Jalen Nailor — Week 2: One Catch, on Third and Six
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 21
Nailor was thrown to three times, all after halftime, and caught one: nine yards on third and six with 0:26 left in the third quarter, a first down. His three targets were fourth on the Raiders behind seven each for Tre Tucker and Ashton Jeanty and four for Michael Mayer, in a 26–14 win over the Chargers.
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17 to 14, Raiders, 26 seconds left in the third quarter, third and six at the Las Vegas 35. Kirk Cousins threw short middle to Jalen Nailor for nine yards and the first down. The catch was worth +1.8 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and +5.0 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. The drive crossed into Chargers territory and ended in a punt. It was his only catch of the afternoon.
The line: three targets, one catch, nine yards, one first down, +0.6 expected points on the targets. All three came after halftime; he was not thrown to in the first half. The first was the Raiders' first snap of the second half, first and 10 at the Las Vegas 17, short left, incomplete. The second was first and 10 at the Chargers 13 with four 49 left in the third, short right, incomplete, two snaps before Cody White's go-ahead touchdown from the same spot. The third was the conversion.
The ball went seven times each to Tre Tucker and Ashton Jeanty, four to Michael Mayer, three to Nailor, two each to Jack Bech and White, and once each to four others, with Brock Bowers inactive again, per ProFootballTalk at NBC Sports. Nailor's three were three of 29 throws. Cousins threw for 253 yards and Tucker had a hundred 19 of them.
Back in June the preview called Nailor a watchlist — receiver 60 at pick one 56, a market paying a full tier above a résumé of 444 yards as Minnesota's fourth target, on the strength of 23 million guaranteed and a quarterback who asked for him — and said the number that would move the price was five-plus targets a game. Week 1 landed on the line exactly: five targets, three catches, 27 yards. Sunday was three, with none before halftime, on a day the passing game had its biggest plays elsewhere. Two games make eight targets, four catches and 36 yards, which is under the line and not by much. Las Vegas is at the Saints on Sunday the 20-seventh.
_Data via nflverse._
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