Fantasy Football fans! It is time for our first weekly update to the Fantasy Football Tracker. In this rendition, we highlight the top Raiders’ performances from Week 2 and assess what it could mean going forward. Keep in mind that this is all purely from a fantasy football perspective. Fantasy points are calculated using ESPN standard scoring — half-point PPR format, to be exact.
Let’s get into it, starting with the always-polarizing quarterback in Vegas.
Jimmy Garoppolo: Good, Not Great
Week 1: 200 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one interception, 11 rushing yards — (15.1 fantasy points)
Season point total: 15.1 (15.1 ppg)
Analysis
Garoppolo’s production in week one was exactly what you would expect. He was a middle-of-the-pack fantasy quarterback, finishing just below Sam Howell and, ironically, just above Derek Carr. Like Carr, ‘Jimmy G’ is just an underwhelming QB2. What was actually concerning were the multiple injury scares so early into the season. You can’t have that from your backup quarterback in fantasy football.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: 225 passing yards, two pass touchdowns, one interception, 15 rush yards — (16.5 fantasy points)
Expect Garoppolo’s Week 1 stat line to be par for the course throughout the season. The way he plays, combined with how Josh McDaniels runs his offense, typically leads to the opposition being less of a factor. “Jimmy G” will continue to put up good, but not great numbers.
Last week’s fantasy performance was a bit of a fluke. Honestly, that just means he is still due for one of his patented, ugly mistakes that tend to pop up every so often.
Be Patient With Josh Jacobs
Week 1: 19 carries, 48 rushing yards, three targets, two catches, 23 receiving yards — (8.1 fantasy points)
Season point total: 8.1 (8.1 ppg)
Analysis
Jacobs had a rough outing against a team he has historically played great against. Maybe it was rust from sitting out all of camp, but that is a hard sell to fantasy owners who used an early-round selection on the All-Pro. Unfortunately, it is likely a deeper problem than Jacobs being rusty. The run blocking by the offensive line (and tight end Michael Mayer) was ugly, to put it mildly. If that struggle continues, it could drastically lower Jacobs’ ceiling in 2023.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: 22 carries, 92 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, three targets, three catches, 37 receiving yards — (20.4 fantasy points)
Week 2 against the Bills should be a bounce-back game for Jacobs. Buffalo is solid defensively, but they are not Denver. The Bills were torched by Breece Hall on Monday Night Football, giving up 127 yards on just ten carries. Also, it helps that the Raiders must run the ball well to have a shot in this game. Their best chance at stopping Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs is by keeping them off the field. Jacobs remains an RB1 heading into the contest.
Davante Adams Is Still A WR1 In Vegas
Week 1 at Broncos: Nine targets, six catches, 66 receiving yards — (9.6 points)
Season point total: 9.6 (9.6 ppg)
Analysis
We saw exactly how McDaniels intends to use the best receiver in the NFL now that he has his ideal quarterback in place. Adams has been turned into a glorified possession receiver. This style of play is going to handicap his touchdown numbers going forward. On the bright side, the target volume is still solid. It helps that the targets are on more high-percentage throws vs. the passes he saw last season from Derek Carr.
What we saw on Sunday should be his floor. The concern is what his ceiling will be.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: 11 targets, nine catches, 108 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown — (21.3 points)
The Raiders are going to need to score to keep up with Buffalo. For that to happen, they have to get Davante Adams going. The 2022 All-Pro saw solid usage last week despite battling Patrick Surtain II. Bills corner Tre’Davious White is a good player in his own right, but he is not on Surtain’s level. Adams is not the type of player to have two quiet games in a row. Expect him to remind everyone how good he is this week.
Is Hunter Renfrow Worth Rostering In Fantasy Football?
Week 1: 0 targets — (0 points)
Season point total: 0 (0 ppg)
Analysis
The fact that Renfrow was not targeted a single time is shocking. The 2023 campaign was supposed to be a bounce-back season for him. Instead, he seems to be a complete afterthought in this offense. Give it another week, but it might be time to drop Renfrow in fantasy football.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: Three targets, two catches, 18 receiving yards — (2.8 points)
Renfrow’s numbers should go up this week. They literally cannot get any lower. Nevertheless, don’t expect a huge jump. He is clearly not seen as an integral part of the offense or he wouldn’t have been frozen out last weekend. The only way Renfrow could be a viable flex option this week is if Jakobi Meyers (concussion) does not play. More on that in a minute.
