The Jaguars are getting burned by tight ends this season, allowing the ninth-most yards per target. And now the secondary will be without Travis Hunter and Eric Murray, both of whom went onto the IR this weekend.
Bowers was targeted 27 times in the first four games before his injury, catching 19 passes. That kind of target share here should get him over his total of 50.5 yards.
Last season, he caught 11 of 13 targets against the Jaguars for 99 yards and a touchdown. He should have another strong day as Geno Smith's favorite target.
Smith is coming off the worst game of his career, completing 10 of 16 passes for just 67 yards against Kansas City. That said, the Raiders are fresh off a bye which has allowed Pro Bowl TE Brock Bowers and WR Jakobi Meyers to get healthy. Meyers missed the Chiefs game while Bowers hasn't been at full strength since suffering a knee injury in Week 2. With his top two receivers back on the field, Smith should be able to air it out against a Jaguars D that has been a pass funnel. The Jags are second in the league in defensive rush success rate but just 25th in defensive dropback success rate while allowing 245.7 passing yards per game.
There could be some value in Travis Hunter this week, as many have forgotten his breakout performance in Week 7 before the bye. Against the Rams, the rookie posted eight catches on 14 targets for over 100 yards and a touchdown. In an indoor matchup with the Raiders, I’d have this priced closer to +150. There’s also talk of Brian Thomas being on the trade block after looking checked out this season. This sets up as an elite spot indoors, and even Travis Etienne at -105 looks appealing. The Raiders are one of the league’s weakest teams, and this might be the last week bettors can grab Hunter at +200 or better. He is WR1 now.
The pass games of both teams (including both volume and effectiveness) stand to benefit from the still "weather" conditions (read: no wind) inside this dome, while rush volume may decline.. Opposing teams have averaged 38.3 pass attempts per game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars defense this year: 7th-most in the NFL.. This year, the fierce Jaguars run defense has yielded a measly 0.57 TDs on the ground per game to the opposing side: the 8th-best rate in football.
The Raiders have been the 9th-least pass-heavy offense in the NFL (in a neutral context) this year with a 59.1% pass rate.. Given the game dynamics and the underlying play styles of each team, this contest is anticipated by the projection model to have just 124.1 plays on offense run: the fewest out of all the games this week.. The 4th-lowest number of plays in the league have been run by the Raiders this year (a measly 52.1 per game on average).. The model projects Geno Smith to throw 29.2 passes this week, on average: the 4th-fewest out of all QBs.
Based on their underlying traits and matchup dynamics, the predictive model expects the Jacksonville Jaguars to pass on 61.2% of their plays: the 6th-highest clip on the slate this week.. The most plays in football have been run by the Jaguars this year (a colossal 61.3 per game on average).. This game will be played in a dome—meaning no wind, higher pass volume, higher touchdown potential, and increased passing effectiveness.. Trevor Lawrence has attempted 33.1 throws per game this year, grading out in the 82nd percentile when it comes to quarterbacks.. Opposing teams have passed for the 9th-most adjusted yards in the league (246.0 per game) versus the Las Vegas Raiders defense this year.
The Raiders have been the 9th-least pass-heavy offense in the NFL (in a neutral context) this year with a 59.1% pass rate.. Given the game dynamics and the underlying play styles of each team, this contest is anticipated by the projection model to have just 124.1 plays on offense run: the fewest out of all the games this week.. The 4th-lowest number of plays in the league have been run by the Raiders this year (a measly 52.1 per game on average).. The model projects Geno Smith to throw 29.2 passes this week, on average: the 4th-fewest out of all QBs.. The Jacksonville Jaguars have intercepted 1.42 passes per game this year, grading out as the 2nd-best defense in the NFL by this standard.
The pass games of both teams (including both volume and effectiveness) stand to benefit from the still "weather" conditions (read: no wind) inside this dome, while rush volume may decline.. Opposing teams have averaged 38.3 pass attempts per game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars defense this year: 7th-most in the NFL.. Jakobi Meyers has run a route on 96.0% of his team's dropbacks this year, putting him in the 97th percentile when it comes to wideouts.. The projections expect Jakobi Meyers to total 7.7 targets in this week's game, on average, placing him in the 81st percentile when it comes to wide receivers.
Based on their underlying traits and matchup dynamics, the predictive model expects the Jacksonville Jaguars to pass on 61.2% of their plays: the 6th-highest clip on the slate this week.. The most plays in football have been run by the Jaguars this year (a colossal 61.3 per game on average).. This game will be played in a dome—meaning no wind, higher pass volume, higher touchdown potential, and increased passing effectiveness.. Hunter Long's 35.8% Route Participation Rate this year signifies an impressive boost in his pass attack utilization over last year's 13.1% figure.. This year, the porous Raiders defense has been torched for the 9th-most adjusted yards-per-target in the league to opposing TEs: a staggering 8.71 yards.
The pass games of both teams (including both volume and effectiveness) stand to benefit from the still "weather" conditions (read: no wind) inside this dome, while rush volume may decline.. Opposing teams have averaged 38.3 pass attempts per game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars defense this year: 7th-most in the NFL.. This year, the poor Jacksonville Jaguars defense has conceded the 9th-most adjusted yards-per-target in football to opposing running backs: a monstrous 6.78 yards.
The pass games of both teams (including both volume and effectiveness) stand to benefit from the still "weather" conditions (read: no wind) inside this dome, while rush volume may decline.. Opposing teams have averaged 38.3 pass attempts per game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars defense this year: 7th-most in the NFL.. This year, the deficient Jacksonville Jaguars defense has given up a staggering 75.0 adjusted receiving yards per game vs. opposing TEs: the most in the league.. This year, the deficient Jaguars defense has been gouged for the 5th-most adjusted yards-per-target in the NFL to opposing tight ends: a whopping 9.18 yards.
Based on their underlying traits and matchup dynamics, the predictive model expects the Jacksonville Jaguars to pass on 61.2% of their plays: the 6th-highest clip on the slate this week.. The most plays in football have been run by the Jaguars this year (a colossal 61.3 per game on average).. This game will be played in a dome—meaning no wind, higher pass volume, higher touchdown potential, and increased passing effectiveness.. The Raiders defense has been torched for the 8th-most adjusted receiving yards per game in the league (162.0) vs. WRs this year.. This year, the porous Raiders pass defense has yielded a massive 70.8% Adjusted Completion Rate versus opposing wide receivers: the 4th-biggest rate in football.
The most plays in football have been run by the Jaguars this year (a colossal 61.3 per game on average).. The Raiders defensive tackles profile as the 6th-worst DT corps in the NFL this year with their run defense.