2 underrated Raiders sleepers who could break out in 2026 NFL season

The Las Vegas Raiders enter the 2026 NFL season with more optimism than they’ve had in years. With Ashton Jeanty projected as one of the league’s most dangerous running backs, Brock Bowers commanding attention at tight end, and a revamped offensive line anchored by new center Tyler Linderbaum, defenses are going to have a lot to worry about in Klint Kubiak’s offense. That creates opportunity, and buried beneath the noise of marquee signings and a highly anticipated quarterback battle between Kirk Cousins and top pick Fernando Mendoza, two players are quietly positioning themselves to steal the show.

Here are two underrated Raiders sleepers who could genuinely break out in the 2026 NFL season.

Jalen Nailor

Most football fans don’t know the name Jalen Nailor yet, and that’s exactly what makes him one of the most intriguing sleepers in the AFC West.

Nicknamed “Speedy” since his youth football days, the Las Vegas native returned home this offseason when the Raiders signed him to a three-year, $35 million deal with $20 million guaranteed. Coming off four seasons in Minnesota buried in a crowded receiver room, Nailor never received the sustained opportunity he deserved. Now, everything is different.

In his final Vikings season in 2025, Nailor posted career highs across the board, 29 receptions, 444 receiving yards, and four touchdowns, despite playing in a limited, part-time role. His 15.3 yards per reception ranked seventh among all NFL wide receivers, per PFF. That kind of big-play efficiency in a constrained role strongly suggests there’s a higher gear yet to be unlocked.

In Las Vegas, he steps into one of the most open receiver rooms in the entire league. The Raiders did not draft a wide receiver in 2026, leaving the door wide open for Nailor to emerge as a featured target. Reunited with former teammate Kirk Cousins under center, that existing chemistry could accelerate everything. In a pass-friendly Kubiak scheme with regular targets, a 700-plus yard, six-touchdown breakout is very much on the table.

Jack Bech

When you look at Jack Bech’s rookie line, 20 catches, 224 yards, zero touchdowns, it’s easy to write him off. Don’t. Context matters enormously here, and the context surrounding Bech’s first season was as rough as it gets for a young receiver trying to develop.

Bech arrived in Las Vegas after a standout college career at TCU, where he racked up 1,034 receiving yards in 2024, the fourth-highest single-season total in program history, and was named Senior Bowl MVP. He had all the tools to contribute immediately. Instead, he walked into a dysfunctional offense with no stable quarterback and a scheme that never found its footing.

Year 2 changes the equation completely. Head coach Klint Kubiak has stated publicly that Bech and Dont’e Thornton are competing directly for a starting receiver role, noting that the most deserving player will earn the spot. That’s not lip service, it’s opportunity. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton highlighted Bech as a player who can “carve out a notable role” in 2026, specifically citing his versatility to line up inside and outside as an asset in Kubiak’s offense.

Bech’s college tape reveals a polished route runner with reliable hands and toughness over the middle. With Bowers occupying safeties and Jeanty threatening out of the backfield, defenders can’t cheat toward any one area, and Bech is exactly the kind of under-the-radar weapon who profits when defenses are stretched thin.

Don’t sleep on the silver and black this fall. The Raiders’ biggest stories in 2026 may come from the names you least expected.

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