Fantasy Football Sleepers: Oakland Raiders Top Three

With Training Camp looming and Fantasy Football right around the corner, it’s time to take a look at who the top three fantasy football sleepers are for each team heading into the 2017 season.

Look we are all adults here. If you are reading this article or you are on this site at all, then I think I can safely assume that you have played

Fantasy Football /

a time or two and are aware of fantasy football sleepers. So with that being said, let’s not waste each other’s time. Picking players in the first few rounds of any draft is typically a pretty easy venture. You could have a fantasy league composed of a super soldier who has been frozen for 65 years, Tom Hanks character in Castaway and the lost colony of Roanoke Virginia (look it up), and they would still be able to cobble together a decent first three rounds of picks. My point is that championships are won in the later rounds and more specifically with fantasy football sleepers.

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So lets take a look at those under the radar picks that will help you hoist some hardware come December.

DETROIT.MI – NOVEMBER 24: Cordarrelle Patterson /

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Cordarrelle Patterson

To most casual fans the idea of the Raiders needing to upgrade their receiving core might seem a bit unnecessary. The Raiders do boast one of the better one-two punches in the league, in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree.

However, a deeper dive into the numbers reveals some disturbing trends. The Raiders were third in the league in dropped passes last year with 29. While the biggest culprit on the team was the aforementioned Crabtree, most of his issues seemed to stem from a broken finger he suffered against

Carolina.

The real problem and the area that the team really felt it needed to upgrade was at the third receiver spot. For the last two years Seth Roberts has operated out of the slot and while he has enjoyed some very big moments, he has also had some really horrific drops.

2016 saw Roberts end up second on the team with 5 drops. Anyone who watched more than a few Raider games last year probably finds that number incredibly generous. Roberts has the uncanny ability to make the difficult catch look easy and the routine catch look downright scary.

Roberts has all the reliability of your dead beat brother-in-law. You know the one who keeps promising to pay back that two grand he borrowed from you in 1997, to help fund his demo tape?

The Raiders definitely went into this off-season looking to upgrade this spot. Many have pointed out that Patterson doesn’t really play the slot and is not a threat to Roberts snaps. While this is certainly true, my feeling is that when Patterson enters the game he will be on the outside and the Raiders will move Cooper to the slot.

Last year saw Patterson put up 52 catches for 453 yards and 2 TDS. A great many of those catches were behind the line or less than ten yards downfield. However, with a Pro Bowl QB delivering the ball in a much more innovative offense, expect better numbers from Patterson. He may not post more catches, but you will definitely see his yards and average per catch get a nice bump.

Patterson will be available very late in drafts, so while the risk is minimal, the payoff could be huge.

HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 07: Jalen Richard /

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Jalen Richard

The Raiders created huge buzz when they brought Beast Mode back to the Bay Area, and for good reason. Lynch is the type of pile moving, tone setting back the Raiders have lacked. However, given that Lynch is a year removed from the game and he has just turned 31, the Raiders will be judicious in just how much they lean on Lynch. The team will make an effort to keep Lynch fresh and healthy, and that is where Jalen Richard comes in.

Richard exploded onto the scene in week 1 last year against the Saints with a 75 yard touchdown run and never stopped being a consistent contributor the rest of the way. Richard finished the year with 491 rushing yards on 83 carries for an impressive 5.9 ypc. He was also 6th on the team with 29 receptions for an additional 194 yards. Not bad for an un-drafted free agent who had to try out to bet a training camp invite.

Richard is the perfect change of pace back for the Raiders as his contrasting style and abilities compliment Lynch to a tee. Richard is definitely in the Darren Sproles mold, in that he runs harder than his size would indicate, has electric moves and contributes in the kicking game as well.

Look for Richard to have a combined 1,100 yards rushing and receiving this year for a playoff bound Raider team. He will make a great RB3 with upside and can be had very late in drafts or picked up as a free agent!

ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 15: Jared Cook /

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Jared Cook

We’ve all heard the saying “the tight end is a quarterback’s best friend” right? Well the Raiders have been spent the last few seasons trying to find Derek Carr a new BFF. When the Raiders spent a 3rd round pick on Clive Walford back in 2015 the thought was that he would be able to stretch the middle of the field and really open things up for the offense.

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Two sub-par years and one ATV accident later and Walford is clearly on the outs with management. This led the Raiders to look to the Free Agent market in the hopes of adding the missing ingredient to an already potent attack.

After entertaining the idea of bringing in Martellus Bennett, the team ultimately found the cost of his friendship to be a bit pricey.

The team then set its sights on Jared Cook. Cook, fresh off a great playoff run with Green Bay, signed quickly and immediately vaulted the Raiders offense from very good to possibly elite.

Carr and Cook quickly bonded during their visit, and it will be interesting to watch the chemistry grow between the besties as training camp ramps up. Cook can also be had later in most drafts.

So when the Gronk’s, Kelce’s and Reed’s fly off the board you can grab Cook and still get great production. Given the trigger man he will be playing with and the offense he will be working in, it’s conceivable that Cook will end up being a consistent TE1 throughout the season. Trust me….we’re all friends here.

Next: Fantasy Football Dynasty 2017: Top 5 Second year Tight Ends

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR as we get you set for the upcoming NFL season with all your Fantasy Football Previews!