knee surgery that sidelined him for the first two weeks of the season.

Jeanty will be key for th Raiders vs Bills

The Buffalo Bills have allowed 117 rushing yards in in their last three games. Hence, having Jeanty fully healthy and ready to go should provide the Raiders with an absolute weapon to capitalize on the Bills’ biggest weakness.

That also will allow Kirk Cousins to establish the play-action threat. When Jeanty is running through the Bills defense, Buffalo will be forced to load the box. This means that Cousins will have more one-on-one encounters between his receivers and Bowers, and the Bills secondary.

Jeanty could also harm the Bills as a pass-catcher

Via play-action or on simple checkdowns that Cousins loves to do, Jeanty could also produce catching the ball. Jeanty has catched at least three passes in all of this year’s games, and has had at least six targets in all but one game.

All in all, out of the 506 scrimmage yards Jeanty’s got, 215 have been by receiving the ball, not carrying it. To make it an even bigger statement, Jeanty’s two touchdowns this year have both been receiving scores.

Key takeaways

• The Raiders removed Ashton Jeanty’s ankle injury from their weekly practice report.
• Buffalo’s defense allowed 117 rushing yards across their last three games combined.
• Ashton Jeanty generated 215 receiving yards of his 506 total scrimmage yards.

“Ashton Jeanty is a go,” Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirmed the Raiders’ running back has been cleared to play the Patriots in Week 5 of the 2026 NFL campaign. According to the NFL’s Injury Report statuses, Jeanty was dealing with a hamstring injury. Other reports point towards ankle and foot injuries. Either way, the health concerns were threatening to sideline him, but he pushed through.

With the Raiders coming off their first loss of the year, and the Patriots having defeated the Buffalo Bills last week, whether Jeanty played or not could have determined the trajectory of the game in Foxborough.

Gearing up for Week 5 in Mass., Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak had an encouraging statement about Jeanty’s status, though the team’s updates told a different story. According to Kubiak, Jeanty will “do his best to go”, and he did just that. New England will have to figure out a way to contain the dual-threat tail back.

Jeanty’s week of practice

Although he turned things around, Jeanty had been on a downward spiral. Following the injuries sustained in the grueling Week 4 defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs, Jeanty was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.

However, he was downgraded to a limited role the next day before being completely sidelined in Las Vegas’ last practice on Friday. The fact Jeanty wasn’t listed as out in the final injury report before gameday was an encouraging note and one that the running back built on.

Clearly, anything can happen, especially when the resilience of a competitor like Jeanty is at stake. In a crucial battle to keep the good times rolling in Vegas, Jeanty won’t miss the action. However, the bigger picture can’t be lost sight of, either.

Raiders make RB move just in case

“With Ashton Jeanty questionable because of foot and ankle injuries, the Raiders elevated RB Roman Hemby,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on his X account.

Calling up another running back to the active roster might be a clear indication of how concerned Las Vegas was about Jeanty’s health. Still, even if Jeanty didn’t play, Hemby would not have had much of a role. Instead, rookie out of Arkansas Mike Washington Jr. was always expected to be the No. 1 backfield option should the Boise State icon have been ruled out.

Key takeaways

• Ashton Jeanty is active for the Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 5 game against New England.
• Klint Kubiak noted Jeanty would try his best to play despite missing Friday’s practice.
• Las Vegas elevated Roman Hemby to the active roster ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

Hollins is suffering from a calf injury. Now, he joins AJ Brown as the wideouts placed on IR. However, Brown is close to returning. Still, he won’t be featured against the Raiders.

Brown, who is on IR after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 1, could return in Week 6. Still, for Week 5 where the Patriots face off against the Las Vegas Raiders, New England will be short of two of their best wideouts.

