The rookie has been one of Las Vegas’ standout performers at training camp and is now getting first team reps, with ESPN’s Ryan McFadden suggesting he could overtake Jack Bech for the No. 3 receiver role.
That could make Benson one of the more intriguing late round fantasy darts of 2026. He doesn’t need to become the Raiders’ WR1 to matter, he just needs consistent snaps and targets. With his big play ability and growing role, Benson is quickly moving from “rookie flyer” to legitimate fantasy sleeper.
A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders...
A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders...
As a second-round pick with an easy-to-root-for story, Las ...
Malik Benson is earning first-team reps ahead of Tre Tucker and Jack Bech, challenging the projectable order of the depth chart.
Benson brings continuous vertical juice to the offense, boasting genuine speed that forces defenses to retreat. Expect him to push for starter-level snaps in 11-personnel formations if this rotation holds through camp. Benson is PlayerProfiler’s WR95 in fantasy football dynasty leagues.
Edwards identified Malik Benson as one of the biggest standouts of the Raiders’ offseason program, noting that the rookie WR connected with multiple quarterbacks on deep passes during practices open to the media. Benson enters training camp in what Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports to be an open competition at wide receiver, and his speed and ability to stretch the field could help him carve out a role if he builds on that momentum.
Benson’s agent helped to propel his NFL career by signing with Las Vegas, who features the most talent-deficient WR room in the NFL. Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton represent Benson’s main competition for snaps in 2026. Though undrafted, Benson has launched himself into 4th round consideration in fantasy football dynasty rookie drafts.
Tre Tucker has survived a chaotic development environment featuring seven different starting quarterbacks, yet he managed an 18.6-percent Target Share and a 29.2-percent Air Yards Share despite the team’s passing game struggles.
Under a new system designed to maximize versatile spacing, he is moving away from a rigid perimeter role where he ran 83.2-percent of his routes from the outside last season. While rookie phenom Brock Bowers claims the functional top role in this passing attack, locking down the number two spot makes the speedster a sharp late-round value target, especially in seasonal best ball leagues as the Raiders are a prime candidate to invest heavily in WR in 2027.
After waiting until the sixth round to draft a receiver, the Raiders’ starting lineup is likely set with Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker, and Jack Bech. Nailor is poised to be the featured target in this group and carries legitimate fantasy WR4 potential for the upcoming fantasy season.
Despite this upside, he remains an undervalued late-round option typically drafted outside the top 150 picks. Permission to get excited about Nailor as a late-round spike week flier in both best ball and dynasty formats.
Coming off a down year with the Cleveland Browns, and subsequent trade to the Buffalo Bills, Amari Cooper waited all off-season to sign a deal in free agency. The Raiders lack veteran wide receiver depth behind Jakobi Meyers, who publicly requested a trade. There are a few other rookie WRs who may make noise, such as Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton, but it’s worth noting that Cooper only signed after Meyers made his trade request known.
Unfortunately, Cooper’s archetype of big body outside wide receiver profiles as a steep drop off once production declines, unless he can claim a role in the slot. Tre Tucker and Brock Bowers mostly handle slot duty, leaving little pathway for Cooper to be a productive fantasy asset for 2025. He is an avoid in most formats, and worth last round speculative selection in bestball drafts.
Author: Bradley Stalder (@FFStalder)
