Surprising Las Vegas leads the division behind veteran Kirk Cousins, but a lack of perimeter depth could force a deadline splash to support their unexpected playoff push.
Right now, its all smiles for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Believe it or not, the Raiders are off to a 3-0 start, and one of those wins was a bit unexpected as they stunned the Los Angeles Chargers.
Week 4 will be an indication of how good Klint Kubiak's team is as they face the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
Still, the Raiders already have as many wins as they had all of last season, and veteran QB Kirk Cousins has been good enough to hold off Fernando Mendoza from taking over the job.
Whether or not the Raiders are for real remains to be seen, but right now, why not?
ESPN's Dan Graziano did a way-too-early trade intel piece, and he listed five teams that could buy ahead of the mid-November deadline.
One of them is the Raiders, and he mentioned the wide receiver position as an area they could "beef up."
"Why not? If the Raiders spring another upset or two over the next month and get to the deadline over .500, it's not at all out of the question that they'd look to beef up their wide receiver corps for rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza whenever the time comes to make him the starter," Graziano wrote.
A lot of the strategy will hinge on how Las Vegas does over the next month, but right now, they certainly are being viewed as a playoff team.
The WR position does need help, also. Tre Tucker leads the way with 189 yards, although he has just 11 catches and 1 touchdown.
Tight end Brock Bowers played just one game, but he has 10 catches for 116 yards and a score, although he isn't a WR.
Running back Ashton Jeanty enters Week 4 with a team-high 13 catches and 2 touchdowns and 97 yards. Then, tight end Michael Mayer has 12 catches for 87 yards and a score.
WR Jalen Nailor has 5 catches for 52 yards, Jack Bech has 5 catches for 48 yards and a score, but he just landed on Injured Reserve.
Cody White has 3 catches for 28 yards and a team-high three touchdowns,
So, the Raiders absolutely need help at the WR position, although it remains to be seen how aggressive they would be at the deadline.
The schedule isn't easy, either.
The Raiders face the new England Patriots in Week 5, followed by the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams before things get easier with the New York Jets on November 1.
Still, if Las Vegas has a .500 record entering November, it might make sense to buy and make a run at a playoff spot.
