The Las Vegas Raiders return from their bye week with a home matchup against the hapless Houston Texans. While new head coach Lovie Smith has made Houston competitive for much of the first half of the season, this game should allow Las Vegas to get off the shelf after an embarrassing defeat against the rival Kansas City Chiefs.
Raiders News: Who Should Raider Nation Keep An Eye On?
Davante Adams should have huge numbers
This feels like a no-brainer, but the first five games of the season saw inconsistent production from the big prize of the Raiders’ offseason. While this isn’t totally the fault of Davante Adams, the result in Week 5 against Kansas City could’ve been different had DA17 kept hold of a catch on the sideline late in the fourth quarter. Between that and the ensuing fourth down debacle, which saw Adams actually collide with a returning Hunter Renfrow, we should see a very hungry star wide receiver, ready to feast on a young Houston secondary. Rookie Derek Stingley Jr. will more than likely draw Adams outside (with plenty of help over the top, of course). That shouldn’t matter.
Time to put the Adams Misses Green Bay memes to rest.
Foster Moreau will look to eat in Darren Waller’s absence
The Raiders can’t seem to keep their full ensemble of weapons on the field. After losing Renfrow for multiple weeks, tight end Foster Moreau went down. Now that Moreau is back and ready to go, star tight end Darren Waller will miss Sunday’s game. Waller is not just a matchup nightmare for defenses, but he’s also improved as a blocker in the run game. Look for Moreau to fill that role Sunday and catch a few tosses from quarterback Derek Carr up the seam.
Zamir White may get his number called early on Sunday
Running Back Josh Jacobs has been a revelation in a contract year. Head Coach Josh McDaniels finally removed the reins and allowed the Alabama product to be the monster he was in his rookie season. That continued against Kansas City’s improved run defense. However, you don’t want to run Jacobs into the ground, and the Raiders didn’t spend a pick on Georgia tailback Zamir White for nothing. White has seen spot duty so far in Las Vegas, but Week 7 could be his moment to get more meaningful looks out of the backfield. Jacobs will remain the hammer, but there’s nothing wrong with a reliable secondary option.
*Top Photo: AP Photo/David Richard