Raiders vs. Broncos Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Thursday Night - Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, Courtland Sutton, J.K. Dobbins, Troy Franklin, RJ Harvey, Bo Nix, Tre Tucker

November 6, 2025

Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em lineups advice for Raiders vs. Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Week 10 (2025). NFL matchups analysis and TNF starts/sits.

Well, the Thursday Night Football streak of quality games is officially over. After the Baltimore Ravens beat the Miami Dolphins by a score of 28-6, it marked three of the last four Thursday games that were decided by more than 17 points. With the Denver Broncos coming in as large favorites, will we have another blowout?

The trade deadline brought the end of Jakobi Meyers' tenure in Las Vegas, so it will be fully focused on three offensive pieces. The Broncos, on the other hand, have been distributing their scoring all over the roster and could do so again at home against Las Vegas.

I will bring you Thursday Night Football analysis all season, focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should be benched. Let's dive into this Week 10 Thursday night matchup for the 2025 season. You can also check out our main Week 10 start 'em, sit 'em matchups article for all other games. Good luck in your fantasy football week, RotoBallers!

Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos

Thursday, November 6, 8:15 PM ET

Notable Injuries:

• Marvin Mims Jr. (WR) - Questionable - Concussion

Raiders vs. Broncos Matchup Breakdown

The primary storyline for Thursday Night Football revolves around the quarterback matchup between Denver's Bo Nix and Las Vegas' Geno Smith. Both have had stretches of excellence as well as games where they don't seem to show up.

Nix has been on a hot streak, amassing 699 passing yards and eight touchdowns over his last three games, and will look to exploit a Raiders defense that gives up significant yardage to opposing offenses and quarterbacks. If Nix can put a complete game together (something he hasn't done in weeks), he should be able to smash against Las Vegas.

Division battle under the lights! 🌃#LVvsDEN x #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/NI7o1gCggc

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 5, 2025

The Broncos, who lead the NFL in sacks, will present a major challenge to Smith and the Raiders offense. Las Vegas will have Brock Bowers available, but it will need to find a way to generate consistent offense and overcome a ferocious Denver pass rush to stay competitive in this divisional game. With Jakobi Meyers traded out of town on Tuesday, the offense will have to run through Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, and wide receiver Tre Tucker.

Must-Starts for Fantasy Football Lineups

Ashton Jeanty (RB, LV)

Jeanty returned to fantasy relevance in Week 9 with 89 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, including solid receiving usage with five catches on six targets. His yards per carry have been low behind a shaky offensive line, and he faces a tough matchup against a Broncos defense that ranks fifth in the league against the run. However, volume is king. His involvement in the passing game, plus rushing share, gives him a strong fantasy floor.

Brock Bowers (TE, LV)

Bowers is back to being a must-start at tight end, especially after his explosive return in Week 9, where he caught three touchdowns and demanded 13 targets. With a fully cleared injury status, he is good to go against the Broncos.

The Las Vegas offense is expected to lean on him heavily as the No. 1 option, particularly in the red zone and on short-to-intermediate routes. He is in the conversation for overall TE1 every week now.

The Raiders look like a totally different team with a healthy Brock Bowers.

Remember that he played injured vs the Chargers, Commanders, and Bears.

Two games at 100%:

W 20-13 at Patriots
L 30-29 vs Jaguars

I like the Raiders +9.5 at the Broncos. Feels like too many points.

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) November 5, 2025

Bo Nix (QB, DEN)

Over his last three games, Nix has amassed 699 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and has added 83 rushing yards and two rushing scores. Sometimes he starts slowly, but always gets there in the end, and that should continue against Las Vegas. With the Broncos favored to win and a favorable home matchup, Nix is in a prime position to deliver top-10 fantasy numbers, particularly because of the emergence of Troy Franklin and RJ Harvey alongside Courtland Sutton.

Courtland Sutton (WR, DEN)

Sutton will have games where he ends with only one catch (as he did in Week 6 and Week 9). But around those, he has games with eight or nine catches for 90+ yards. Sutton is now second on the team in targets behind Franklin, but Sutton does have six red-zone targets on the season.

