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Raiders Week 3 Fantasy Preview

Alright fantasy football die-hards, if you are looking for information regarding the Raiders players, you’ve come to the right place. Each week we will break down the fantasy impacts of the Silver and Black in case you own any or most of them.

There were no major injuries to speak of when it comes to the skill positions and the only area where the injury bug has hit seems to be in the Wide Receiver position as was the case last week. Notable returns this week include the enigmatic Darrius Heyward-Bey and Tight End Kevin Boss, which will be discussed in our picks.

 

Running Backs

This week you need to start both Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. McFadden isn't at the top of his game, but he has been practicing and will play. As long as he's on that field, you better believe that he will be carrying the ball (and hopefully holding onto it). Expect him to put up similar numbers to last week, around 60-70 total yards. Since McFadden is a bit banged up, Bush will get more carries than usual, and most likely close to the end zone (hello six-point gimme). He'll at least hit the 30 yard mark, if not more, depending on how McFadden is at game time. The Raiders staff is being overly cautious with McFadden during the week, thus the limited participation in practice, but he should be fine moving forward. Consider Run DMC a must-start in all formats and Bush to be a low-end flex starter in deep leagues.

 

Quarterbacks

Jason Campbell is clearly the better quarterback in this match up. His completion percentage is slightly higher than Mark Sanchez and he's thrown less interceptions and only one less touchdown, but that's mostly due to the fact that the Raiders have been running the ball. Look for him to throw about 200 yards and at least one touchdown.

 

Wide Receivers

Here’s the one area that many fantasy players will be curious to see. If you were lucky enough to nab Denarius Moore, this position will be in flux all year long. Currently, Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy is battling injury and will not see action vs. the Jets. Darius Heyward-Bey, however is primed to go this week. As a savvy owner, I watched the situation last week and when DHB was a no-go, I inserted Moore into my WR3 and was handsomely rewarded. In fantasy, it’s all about opportunity and Moore is primed to breakout. This week, however, be a little bit more cautious. Coach Hue Jackson has expressed that Moore is locked into more playing time, but the matchup vs. the best cornerback tandem in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie should give Moore owners pause for concern. Moore will not be sneaking up on anybody in this matchup and should be reserved. If anything, the return of DHB should justify you benching him for this week. Not the greatest of news for owners who were lucky enough to get him through the waiver wire, but after the Jets the Raiders will play the Patriots, Texans, Browns and Chiefs in Week 4-7. These are all WR-friendly matchups and he should reap the benefits then.

 

Tight End

Kevin Boss is in line to make his return this year and should be reserved this week on a wait and see approach. However, as the season progresses, he should be productive catching passes in the middle as part of the run-heavy, possession game the Raiders employ. Keep an eye on him this year as he could be valuable in Points-Per-Reception leagues.

 

Kicker

Sebastian Janikowski should be in line for a productive day as the Raiders square off against a formidable defense. If the offense stalls, look for Seabass to chip in from all over the field. If you own him, this is a no-brainer. Conversely, the Jets kicker Nick Folk could see plenty of action as well with the struggling Sanchez and ineffective Shonn Greene in the backfield.

 

Defense

The Raiders defense was gashed last week by the Bills and should be reserved in fantasy in favor for a better matchup. The Jets is a weekly play despite the opponent. My suggestions would be any defense playing against the Seahawks and the Chiefs, which would be the Cardinals and Chargers defense this week.

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