Las Vegas Raiders fans were interested to see what the new offense looked like in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. What they got was surprising, from the struggles of the run game to Geno Smith completing nine passes of 20-plus yards in the contest on his way to 362 yards through the air.
Smith is in a far better situation now than he was with the Seattle Seahawks last season, and reuniting with Pete Carroll is just a piece of the equation. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly told CBS' broadcast team that he takes more input from Smith than any quarterback he has ever coached.
That may have fueled a more pass-heavy game plan than anyone expected against New England, as Smith brought what he was seeing on the field to Kelly's ear. Smith's 362 yards through the air were the second-most in the league in Week 1.
Having just 10 yards rushing held him back compared to some others, but he finished as the 15th-best quarterback in fantasy football for the week with 18.5 fantasy points. Week 2, however, could bring even more fantasy goodness for Smith.
Geno Smith lands on perfectly appropriate list for Week 2 fantasy football
The Raiders will take on the Los Angeles Chargers in their home opener on Monday Night Football. Bleacher Report's Moe Moton listed Smith among his biggest quarterback sleepers in fantasy football for Week 2.
"Managers have not shown enough respect for Geno Smith as a fantasy-friendly quarterback. He finished as QB5 in scoring for the 2022 campaign and QB13 last season," Moton wrote. "Last week, the Los Angeles Chargers allowed Patrick Mahomes to throw for 258 yards with a depleted receiver unit that lost Xavier Worthy after three offensive snaps."
Moton noted Smith's statistical splits over the last three seasons when he plays indoors versus outdoors, which Warren Sharp appropriately revealed upon the Raiders' acquiring him via trade in March.
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The Chargers' offense fared very well against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, so the Raiders' offense is in line to have to throw plenty to keep pace. It is easy to see this being a high-scoring game, and a high statistical output is likely for Smith if that happens.
Raiders tight end Brock Bowers suffered a knee injury against the Patriots, and while the early indications were fine, his status is worth monitoring. That said, there are plenty of other pieces around Smith to foster his success against the Chargers if Bowers does not play.
As of this writing, as a sign of how he was largely forgotten in drafts, Smith is rostered in just 26% of Yahoo! leagues and 11% of ESPN leagues. A small section of fantasy managers may be in a position to add Smith, so there's still an opportunity to reap the rewards in Week 2.