Possible Starts for Fantasy Football Lineups

Tre Tucker (WR, LV)

Even before Meyers was traded, Tucker played 97% of snaps in Week 9 and drew four targets. With Meyers gone, Tucker is the new No. 1 option among wide receivers in Las Vegas. He has four games with at least four receptions already this season and should have a secure role the rest of the season.

Jaguars Acquiring Jakobi Meyershttps://t.co/5WKXp46I8i

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 4, 2025

J.K. Dobbins (RB, DEN)

Dobbins is still getting the majority of the running back work for Denver, but it's more like 50% of the snaps now, unlike the 60% earlier in the season. Denver is a large favorite in this game, and Las Vegas has allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. Dobbins has the potential for a big game based on volume and his potential at the goal line.

RJ Harvey (RB, DEN)

Harvey has a receiving touchdown three weeks in a row now and seems to be one of Nix's favorite targets in the red zone. Harvey is still significantly trailing Dobbins in touches per game, but he may be primed for a larger role down the stretch, especially in tougher games where Harvey's role as a pass-catcher can flourish.

Troy Franklin (WR, DEN)

Franklin is quickly becoming the WR1 on this team. He has three top-36 weekly finishes at the wide receiver position this season. He didn't do anything against the Texans, but he did earn a 27% target share. The Raiders allow the seventh-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers as well.

Evan Engram (TE, DEN)

The Raiders have been excellent against tight ends this season, allowing just 6.0 points per game, including 361 total yards and two touchdowns. Engram will be a touchdown-or-bust tight end in Week 10.

Consider Sitting for Fantasy Football Lineups

Geno Smith (QB, LV)

The Broncos have been one of the best teams against quarterbacks all season. They are currently allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game (13.5), and have only allowed eight passing touchdowns in nine weeks. Smith's four touchdowns in Week 9 were more than he had in his last four weeks combined.

Tyler Lockett (WR, LV)

Tyler Lockett joined the Raiders only last week and is behind multiple receivers and tight ends in the target and usage hierarchy, including superstar Bowers and new No. 1 wide receiver Tucker. In his Raiders debut, Lockett played just 19 offensive snaps and was targeted only once.

Michael Mayer (TE, LV)

While Mayer saw an uptick in production when Bowers was injured, he has returned to his role as the backup tight end and a purely touchdown-dependent fantasy option. Mayer's limited involvement and Bowers' clear role as the TE1 make Mayer a non-starter for fantasy football in Week 10.

Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant (WRs, DEN)

As the Broncos wide receiver corps has multiple options, Mims and Bryant are often rotational players behind Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin. And then there's the running game.

In Week 9, Bryant played a limited role and, while he did catch a touchdown, this is not a repeatable level of production. Unless injuries force him into a larger role, Bryant's fantasy value is too low to be considered for a starting spot. Mims is dealing with a concussion this week and remains one of the most boom-or-bust players this season.

Kirksey’s Thursday Night Football Picks

Current Spread: DEN -8.5
Over/Under: 42.5

Over the course of the day on Tuesday, this line was bet down from DEN -9.5 to DEN -8.5. This was during trade-deadline day, so I guess bettors feel the loss of Meyers is a good thing for the Raiders?

The Broncos seem to have everything going in their favor. They are playing at home, where they have won five straight. They have scored at least 28 points in three of their last four home games. And the defense is getting healthy.

The Raiders, on the other hand, have scored 13 points or fewer in three of their last four road games and haven't come close to covering the spread in any of their prior four road contests. Eight-and-a-half points is still a large number, but I don't see how the Broncos can't roll in this game. Smith will have a couple of turnovers, take a few sacks, and Nix and the Broncos should continue to capitalize.

For the game, I will take the Broncos by a score of 30-16.

The Pick: OVER 42.5, DEN -8.5

2025 Overall Record:
Spread (5-4), Over/Under (5-4)

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