Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Oakland Raiders
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Oakland Raiders
Hello there everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the preseason. We are approaching the fantasy football and NFL season opener. Let’s welcome a fantasy football preview of the final AFC West team, the Oakland Raiders. Or is it the Las Vegas Raiders? Not yet, but soon! There is a new/old coach in town in Jon Gruden. He is resurfacing after a long stint as a broadcaster since 2009. He looks to coach this team up to playoff contention in the AFC West.
We at FantasyCPR are here to provide you a comprehensive look at the depth of each NFL Team from the perspective of fantasy football manager.
The Raiders had a down year in 2017 finishing third in the division at 6-10. They gave up 373 points and went just 2-4 against their own division. Gruden brings a new aspect to this team and introduces a different playbook to work off of. It remains to be seen if the coaching change has a positive or negative effect on this team.
Gruden definitely has a way with quarterbacks, as he helped Rich Gannon and Jeff Garcia succeed in the past. Since 2012, he has run his own QB Camp which brought part of the developmental process to television. Now he has the opportunity to groom a young and talented Derek Carr into the next great Raider quarterback.
No one can be sure if this major change will work, but it is certainly worth a shot. Gruden brings a pedigree of success with a career record of 100-85. He should be able to earn the respect of his players based on his long coaching career beginning as a graduate assistant in 1986. It should be an exciting change in the AFC West, and the Raiders look to make a run for the playoffs.
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Quarterback
I have been a big supporter of Carr since his emergence as a rookie in 2014. Apparently, I’m not the only supporter of his. According to Marcus Mosher of RaidersWire on USA Today, new (or is it old?) head coach Jon Gruden said “Carr is the best quarterback he has ever coached.”
In Gruden’s west coast offense, we are likely to see Carr focus on short passes along with a power run game. Taking away long pass plays definitely hurts his value this year, unless his receivers can prove to be playmakers after the catch. His number one target should be the talented Amari Cooper, but after that there are questions to be answered.
Carr has been the starter since being drafted 36th overall out of Fresno State. 2016 was by far his best season leading the Raiders to a 12-3 record, with 3,937 pass yards, 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He did not experience that same success last season as the Raiders spiraled a bit in their division. We will see if the addition of coach Gruden, and wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant can help reinvigorate Carr in 2018.
Battle of the back ups will likely be a snore fest for the Raiders. Even if Carr goes down with an injury, you can likely avoid both Manuel and Cook. We have seen the E.J. Manuel experiment play out in Buffalo, and it has not been pretty.
Connor Cook could be another story as we have not really seen the Michigan State product yet. He appeared in one career game and threw one interception and one touchdown with 150 yards. Cook is worth a shot in a dynasty format, but other than that, you can forget about him.
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Running Back
Lynch is a very powerful runner, but even better at interviewing. It really is must see TV if a reporter has the microphone in front of him. Also, if you get a chance, check out his excellent golf mechanics.
With Gruden’s style of offense, Lynch could see an uptick in touches. He had a solid 2017 season even after his temporary retirement. The pep in his step was back as he ran for 891 yards and seven touchdowns. Lynch could even earn more targets in the pass game in Gruden’s short passing west coast offense.
The muscle hamster at one point, actually two points looked to be the NFL’s next superstar running back. He could attack on the ground with his 5’9” and 223 LB frame, and showed the ability to catch passes at a high rate. In his rookie season with the Buccaneers, Martin on 319 carries ran for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns. He added 49 receptions and 472 receiving yards as well, getting PPR league owners giddy.
Martin regressed after that rookie season, derailed by injuries. He re-emerged in 2015 as a Pro Bowler and First Team All Pro. It has been a roller coaster career to say the least, as both times following a career season, he failed to live up to the hype. Now he sits as the number two back behind the 32-year old Lynch, but is a solid hand cuff option. He could player a big role in their short passing game.
The addition of Martin hurts Richard’s and Warren‘s opportunities to shine. Warren showed us a bit of upside though in his first two preseason games going for 86 yards in the first game and 110 in the second with a touchdown. Don’t look too far into those performances as he is STILL fighting for a spot on the 53 man roster and will battle with the speedy Jalen Richard for third-string playing time.
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Wide Receiver
Cooper is the clear WR1 for the Raiders, and Gruden has made that clear. Coming out of Alabama, he was easily the best route runner of his class and had great hands. The hands have been a little shaky of late though as he struggled with drops last season.
Although his hands might have failed on him last season, he still finished with seven touchdowns. Cooper still remains one of the upper-echelon receivers in the NFL and shouldn’t surprise anyone if he usurps the 1,000 yard mark again as he did in his rookie and sophomore season.
It is easy to be excited about Jordy Nelson and his career statistics. What we don’t know though is how he will fair without the best quarterback in the NFL throwing it his way. Nelson is now at the back-end of his career at 33 and it feels as though no one would benefit from changing scenery away from Aaron Rodgers.
Nelson has always been a great pass catcher and really hit his stride between 2013, 2014 and 2016 getting a crazy amount of targets and double-digit touchdowns in two of those seasons. No longer the number one option, it is safe to assume his targets will drop, but as a taller target, he could still see a decent amount of red zone opportunities and the opportunity to break away for a long touchdown.
Gruden is in search of a solid number three option for his offense. The former Clemson product looked ready to take the league by storm with the Steelers. He accounted for eight touchdowns in his rookie year, and really shined with his sub 4.40 speed. Off-field issues have really limited his playing time which makes him one of the more frustrating options. Buyers beware, as it feels like at any time he could find a way to get himself into trouble.
Roberts has been with the Raiders for his whole four-year career, and looks to fight for a larger role under Gruden. He is fairly consistent in that he will likely sit near 40 receptions, and could get a few touchdowns. He has not shown much in the way of upside to be considered in anything other than a dynasty or a very deep league.
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Tight End, Kicker, D/ST
Cook is one of the more athletic tight ends in the NFL and could look to use his size and speed earn yards after the catch. In his career he has averaged just below 13 yards per reception. It is surprising, at 6’5” that his touchdown numbers have never exceeded five. Although he may not be worth drafting, Cook is someone to watch for on your waiver wire to see if he can build rapport with Carr.
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Eddy Piniero/Mike Nugent
Piniero, the former Florida Gator is looking to take over as the Raiders place kicker. He played two years in the SEC and was great from distance going 6-6 from 50+ yards in his two years. He showed a great ability to nail the short shots as well going 50-51 on extra points and 30-35 in his career.
Currently, he is experiencing a groin injury so it is hard to sway anyone to take a chance on what should be one of your last picks in your draft. Right now, the battle is between Piniero and 13-year veteran Mike Nugent. If Piniero is healthy, he should win the job.
D/ST
The Raiders have their fair share of impact defensive players. But things have not played out well as they come into the 2018 season on FantasyPros, ranked in the last tier at number 30. There is even more concern here due to the fact that the cornerstone of their defense, Khalil Mack remains unsigned. They added two nice pass rushers out of Michigan and LSU, Maurice Hurst and Arden Key, but it should not garner enough attention to put them on your fantasy radar.
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