Raiders’ Week 9 Fantasy Outlook

 Posted by at 9:21 AM  No Responses »
Nov 052011
 

Quarterback

This position, in regards to Fantasy, is less of a crap shoot than it was two weeks ago, but there’s still no way to confidently say play Palmer over other QBs in the NFL. Palmer’s play against the Chiefs was not an indication of his future play because he was unprepared and didn’t have his go-to: Darren McFadden. He was just trying to clean up Boller’s mess. This week he still won’t have McFadden, but he will have T.J. “Who’s-Yo-Mama” Houshmandzadeh with whom he practiced during his “retirement.” Housh will give Palmer a reliable target that he’s comfortable with and can go to on third downs, or any other down for that matter. It would irresponsible to give a definitive “go!” for starting Palmer on your team this week. On the bright side, Tebow will make him look like a pro-bowler again.

Running Back

All of you who have been reaping the benefits of McFadden’s success have probably been drinking yourself to sleep after seeing him leave practice in a boot. Leave the kool-aid alone though because he’ll be back. Until then you can play Michael Bush and/or Taiwan Jones. While neither will get tons of yards, they’ll still get decent numbers, especially Bush. Palmer may go more to the air since he’s got his training-mate on the team now, but the Raiders’ success has been built on the run. Luckily, the Broncos will be unprepared since it’s unclear if the game will be more passing or rushing. Play Bush, he should get 20 carries. The key to winning with regard to your Fantasy team is just remembering to sit McFadden and play someone who will actually run.

Wide Receivers

Darrius Heyward-Bey is the only receiver worth owning in terms of fantasy production. The addition of Houshmandzadeh to the mix really muddies the water for Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore. If you’ve been stashing Moore this year, it’s OK to cut him loose now unless you are in a keeper league. Houshmandzadeh was quoted saying that there are a lot of fast guys on the team but they’re not as polished as route-runners. While he is definitely positioning himself within the team, there is a morsel of truth to that. Moore and Ford stretches the field in a way they play and cannot be counted on for consistent production. Coming off a bye, we’re hoping that DHB has built some sort of rapport with Palmer and he is proving doubters wrong. Right now he is considered to be a low-end WR2 and strong WR3.

Tight End

Kevin Boss can make a sneaky play this week for owners truly desperate for a TE. Oakland is squaring off against a Broncos defense who have been pretty stout thus far to opposing tight ends, but coming off a bye, the Raiders could play at a maximum effort to keep pace in the AFC West. The addition of Houshmandzadeh definitely hurts his value, as they both operate in the middle of the field. Boss is definitely a player worth keeping an eye on to see how Carson Palmer utilizes him.

Kicker

Sebastian Janikowski hasn’t been able to practice this week and Dave Rayner may get the call again. Avoid this situation if you can. Some strong plays this week include Matt Bryant who is squaring off against the Colts indoors.

Defense/Special Teams

While the Raiders defense has ranked towards the bottom in most statistical categories this year, this is a defense with value this week vs. Tim Tebow. The Raiders defense has played better than their stats suggests with Richard Seymour leading the way. Tebow is turnover prone and he is susceptible to the pass rush. Seymour alone could match his season sack total of five in this game, to double his output for the season. And yeah, I don’t need to tell you that Ford is returning kicks for this game. It’s added incentive for you to play them this week.

Week 9 Preview: Tebow & Palmer Do Battle

 Posted by at 4:17 PM  No Responses »
Nov 042011
 

Both Tim Tebow and Carson Palmer are coming off performances they would love to forget.  After orchestrating a heroic comeback against Miami, Tebow fell flat at home against Detroit, while Carson’s last outing resulted in 3 interceptions in one half of football.

For Palmer, the Raiders bye was anything but an “off week” as he spent some of the mandatory off days gaining chemistry with receivers Jacoby Ford and Darius Heyward-Bey.

“There’s no comparison to last week…I’m comfortable with the entire playbook.  I’m comfortable with the guys,” Palmer said.

The Raiders added to Palmer’s familiarity by signing veteran free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh.  Houshmandzadeh will help out in the slot. He’s a big body that’s not afraid of contact and can go over the middle.  Palmer and Houshmandzadeh played together in Cincinnati and worked out together last summer.  Palmer will look for his safety blanket primarily on third downs.

Perhaps the definition of “Tebowing” should be changed to throwing the ball 10 yards behind a receiver, because that’s all Tim Tebow was doing Sunday against the Lions.  Tebow held the ball in the pocket for too long and the result was 7 sacks.  He was a dismal 18 of 39 passing and some of those throws weren’t even close.  The euphoria in Denver around Tebow is quickly evaporating. Doubt has grown in Denver all week about his ability to play the position at a pro level.

