Between the ineptitude of the Las Vegas Raiders offense of late and the fact that they will face a stout Denver Broncos defense, this preview might not take long.
Quarterback
Derek Carr has been held to under 13 points in his last three games. It is hard to see that changing this week against Denver. He isn’t scoring many touchdowns, and lately, he’s been turning the ball over a lot. He is virtually unplayable this week.
Running Backs
Josh Jacobs has managed to keep himself in the RB2 conversation despite a paltry offensive line that makes it difficult to run the ball. He has done so by increasing his receiving output. He is still a significant part of the Raiders’ offense, which leads to him getting force-fed the ball. This keeps his fantasy value stable.
One would have thought that the Kenyan Drake injury would have allowed another Raiders back to become a viable fantasy option. However, it seems to have just given tiny boosts to both Jalen Richard and Peyton Barber. Neither of them is worth having on your roster.
Wide Receivers
Hunter Renfrow is awesome, but the rest of the Raiders receivers are awful. That has become a problem for Renfrow. With Darren Waller out, teams have realized that the former Clemson Tiger is the only real threat. He is starting to see more double teams, which likely led to his pedestrian fantasy performance last week. Since Waller is likely to be out again this week, temper expectations for Renfrow. He is a low-end WR2 this week. No other Raiders wideouts belong on a roster.
Tight End
Foster Moreau is solid, but he is not Waller. He had a good game last week, but that feels like an outlier given the numbers he typically puts up. Granted, many of those weeks he was the team’s number two tight end. Nonetheless, he still hasn’t set the world on fire the last three. Also, he’s a little banged up right now. I would stay away from him or any other Raiders tight end this week.
Kicker
Daniel Carlson is an elite fantasy kicker in a perfect situation. He is reliable and plays on a team that struggles to finish drives. Start him if you’ve got him.
Defense/Special Teams
Drew Lock is making his first start of the season. The potential for turnovers is enticing. The Raiders defense had its best fantasy performance of the season earlier this year against Denver (ten points), and that was with the typically safe Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. I would say keep the Raiders on your radar this week, but try to find something a little safer.
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*Top Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images