Raiders vs. Browns Fantasy Outlook

 Posted by at 8:33 AM  No Responses »
Oct 152011
 

Quarterback

Jason Campbell had a very average game last week, throwing for 190 yards. His games have been alternating pretty steadily from the 100s to 300s. If the trend continues this week, look for him to get somewhere in the 300s for yardage. He is averaging two touchdowns and is low risk when it comes to interceptions. Plan for at least one or each for Campbell when choosing which QB to play.

Running Back

Last week was Darren McFadden’s worst all season with only 51 yards and no touchdowns. In that particular game, the carries he did make were crucial, but that doesn’t always translate into fantasy points. This week he should get somewhere around 100 yards with at least one touchdown. Michael Bush also had his worst game last week with a just 9 yards. This will not happen again. The whole running game was a bit off last week, but this week the team is at home so look for Bush to get his standard 30 yards and maybe vulture a touchdown. Cartwright’s yards came on special teams so you can’t count on him for fantasy points. Taiwan Jones is in the same boat. He’ll likely get you no points.

Wide Receivers

Darrius Heyward-Bey, one of Al Davis’ latest controversial and bold moves, came through last week in a big way vs. the Houston Texans. In fact, DHB has 11 catches for 214 yards in the past 2 weeks, making him a viable pick-up in fantasy circles.  Coach Davis has gotten a lot of flak for reaching for freakishly athletic talents with blazing speed. DHB was the first the first WR taken in the 2009 draft ahead of supposed can’t miss stud WR Michael Crabtree for this very reason. The reason pundits and analysts look down on DHB was his route-running and questionable ability to catch the ball. Coach Davis lives by the mantra you can teach ability, but you can’t teach speed and knew that all DHB needed was good coaching and the belief his team has in him to deliver. And in his third year in the league, Coach Davis’ vision for DHB is finally coming into fruition. The time has come for many fantasy owners to buy his stock and DHB is a strong WR3 start this week and viable WR2 option vs. the Browns who may be missing top cornerback Joe Haden.

Additionally, the Raiders are also looking for the return of Louis Murphy back into this offense. Fantasy-wise, this doesn’t bode well for Denarius Moore or Jacoby Ford. After a fast start, Moore put up a zero last week vs. the Texans despite his high snap count and targets. After DHB, Moore makes for a strong sneaky flex start if you need his services. This Hue Jackson-led offense is looking Moore’s way and is counting on his big play ability to take the pressure off Darren McFadden. Look for Ford to return kicks and be a viable threat in that front.

Tight End

Kevin Boss was not productive last week vs. the Texans in an emotional game. Look for Boss’ role in this offense to fluctuate, making him just a fantasy prospect at this point. The tight-end position is deep this year and you can look elsewhere. Looking across the sidelines, Ben Watson is a solid plug and play candidate for fantasy as he is getting a ton of work with Colt McCoy actively looking towards the tight ends this year.

Kicker

Seabass – Nothing to see here. He’s a weapon from this team, making the Raiders that much better in close games knowing that Janikowski tied a league long 63 yard field goal earlier this year.  I would suggest even keeping him on your roster during the Raiders’ bye week in Week 8 and trying to find a kicker without dropping him.

Defense/Special Teams

Savvy fantasy players will mostly play defenses by matchups. If you employ this strategy, the Raiders D/ST is a viable option this week vs. the Browns. Nothing about this offense scares you as the team is looking for its identity after its bye. Coach Pat Shurmur has said that he is going back to feeding Peyton Hillis the ball. While he is a bruiser, the Browns is not likely to put up 30 or 40 points this week. The Raiders’ special teams also have upside with Jacoby Ford returning kicks for potential scores.

Recipe for Domination vs Browns: Run

 Posted by at 11:05 AM  No Responses »
Oct 142011
 

The Raiders identity on offense relies on power in the running game and speed outside. Last week, Darren McFadden had a total of 51 rushing yards. McFadden has had a grand total of 126 rushing yards a 63 yards per game average over the last two games. The first three games McFadden had 393 yards and averaged 131 yards per game. To dominate opponents the Raiders need to get back to the bread and butter of their running game.

The Raiders are most explosive on offense when they run the ball effectively. The Raiders offensive line dominated the opposing defense and the running attack demoralized opponents over the first three games and Jason Campbell was able to stay upright and the passing game exploded a times. The Raiders are facing a Cleveland Browns team on Sunday that may be missing starting cornerback Joe Haden and will certainly be missing pass rushing defensive end Marcus Bernard. The Raiders offense will be given every opportunity to get the running game up and rolling against the Browns.

Jason Campbell needs to make Cleveland pay for loading the box to keep the Browns from keying on the run. Campbell needs to connect with Kevin Boss and other receivers on mid level patterns, seam routes and work the middle of the field. Boss has been underutilized as a receiver and had zero receptions last week in the game against the Texans. Not only will working the middle of the field open up running lanes for McFadden and Michael Bush, but it will also open up deep play action throws down the sidelines to the Raiders speedy receivers.

