Welcome to your weekly Las Vegas Raiders fantasy tracker for the 2022 season. Each week we will track the fantasy production of the Raiders’ top fantasy players that were covered in last week’s season preview. We will provide analysis from the most recent game, as well as projections for the upcoming game. Stats from previous games will come from ESPN and all points will be based on standard PPR formats.
2022 Raiders Fantasy Football Tracker
Derek Carr
Last week vs Chargers:Â 295 pass yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 5 sacks for -29 yards, 13.8 fantasy points
Season point total: 13.8 (13.8 ppg)
Analysis
Carr had an awful game, by both fantasy and standards and real-life football. Obviously, what really did him in was the sacks and turnovers. Take those away and he has around just under 20 points, which is not a bad outing. Still, even that shows Carr’s low ceiling. He threw for almost 300 yards and two touchdown passes, and even if you take away all the negative stats, it would still barely be a top 10 performance. His lack of willingness and his below-average ability to run the ball makes him a good backup at best.
Projection
Week 2 vs Cardinals (projected): 280 pass yds, 2 passing touchdowns, 8 rushing yds, 3 sacks for -16 yds, 18.4 pts
After getting burned by over-aggression last week, expect to see Carr back to being super conservative. That being said, he should put up solid numbers against a suspect Arizona defense. Expect a solid performance but still that of a high-end QB2.
Josh Jacobs
Last week vs Chargers: 10 carries, 57 rushing yds, 1 catch, 1 target, 16 receiving yds, 8.3 pts
Season total: 8.3 (8.3 ppg)
Analysis
Behind this offensive line, there isn’t much Jacobs can do. He found a little more room to run in the second half, but by then the Raiders were basically forced to abandon the run. He did have one catch, but the coaching staff clearly prefers Brandon Bolden in the passing game. Actually, Bolden outscored Jacobs with a 10.8-point performance. If that trend continues, we might have to start tracking him instead.
Projection
Week 2 vs Cardinals (projected): 15 carries, 68 rushing yards, 1 rush touchdown, 2 catches, 2 targets, 17 receiving yards, 16.5 pts
Expect the Raiders to try to get Jacobs going more next week. Also, a more conservative Carr should dump the ball to Jacobs at least a couple times. Finally, this should be a get-right game for the Raiders. Winning, usually means leading, which means running the ball more. Jacobs should have a much better game this week.
Davante Adams
Last week vs Chargers:Â 10 catches, 17 targets, 141 receiving yds, 1 receiving touchdown, 30.1 pts
Season total:Â 30.1 (30.1 ppg)
Analysis
Adams’ fantasy owners were certainly happy with his Raiders debut. Carr force-fed him targets like a toddler that won’t eat their vegetables. The result was a 30-point outing, making him the league’s third best fantasy wide receiver in Week 1.
Projection
Week 2 vs Cardinals (projected):Â 8 catches, 10 targets, 102 receiving yds, 1 receiving touchdown, 24.2 pts
After last week, Adams essentially has nowhere to go but down. The volume of targets he received in the opener is unsustainable. Even if the Raiders have a better game overall, it likely won’t be because Adams was even more involved in the offense. His fantasy owners will have to settle for a ho-hum 24 points.
Hunter Renfrow
Last week vs Chargers: 3 catches, 6 targets, 21 receiving yds, 5.1 pts
Season total:Â 5.1 (5.1 ppg)
Analysis
Between Carr’s tunnel vision on Adams and his three picks, there was not a lot of work to be had for Renfrow. Still, he tied with Darren Waller for the second most targets on the team. That will likely be his place on the team’s pecking order going forward. As Adams’ share of the targets comes back down to earth, Renfrow’s targets should pick up a bit.
Projection
Week 2 vs Cardinals (projected): 5 catches, 7 targets, 54 receiving yds, 10.4 pts
Renfrow should be back to double-digit points next week. Right now, he should be a reliable flex option. If he wants to get back into the WR2 conversation, he will need to start finding the endzone. Unfortunately, red zone targets might be difficult to come by in an offense with Adams and Darren Waller.
Darren Waller
Last week vs Chargers: 4 catches, 6 targets, 79 receiving yds, 11.9 pts
Season total: 11.9 (11.9 ppg)
Analysis
Most of what was said about Renfrow can be applied to Waller as well. The key difference is Waller’s physical gifts allow him to do more with a lower volume of targets. Also, while Waller’s target share is low for a receiver, it is still more than enough for a tight end. Despite having a down game by his standards, Waller managed to be the leagues ninth highest scoring tight end without scoring a touchdown. Only three tight ends outscored him without finding the endzone.
Projection
Week 2 vs Cardinals (projected): 6 catches, 8 targets, 68 receiving yds, 1 receiving touchdown, 18.8 pts
Waller should be back to putting up high-end TE1 numbers next week. If the Raiders score more, that will likely involve their big tight end. Waller’s receiving yards might take a dip due to Carr being more conservative. Unfortunately, the arrival of Adams probably means Waller’s huge games will be fewer and further between.
Dan Carlson
Last week vs Chargers:Â 2/2 FG, 1 <39 yds, 1 50+ yds, 1/1 XP, 9 pts
Season Total:Â 9 (9 ppg)
Analysis
It was a typical game for Carlson. He did not miss anything, even from deep. The only issue was a lack of opportunities. The Raiders playing from behind most of the game meant they couldn’t settle for field goals and had to attempt a two-point conversion instead of kicking an extra point. This feels like Carlson’s floor, and it is still pretty good.
Projection
Week 2 vs Cardinals (projected):Â 3/3 FG, 1 >39 yds, 2 40-49 yds, 3/3 XP, 14 pts
The Raiders offense should be more productive this week. With that, Carlson should easily be back to double digits. Plus, a more conservative Carr should see Carlson reach his three-field goal minimum that we saw constantly last year.
Raiders Defense/Special Teams
Last week vs Chargers:Â 24 PA, 355 YA, -1 pts
Season Total:Â -1 (-1 ppg)
Analysis
The Raiders defense is still bad, especially in terms of fantasy. Yes, they ran into the buzzsaw that is Justin Herbert. Regardless, the defense did nothing of note. No sacks. No turnovers. Nothing. Yes, I know that Maxx Crosby had a bunch of pressures and tackles. Guess how many fantasy points those things count for? If you didn’t believe that this defense was borderline worthless in fantasy before, hopefully last week was a wakeup call.
Projection
Week 2 vs Cardinals (projected):Â 3 sacks, 1 INT, 20 PA, 300 YA, 5 pts
The Raiders should have a bounce back game on the defensive side as well. The Cardinals looked pretty rough last week. Nevertheless, this defense is not one that you should be trying to start. Even on a good day, this unit is probably not worth rostering.
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*Top Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