 

OFFENSE

The Raiders will be without Darren McFadden, who suffered a sprain in his foot early on in Week 7.  With the big match-up against San Diego looming next Thursday night, its best to rest him this week and get him as close to 100% as possible for the Chargers.

The Raiders are lucky to have a player of Michael Bush’s caliber as their backup running-back. He is not McFadden, but Bush would probably be the starter on 15 other NFL teams.  Bush should touch the ball at least 20 times, with change-of-pace Taiwan Jones getting more of a load this week.

Much of the Raiders’ success the rest of the way will fall on the arm of Carson Palmer.  He needs to show off the arm strength observers believe he has lost.  Now that Palmer is familiar with the playbook and the stable of young athletic receivers, he should have a good day against a less than stalwart Broncos defense.  Houshmanzadeh will make his Raider debut and it will be interesting to see if the chemistry he has with Palmer will carry over.

You usually don’t mention a kicker when breaking down the offensive keys for a football game, but Sebastian Janikowski is a weapon.  He will test his hamstring on Friday and Saturday. Dave Rayner’s cell number being is on speed dial in case he can’t go.

X-Factor – Marcel Reece, Fullback

The Raiders finally had a healthy Reece in practice this week.  Reece not only is a reliable blocking fullback, he is a special talent catching balls out of the backfield.  Screen plays, quick angle and flat patterns; his hands and athleticism are rivaled by few, if any, at that position.  Manase Tonga and Richard Gordon filled in admirably in his absence, but there is no replacing this special player.

 

DEFENSE

 Chuck Bresnahan is salivating at the chance to spring his defense loose on struggling quarterback Tim Tebow.  The only way Tebow will be able to hurt the Raiders is with his legs by turning broken plays into positive yards.  The Raiders will most likely continue to blitz, but I think you won’t see it as much this week.  The defense will force Tebow to make his reads and make the accurate throw in coverage, something he was unable to do last weekend against Detroit.  The Broncos offensive line has struggled for much of the year, so expect the Raiders big boys up front to be a major factor.

Denver running back Willis McGahee was limited in practice with a broken hand and is questionable for Sunday.  He has three 100-yard rushing games since he took over as the starting role in Week 2 and is enjoying a healthy 4.5 yards a carry.  The Raiders will predictably key on the Broncos ground game and force Tebow to make them pay through the air.

X-Factor – Richard Seymour, Defensive Tackle

The anchor on the Raiders defensive line had a great Week 1 performance against the Broncos, registering two sacks on Kyle Orton.  The Lions took down Tebow 7 times last week. Expect number 92 to be a frequent presence in the Denver backfield all afternoon.

Prediction: The Raiders were embarrassed by Kansas City at home in a loss much too reminiscent of the dark years between 2002-2010.  The Raiders have a great opportunity to get back in the win column against a struggling Broncos team.  Expect Palmer to play better (he can’t do any worse) than last week. The Raiders should be 5-3 heading into San Diego.

Bye-Bye Bye Week

 Posted by at 10:56 AM  No Responses »
Oct 312011
 

The Raiders are coming fresh off the bye week and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Raiders are nursing a host of injuries and spent extra week getting Carson Palmer ready and advance scouting for the Chargers next Thursday. The coaching staff also spent time evaluating their own team so don’t be surprised if there are a few changes in the starting lineup come Sunday.

Several Raiders receivers stayed in Alameda during the bye week to work with Palmer on timing and routes. Palmer has extensive homework to do getting to know the Raiders playbook and the game plan for the Broncos. The Raiders coaching staff also took a look at T.J. Houshmandzadeh and he will have a physical Tuesday. Housh is very familiar with Palmer and Hue Jackson, so it comes as little surprise the Raiders would take a look at him. One of Derek Hagan or Chaz Schilens would probably be out if the Raiders brought in the veteran receiver.

Everyone is hoping Darren McFadden’s foot sprain was minor and that he will be healthy enough to play this Sunday. The prelimary indications on the severity of the foot injury targeted today’s practice as an important indicator. Both the team and the fans are hoping the Raiders best offensive player is back for an important showdown with Tim Tebow’s Broncos.

The Raiders will find out today if a few days work with the receivers was enough to get Carson Palmer comfortable. The rest of the season hinges on Palmer’s play. The Raiders were fringe playoff caliber team with Jason Campbell leading the way. Palmer needs to be better considering how much the Raiders gave the Bengals to acquire him.

The Raiders face the Broncos Sunday in a division game at home versus Tim Tebow and the two-win  Broncos. Division games are always an adventure, but the Raiders can’t afford a letdown versus this caliber of team. The Broncos traded away Brandon Lloyd and Tim Tebow is the unquestioned starter. The season isn’t getting any younger and the Raiders can’t afford to drop to 4-4 headed into San Diego on a short week.

