3 Raiders Fighting for their Jobs in Sunday's Preseason Game

The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off the 2022 NFL preseason with a 27-11 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in last week's Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. Now, the 'Silver and Black' turn their attention to their next exhibition game: a clash with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Aug. 14.

While the Raiders did win their first preseason game, there's still much left to prove. Players are still fighting for a chance to even sniff the 53-man roster, meaning certain individuals must step up on Sunday before it's too late.

Here's a look at three Raiders who are fighting for their jobs in Sunday's matchup against the Vikings.

Raiders Roster Rumors

1. Kenyan Drake, RB

Coming off a season-ending ankle injury, Kenyan Drake did not look good against the Jaguars last week. The veteran rush carried the ball five times for just nine yards and wasn't involved in the passing game. Unfortunately for Drake, rookie running back Zamir White had a better game than him (11 carries, 52 yards), as did journeyman Austin Walter (Eight carries, 49 yards, one touchdown). Drake's struggles are understandable after suffering a significant injury, but he has to play better if he wants to remain as Josh Jacobs' backup. If doesn't perform well against the Vikings, Josh McDaniels could seriously consider White for the role.

2. Nick Mullens, QB

Nick Mullens entered last week's game with a slight edge over Jarrett Stidham to become Las Vegas' backup quarterback. While Mullens wasn't awful against the Jaguars, Stidham was the better performer, making key crucial plays that ultimately led to the Raiders' victory. On the other hand, Mullens ended up recording a fumble and although he recovered it, that's a mistake that McDaniels won't forget. Considering that the Raiders head coach and Stidham have history from their time spent together with the New England Patriots, Mullens is definitely someone who must up his game on Sunday.

3. Brandon Parker, OT

Brandon Parker entered training camp in a battle with sophomore Alex Leatherwood for the starting right tackle position. Unfortunately for the veteran, Parker had a game to forget against the Jags, surrendering two sacks and three pressures on 17 passing down snaps. By the time the game finished, Leatherwood received an overall grade of 72.2 from Pro Football Focus, while the 26-year-old finished with a 56.4. Leatherwood is the real deal, which is why Parker can't afford another abysmal performance this weekend.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.