Can Raiders Breakout Star Jakobi Meyers Keep Up Momentum?
Week 1: 10 targets, nine catches, 81 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns — (24.6 points)
Season point total: 24.6 (24.6 ppg)
Analysis
Meyers went off in his Raiders debut. Believe it or not, he actually led Las Vegas in targets in Week 1 vs. the Broncos. More importantly, he got a ton of usage in the red zone. It was all going great until the former Patriot got drilled on a high hit in the fourth quarter. He is now in concussion protocol, so his availability is very much in question for this week.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: Four targets, three catches, 31 receiving yards — (4.6 points)
Any momentum that Meyers had going for him got dashed on that late-game hit by Kareem Jackson. If he had full health, he would be a strong WR2 consideration for the matchup against Buffalo. Now, there is a chance that the 26-year-old doesn’t even suit up. Even if he does, it will likely be in a limited capacity. By still being in the protocol on Wednesday, Meyers almost certainly won’t practice this week in any capacity. That makes it hard to be a significant factor in the game plan. Keep Meyers on the bench this week, even if he is clear for action.
Austin Hooper Might See Larger Role In Week 2
Week 1: One target, one catch, 20 receiving yards — (2.5 points)
Season point total: 2.5 (2.5 ppg)
Analysis
Hooper was only targeted once in his Raiders’ debut vs. Denver. But he made the most of it with a long reception. That could bode well for the veteran in the future. The biggest win for Hooper this week is that he (slightly) edged out rookie Michael Mayer in offensive snaps. It seems like he is the team’s starting tight end for now. Regardless, Hooper must prove he is worth keeping on your roster.
Projection
Week 2: Three targets, two catches, 27 receiving yards — (3.7 points)
Don’t expect a huge improvement from Hooper in Week 2. He is more of a blocker than a receiver, which doesn’t help fantasy football managers. At his best, he is a touchdown-dependent TE2. With a rookie eating into the snaps, even that is a stretch. It may be time to drop Hooper, as his only hope for relevancy is if Mayer continues to underwhelm.
Michael Mayer: Fantasy Football Afterthought?
Week 1: 0 targets — (0 points)
Season point total: 0 (0 ppg)
Analysis
Mayer had a rough start to his NFL career. He did not receive a single target in the passing game and was an unreliable blocker in the run game. That likely led to him giving way to Hooper more as the game went on. In dynasty leagues, keep stashing Mayer. Otherwise, it might be time to give the rookie the boot.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: One target, one catch, eight receiving yards — (1.3 points)
This could be the week that Mayer finally makes his first NFL catch. The Raiders are clearly high on the former Notre Dame tight end, even if he was shut out of the Week 1 stat line. The amount of snaps he is getting so early in his career is evidence of that. Expect the coaching staff to try and get the first-year player going this week. They will design at least one play specifically for him. Regardless, keep Mayer on the bench.
Daniel Carlson Is A Locked-In Starter
Week 1: 1/1 FG, 1 <39 yards, 2/2 XP — (5 points)
Season point total: 5 (5 ppg)
Analysis
Carlson was at the mercy of the Raiders offense in Week 1. He hit every kick he was asked to, but there were not many opportunities overall. Such is life as a kicker. Five points is still a decent consolation, given the situation.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: 2/2 FG, 1 <39 yards, 1 40-49 yards, 2/2 XP — (9 points)
The Raiders offense should be able to put up a better showing vs. the Bills. That being said, it would behoove them to shorten this game as much as possible. For that reason, Carlson is unlikely to hit double digits this week. You should still start him, though.
Raiders Defense/Special Teams
Week 1: Two sacks, 16 points allowed, 260 yards allowed — (5 fantasy points)
Season point total: 5 (5 ppg)
Analysis
The Raiders defense was respectable in its season debut. Keep in mind that the Broncos are not exactly juggernauts on the offensive side of the ball. At the very least, it was a respectable showing that gives hope that the Vegas defense could be a good streaming option every once in a while. The only downside was that they did not generate any turnovers, a focal point of their offseason program.
Projection
Week 2 at Bills: Three sacks, one INT, 27 points allowed, 320 yards allowed — (5 fantasy points)
Look for the Raiders to get after quarterback Josh Allen a bit in this one. He is known for questionable throws, never more apparent than his performance Monday Night vs. the Jets. The Raiders might be able to steal one in Buffalo. Leave this unit in the free agency pool this week, it is just too risky against a top-end signal-caller.
*Top Photo: Raiders.com
