The Las Vegas Raiders are set to finish off their preseason slate on Saturday night when they travel to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals.
Through two preseason games, the Raiders have played their starters on both sides of the ball, including guys like quarterback Geno Smith, running back Ashton Jeanty, edge rusher Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers, to name a handful.
We’ve seen all of those guys make plays over the first two contests, so it stands to reason they might not play in the final dress rehearsal on Saturday night.
Here’s what we know about their chances of playing.
Are Raiders starters playing in preseason Week 3?
According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, the Raiders are “expected to use starters sparingly” against the Cardinals. That could mean all of the starters play briefly, or just some of them play.
Las Vegas still has some starting jobs up for grabs, and most notably at cornerback, right guard and defensive tackle. We would expect starters from those positions to play, but again, that’s just a guess because we don’t have a definitive answer yet.
As far as locked-in starters like Smith, Jeanty, Crosby and Bowers are concerned, it’s very possible the Raiders have seen enough of them and they won’t suit up. If they play, it won’t be for more than a series or two.
The final preseason game is really all about figuring out those starting competitions that have yet to be decided, and who will fill out the reserve spots on the initial 53-man roster.
Following their preseason finale on Saturday night, the Raiders will turn their attention to cutdown day on Aug. 26.
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