De'Zhaun Stribling or Mike Washington Jr.: Toss-Up — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Stribling has the baseline; Washington has the role-based upside

Stribling offers the cleaner baseline, but not enough separation to overcome Washington's stronger contingent-role case. Stribling remains a rookie WR3 with a limited sample, making his outlook dependent on winning a few contested opportunities. Washington's workload is positioned to grow, with raiders.com 2026-09-10 and SI.com (Raiders on SI) 2026-09-05 reporting increased responsibility while Jeanty recovers. That creates real upside, but Washington's value hinges on Jeanty's availability; Stribling's risk is simply a thin target floor.

What flips it: Confirmation that Jeanty will miss the game and Washington will handle the expanded role.

Sources: raiders.com · Sep 10, 2026 · SI.com (Raiders on SI) · Sep 5, 2026

AI editor

De'Zhaun Stribling

WR47SFvs LAR

6.37.99.6 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Mike Washington Jr.

RB43LVvs MIA

6.06.67.1 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Why De'Zhaun Stribling

Toss-Up

Rookie WR3 in depth receiver role. Contested-catch build, limited prior sample.

Toss-up — WR47 consensus, projects WR48 this week: 9.6 PPR projected vs LAR.

His WR3 role can still produce splash plays if San Francisco's modest scoring outlook creates enough passing volume.
The limited rookie sample is a warning, but contested-catch ability gives him a path beyond pure target volume.

Why Mike Washington Jr.

Toss-Up

Rookie RB2 in change-of-pace role. Complementary back behind the feature runner with no NFL sample yet.

Toss-up — RB43 consensus, projects RB45 this week: 7.1 PPR projected vs MIA.

Washington's role can expand sharply if Jeanty remains sidelined, making his current projection less informative than his workload path.
His change-of-pace profile offers less certainty, but the Raiders are actively counting on him while Jeanty is out.

Latest on Washington

Role

Mike Washington Jr. has earned more opportunities in the Raiders' offense.

Rookie Mike Washington Jr. is ready for what comes next raiders.com · Sep 10, 2026

Role

With Ashton Jeanty working back from injury, Mike Washington Jr. is being counted on heavily at running back until Jeanty returns.

SI.com (Raiders on SI) · Sep 5, 2026

Role

Kubiak said Ashton Jeanty is "still on the mend" from his ankle injury, and rookie Mike Washington Jr. is expected to see a substantial role if Jeanty cannot play, after Washington ran 23 times for 168 yards (7.3 YPC) in the preseason.

NBC Sports · Aug 28, 2026

Head-to-head stats

Metric	De'Zhaun Stribling	Mike Washington Jr.
Projected points	6.37.99.6	6.06.67.1
Consensus rank	WR47	RB43
Opponent vs position	LARno ranking yet	MIAno ranking yet
Implied total · spread	22.8+3.0	22.3-3.0
Depth chart	WR3	RB2
Start/Sit record	0–0+1 toss-up	—