Patriots WR depth chart vs Raiders in Week 5

The Patriots will have to deal with third-stringers and lesser receivers as they hope to get a second win in a row and gain some momentum. The Raiders actually beat the Patriots last season, so it’s also revenge time. This is their WR depth chart for the game:

• Romeo Doubs (Starting X-Receiver)
• Efton Chism III (Expected starter at the Z-Receiver role in place of Hollins)
• DeMario Douglas (Starting Slot Receiver)
• Kyle Williams (Backup / Rotational Receive)

The Patriots have a hidden gem at WR

The New England Patriots have an underutilized yet talented wideout in Efton Chism III. Chism became a cult hero last week by making an outstanding game-winning touchdown grab.

Chism is one of those wideouts that usually thrive under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He is a small, route-prolific receiver. He has already drawn comparisons to Patriots’ greats Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, and Julian Edelman.

Key takeaways

• Mack Hollins was placed on IR due to a calf injury, ruling him out for at least four games.
• A.J. Brown remains sidelined on IR with a high-ankle sprain but could return in Week 6.
• Efton Chism III will start at Z-receiver against Las Vegas after catching a game-winning touchdown.

“It’s going to do a lot of great things for [Mendoza]. [Cousins] is a true pro. He knows how to run the team and everything the right way. It’ll be great for Fernando to learn and just take in. Hopefully not too much,” Mahomes admitted during his postgame press conference. “Because it went really well for me and Alex [Smith], hopefully not that much [for Mendoza, Cousins, and the Raiders] unless I’m gone or something like that.”

Mahomes came into the league as the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft but didn’t start right away. Instead, Andy Reid and the Chiefs sat him for virtually his entire rookie year (Mahomes only played one game) and had Alex Smith teach him the ropes in Kansas City.

The move paid off right away, and Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in only his second year in the league. Whatever the antonym to a sophomore slump is, Mahomes enjoyed that in 2018. The rest is history.

Chiefs are off to red-hot start and Raiders, too

In 2026, Mahomes and company are off to chase more records and silverware. As it stands, the Chiefs are one of three teams to start the 2026 NFL season 4-0, along with the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.

So far, the Raiders have copied the Chiefs’ blueprint and they have a lot to show for it, as Cousins is playing some of the best football of his career, while Mendoza hasn’t seen the field yet but is taking it all in. In the long run, taking his rookie year to be an apprentice rather than being tossed into the fire of a storied franchise with high expectations and a loud fanbase appears to be the best option.

If you don’t believe it, ask Mahomes and the Chiefs. They have three rings, five Super Bowl appearances, and are far from done. That should answer any questions.

The Raiders mimic the Chiefs

They say if you can’t beat your enemy, join them. The Raiders won’t ever come close to joining forces with their foes in Missouri, but they are taking a page out of their playbook and might change the course of the franchise’s history by doing so.

As for Mahomes and the Chiefs, it makes sense why they aren’t upset at other teams mirroring their blueprint. At the end of the day, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

When will Kansas City and Las Vegas play again?

The first matchup between the Chiefs and Raiders in 2026 didn’t disappoint. The two won’t meet again until Week 18 at Arrowhead. If both can maintain their current form until then, it might be a matchup for the AFC West title, and perhaps even more.

If the Raiders run out of gas, however, and Cousins loses his touch, it might set the stage for the first of many Mahomes vs. Mendoza showdowns in the NFL. Either way, fans across the league will be pleased with the outcome.

Key takeaways

• Patrick Mahomes praised the Raiders’ approach with Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza.
• Kansas City is off to a 4–0 start in the 2026 season.
• The division rivals will meet again in Week 18 at Arrowhead Stadium.

On top of that, the Raiders haven’t gone 5-0 since 1976, when they were still in Oakland. That year, they finished 13-1 and, unlike 2002, went the distance to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy under the legendary John Madden.

Half a century later, the Raiders came just close from such a start despite not being seen as Super Bowl contenders. A 4-0 start would’ve been epic enough, but going 5-0 would have been the perfect way to honor Madden just weeks before the movie about his NFL legacy releases.

Raiders looking to leave poor 2025 behind

The Raiders being one of the few unbeaten teams four weeks into the 2026 NFL season would have been surprising. We’re talking about the franchise that finished 2025 tied for the worst record in the entire league (3-14).