Hue Jackson’s Window

 Posted by at 10:36 AM  No Responses »
Oct 282011
 

The most successful teams in the NFL have their franchise quarterback. No other position in the NFL is as valuable. Teams, however, don’t need a spectacular quarterback to win. Look at San Francisco, Tampa Bay and the Giants. More than anything, teams need a reliable quarterback to hold it together that does not give away the game. When NFL teams struggle for years, it’s largely due to the team’s perpetual ineptness at quarterback.

This year Miami, Indianapolis and Minnesota have arguably the worst quarterback situations. It seems every week these teams get embarrassed like the Raiders did last week against Kansas City. Not since the inept team of 2006 have the Raiders been shutout at home versus an AFC West rival.

Hue Jackson has reminded everybody how valuable a stable, quarterback is. If the scrappy game against the Houston Texans was this emotional high of the season then the embarrassing loss in Oakland vs. Kansas City was the low. Hue Jackson’s “gamesmanship” caused a resurfacing of past quarterback woes. It is now up to Hue Jackson to right the ship.

The window for this Raiders team to win is over the next few seasons. On the defensive line, veterans Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly are at the near end of their prime. In the secondary Michael Huff and Stanford Routt at their prime. Darren McFadden will go through his prime and Michael Bush might still be affordable. Darius Hayward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore will provide enough speed to stretch the defense and enough skill catch the ball. During these years, the offensive line will be anchored by left tackle Jared Veldeer and center/guard Stefen Wisniewski . All the Raiders really need is a stable, reliable, not necessarily spectacular, quarterback.

Hue Jackson bet two valuable draft picks that Carson Palmer is stable, reliable and more. The truth is if Hue Jackson was not in Oakland, Carson Palmer would not be a Raider. An argument can also be made, if Al Davis was still alive, Palmer wouldn’t be a Raider. Palmer’s success will undoubtedly define Hue Jackson legacy.

If Palmer is not successful in Oakland, then Jackson and Palmer will likely get kicked out of Oakland with the same boot having missed the window Al Davis spent his final years building. If Palmer is successful during this window and leads the Raiders into the playoffs, Hue Jackson will become a new icon in Oakland and may never leave.

The 12th Man: Time To Unite

 Posted by at 10:26 AM  No Responses »
Oct 282011
 

Everyone knows the importance of fans, or the 12th man, but too often people jump ship in times of trouble. Last Sunday was the definition of trouble, and a time where the 12th man needed to step up.

Even though Jason Campbell wasn’t listed one of the NFL’s top 10 Quarterbacks, he was 4-2 as a starter before Hue Jackson swayed the “powers that be” to bring retired Carson Palmer on board. From the beginning Jackson told people that he was going to keep his starter at quarterback last Sunday as a surprise so the Chiefs wouldn’t have an edge. This plan backfired, to say the least. Jackson now knows that when you try to keep something like this a “surprise,” chances are your team will play like they are surprised too.

Part of the poor performance was due to Darren McFadden exiting the game with a foot injury; an unpleasant surprise. The plan had been to rely heavily on McFadden regardless of who the quarterback was. Kyle Boller is a backup and Palmer was sitting on his couch (yes, “Couch” Hue) watching the Raiders-Browns game one week prior. No one expected either of these men to have stellar passing games. The offensive line didn’t help matters by letting Palmer get pummeled on his first play back. Some of his interceptions can be attributed to his receivers, but the blame is on him since he is the new team leader.

Now is the time for the 12th man to step up to the plate. Everyone saw what happened last week in Detroit when Lions fans disappeared and the Falcons were able to run their no-huddle offense. While the fans may not think they’re important, they are in fact an important part of the team. Few things will electrify a team more than a roaring crowd and support system.

This isn’t to say that mistakes should be ignored, but as a part of the Raider Nation, one of the most well-known fan bases in all of sports, there’s no need to boo the team and tweet obscenities at the players. In hard times Raider Nation should band together and cheer on the team they love. If you have gripes with play calling, passing, defense, etc. voice them, but do it constructively so as to make the team better, not tear them down.

The Raider Nation is not made up of Eagles fans, it’s made up of Raiders fans who love the status of “12th man” and cheer in the spirit of Mr. Davis. Even he would grab a man’s helmet and tell him what he did wrong, but at the end of the day, he’d try to fix it.

The Raiders have a crucial game coming up after the bye week, so there is no better time to be a strong 12th man. Remember when the Raiders were responsible for the Heidi Rule; when the Raiders scored two touchdowns against the ’68 Jets to win the game in a matter of minutes? There’s always hope; there’s always a chance. Your job, as 12th man, and a member of the Nation is to hold strong and cheer on the team, no matter what.

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