The Las Vegas Raiders were generally productive as far as fantasy goes in Week 1. Can they keep it up Week 2 in Pittsburgh?
Quarterback
Derek Carr had a solid opening week. In standard scoring, he put up over 23 points. That’s typically his fantasy ceiling. He just doesn’t score enough rushing touchdowns to garner more than high-end backup consideration in standard leagues. Also, this week Carr faces a Steelers defense that held a great fantasy quarterback in Josh Allen under 20 points last week. I would fade Carr this week.
Running Backs
With Josh Jacobs’ injury status up in the air, it’s hard to get a feel for the fantasy prospects of Raiders’ running backs this week. If Jacobs is listed as probable or even an optimistic questionable, consider him a decent RB2. However, he won’t be a hundred percent this week. Also, the offensive line is a work in progress, and Pittsburgh has a great defense. If he isn’t looking likely to play, leave him on the bench. Even if listed as active last minute, he’s not worth risking him coming out early in the game. My advice is to try and find a better option than a player with a questionable injury designation and a low ceiling.
As far as Kenyan Drake goes, he is even harder to gauge. With Jacobs banged up, he managed 12 points in PPR (9.5 in half PPR). Drake’s going to have a high floor because of his receiving ability. Barring a touchdown, he’s still little more than a good flex option if Jacobs is healthy. If Jacobs is inactive, Drake immediately becomes a solid RB2.
Wide Receivers
As far as the receivers go, treat Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards as low-end flex options. Henry Ruggs III shouldn’t be on most fantasy rosters at this point. With the way Pittsburgh’s defense put the clamps on Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley last week, I would try to avoid Vegas receivers in Week 2.
Tight End
Start Darren Waller. Duh. In all seriousness, there is no such thing as a bad matchup for him. He’s in that rare group of players that you always start no matter what. Even if he has a terrible game, he’s still probably looking at a floor of 10 points.
Kicker
Dan Carlson has established himself as a weekly fantasy starter. His outlook this week looks solid with the Raiders likely to have trouble finishing drives. I would expect Carlson to hit at least two field goals.
Defense/Special Teams
This is tricky. I think Maxx Crosby and Co. should be able to get after Ben Roethlisberger. That being said, I’m still not ready to start this defense. They are still going to give up a fair amount of yards and points. They will likely need to generate a couple turnovers to finish with a positive score.
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