Las Vegas had the first overall pick in April, which it used on quarterback Fernando Mendoza after his championship year in Indiana, but veteran QB Kirk Cousins is handling the duties while the rookie sits and learns.

Klint Kubiak’s men first opened the year with a 27-13 home win over the Miami Dolphins before producing their first upset of the year: a 26-14 road victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. They followed that with a hard-fought, 35-27 win over the Saints in New Orleans before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs at home (27-30).

AFC West standings after Week 4

Beating the Chiefs would’ve extended the Raiders’ positive start and given them control of the AFC West early in 2026. But just like in previous years, it’s Andy Reid and company dominating the division. Here’s the AFC West standings after Week 4:

1. Chiefs (4-0)
2. Raiders (3-1)
3. Broncos (2-2)
4. Chargers (0-4)

In Week 5, the Raiders will pay a visit to the 2-2 New England Patriots, who pulled off a shock on the road against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC East matchup.

Key takeaways

• 2002 remains the last time the Raiders started 4-0.
• A 3-14 record in 2025 left Las Vegas tied for the league’s worst mark.
• The New England Patriots await the Raiders in Week 5 holding a 2-2 record.

“Raiders TE Brock Bowers, who had been on the injury report due to his knee, now has an illness for which Las Vegas is listing him as questionable for today’s game vs. the Chiefs,” as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on X. “The Raiders are expecting Bowers to play, but he does have an illness.“

Although reports suggest Bowers will indeed play in the crucial AFC West showdown against the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium, he may not be fully healthy. Even when he isn’t at 100 percent, the product out of Georgia is a force to be reckoned with and a constant menace to defenses.

However, considering Bowers has been dealing with a knee injury and illness is now being added to the mix, he may not be at his best against Kansas City. For fantasy football owners, though, as long as Bowers is active, he is a must-start. For Andy Reid and company, as long as Bowers is on the field, he is someone to keep an eye on, and it still may not be enough to stop him.

Bowers was late addition to injury report

After missing the first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season while recovering from minor arthroscopic knee surgery to trim a meniscus tear in his left knee, many expected the issue to be in the past. However, Bowers was a limited participant during Las Vegas’ Friday practice as he dealt with a knee issue.

Now, he’s also being reported sick, which only adds another layer to the drama. The illness may not rule him out, but if it compounds the knee setback, it may be all she wrote for Bowers’ availability against the Chiefs.

For the time being, the Raiders are confident, though. As long as that left knee doesn’t bring up new headaches, they should be good to go with their best player. Plus, if illness is the only source of concern, it might be a good omen, as Bowers could have his own version of a “flu game.”

Bowers’ projection for Week 4

For the time being, Las Vegas is counting on Bowers. Fantasy football owners should, as well. According to ESPN’s app, in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues, the Raiders’ tight end is projected to put up 15.91 points against the Chiefs. Considering Bowers was projected for 14.18 last week and ended up with 27.6 points (PPR), it might be an even more encouraging sign.

Key takeaways

• Questionable status after being listed with an illness ahead of Week 4.
• ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Brock Bowers is expected to play against Chiefs.
• Missed first two weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery for meniscus tear.

Fans and fantasy football owners were awaiting confirmation as Browers was listed as questionable after missing the first two weeks of the season, but the Raiders star is finally back.

A first-round pick in most fantasy football drafts and the best receiving option on the Raiders, there was a lot hanging in the balance as Las Vegas is still straddling the fence on whether Bowers will play.

Bowers’ stats in 2025

Last season, Bowers finished the campaign with a grand total of 64 receptions for 680 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. It was a downgrade from his record-breaking rookie year, but still not too shabby, either.

Although he missed five games in the 2025 NFL season with a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury and a bone bruise in his left knee, Bowers was still a force to be reckoned with last year.

Bowers is still widely rated as the best tight end in the NFL, and he won’t want to miss a second making his presence felt.

Key takeaways

• Brock Bowers is making his season debut against New Orleans.
• He is recovering from minor arthroscopic knee surgery to trim a left knee meniscus tear.
• Last season, he recorded 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns across 12 games.