The Las Vegas Raiders are heading back to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9, and they could roll out a few new wrinkles in this matchup.
Klint Kubiak may continue to shake up his starting offensive line group. A notable player who's in the trade rumor mill could have a new spot in the starting unit.
As the 49ers work through multiple injuries in their wide receiver corps, one Raiders wideout could make his season debut. Can he add another dimension to their aerial attack?
Raiders' offensive personnel remains fluid, and defensively, they could get help from a newcomer on the interior
Who's going to establish themselves at guard?
Over the last few weeks, the Raiders have tinkered with the right guard spot, benching Jackson Powers-Johnson for Caleb Rogers and then inserting Trey Zuhn III into the lineup.
Don't write off Powers-Johnson yet. This week, he took snaps at left guard, which raises questions about Spencer Burford's role in Sunday's game.
Las Vegas signed Burford to a one-year, $3.3 million deal this past offseason. So far, he's started in every game at left guard and played every snap, but the fifth-year veteran has been inconsistent in pass protection, giving up the second-most pressures (19) on the team, per Pro Football Focus.
While the Raiders should allow Zuhn III another opportunity to establish himself at right guard, Powers-Johnson may get a second chance to start at left guard, a position he played well in his 2024 rookie season.
Can Dont'e Thornton Jr. produce explosive gains in the passing game?
The Raiders needed to activate Dont'e Thornton Jr. within a 21-day window or lose him for the season on injured reserve, but they listed him as a healthy scratch for Week 8.
As a rookie last year, Thornton Jr. produced a few splash plays as a deep threat; his most notable highlight was a big catch late in the season-opening win over the New England Patriots.
Still, Thornton Jr. had a relatively quiet 2025 season and played in a reduced role in the second half of the campaign. He has a chance to carve out a decent role under a new coaching staff, though.
Kubiak has refreshed the Raiders' passing attack with Kirk Cousins at the helm and innovative play-calling, which may help Thornton Jr.'s development. Remember, the Tennessee product isn't a late-round dart throw. John Spytek used an early fourth-round pick last April to bring him to Las Vegas.
Will Tim Keenan III take on a bigger role in Thomas Booker IV's absence?
The Raiders are mostly healthy ahead of Sunday's matchup. Four of the five players on the injury report logged a full practice on Friday. The team ruled out Thomas Booker IV, who's dealing with an ankle injury.
Booker has only missed one game this season, Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. In that game, second-year pro JJ Pegues made his third regular-season appearance, and rookie seventh-rounder Tim Keenan III made his season debut against the team that drafted him.
The Raiders will likely elevate Keenan from the practice squad for a third consecutive week to compensate for Booker's absence. In 38 defensive snaps, he's registered three tackles, two pressures and a sack.
Thus far, defensive coordinator Rob Leonard hasn't been able to field a front to slow down opposing ground attacks. The Raiders are giving up a whopping 5.1 yards per carry, the most leaguewide.
Keenan may not be the answer to stopping the run, but the 6-foot-2, 320-pounder could be a serviceable big-body obstacle in the middle against 49ers running backs Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black.
Moe Moton writes about the Raiders for Just Blog Baby. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
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