The Las Vegas Raiders rebounded to some extent against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but they still came up short and wound up on the wrong end of the 33-30 final score. But there were some risers in the Raiders stock report who helped the team rebound, including some names who especially stood out.
Michael Mayer, TE
Mayer disappeared from the Raiders offensive game plan against the New England Patriots, and coach Klint Kubiak said it was his fault for not giving Mayer more opportunities. Kubiak made up for his oversight nicely when the Bills got good man coverage against tight end Brock Bowers, as he identified Mayer as the player with the best opportunities and went to him early and often.
Mayer’s not the most mobile tight end in the league, but when he gets going he can rumble through a secondary with the best of them, and he did that a couple of times against Buffalo. He posted a career high in receiving yards with 95 on seven receptions, and this was what we thought Klint Kubiak’s offense would look like this season with Mayer and Bowers tag-teaming opponents.
Tre Tucker, WR
Tucker has shown flashes of being the deep threat and No. 1 receiver the Raiders badly need, and against Buffalo he looked like just that. The 44-yard touchdown strike from Cousins to Tucker late in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty, as Tucker simply ran by the Buffalo secondary to make a diving grab. We’ll be looking for more of this going forward now that Tucker looks like he could be an answer when Cousins gets time to find him.
Mike Washington Jr., RB
It almost feels like Kubiak has been bending over backward to stick with running back Ashton Jeanty due to his draft status and the contract that comes with it, but with Jeanty clearly hurt the coach had no choice but to go with Washington. He held up nicely in pass protection during his spot appearances, and Washington clearly has some of the burst that’s well beyond Jeanty at this point. We’re not there yet, but we could be watching a running back transition unfold right before our eyes.
Treydan Stukes, S
It may seem odd to laud Stukes here, but he looked completely lost at times against New England. He remedied that with some strong coverage against Buffalo, and even though he got beat at times this was a promising development going forward.