O.co Coliseum will turn into a memorial for the great Al Davis on Sunday. There is little doubt the Raiders will dedicate this game and the rest of this season to Al Davis. Al Davis would have liked nothing more than victory, but  he always preferred complete domination. The Raiders can kick-start this three game home stand with an explosion and domination of the Browns by running the ball effectively.

Raiders Displayed Strong ‘Will To Win’

 Posted by at 2:20 PM  No Responses »
Oct 112011
 

The Raiders should have been defeated by the Houston Texans on Sunday.

The offense came out extremely flat and did not get a first down until the 2nd quarter and only had four at halftime. For most of the game the Raiders were embarrassing on offense.

Darren McFadden, the NFL leading rusher, had only 12 yards at halftime and only 51 for the game which is well below his average. Jason Campbell on multiple occasions missed open receivers and made early mistakes. Neither Kevin Boss, Michael Bush or Denarius Moore caught a pass.

The Raiders squandered good field position and failed to capitalize on a block punt instead settling for three Janikowski field goals longer than 50 yards. The offensive line gave up three sacks and countless quarterback hurries. It appeared as if the Raiders offensive line was going to literally fall apart.

Then, all of a sudden, things changed. Penalty flags started to get picked up and the defensive line started to deflect passes. Lamarr Houston got an interception on one tipped pass and the defense began stopping the run, blitzing and dominating the Texans offense. The offensive line came back together and Rock Cartwright ran for 35 yards on a fake punt. McFadden picked up few first downs, Chaz Shilens reappeared and Darrius Heyward-Bey matured.

In a game where the Raiders let Arian Foster amass 184 yards from scrimmage, the Raiders found a way to win. In a game where the Raiders offensive play calling was questionable and offensive production inconsistent, the Raiders kept on fighting. In a game where the Raider failed to execute the four-minute drill and gave Matt Schaub one last chance, Michael Huff, and the Raiders defense held on. In a game where the Raiders were out gained by nearly 200 yards, the will to win never dissipated.

The Raiders were nowhere near their best but somehow, someway they returned to Oakland victorious. As it has been since the 1962, winning, is the only thing that really matters in Oakland. It was not pretty but the Raiders persevered and found a way to win this one for Al Davis. As Al would say, “Just Win, Baby.”

Studs and Duds From Week 5

 Posted by at 8:00 AM  1 Response »
Oct 112011
 

An emotional win. A big win. The Raiders made it through the toughest stretch of the schedule 3-2. Now the Raiders have a month at home and play three unspectacular teams. Two are division foes and anything can happen. Raiders have plenty of things to work on in practice this week and the coaching staff will not let the players look past the Cleveland Browns.

A few players really stood out in the Raiders win and a few, well, didn’t.

 

Studs

Lamarr Houston

Pushed the pile all day long and had the awareness to make the interception on one of the many Matt Schaub tips. Houston had a heck of game in Houston as did the rest of the defensive line. The Raiders really needed the defensive line to take over the game and the Raiders defensive line did just that and Houston was a big part of the Raiders day. Honorable Mention: John Henderson

Tommy Kelly

He had the worst game of his career against the Texans the last time he faced them, but one of his best this Sunday. The Texans had no answer for the Raiders bigs pushing the offensive line into Schaub’s lap. Kelly was pushing the pocket and sealing Arian Foster out of running lanes. A motivated Tommy Kelly is one heck of a football player. He proved that again on Sunday.

Richard Seymour

Three studs on the Raiders defensive line. They deserved it and you could really give a stud mention to this entire unit. Seymour applied tremendous pressure up the middle with Kelly and any yardage Foster gained didn’t come through the middle. Seymour had a sack and was beating double teams which prompted the Raiders to blitz Rolando McClain up the middle which disrupted Schaub even more. Al Davis traded a first round pick for Seymour and to this point he has been worth it and then some.

Darrius Heyward-Bey

Heyward-Bey had 99 yards on six receptions on Sunday with one touchdown and was two out-of-bounds throws by Jason Campbell from nine receptions for 150+ yards and a touchdown. Did I mention Heyward-Bey is also a great blocker? Heyward-Bey played his best game as a professional on Sunday. Heyward-Bey played with the kind of swagger great receivers play with and his profile with the Raider Nation is turning in his favor.

Michael Huff & Tyvon Branch

The Raiders starting safeties had some tough moments, but Branch had a few key tackles and kept Schaub from walking into the end zone on the game’s final play. Huff stepped in from of Schaub’s final pass to seal the big win for the Raiders. That’s enough to get stud recognition despite the team’s struggles covering backs out of the backfield and covering the Texans tight ends.

Rock Cartwright

Not only was the guy all over the field on kick coverage, but he checked to the fake on the punt that gave the Raiders new life and kept the momentum in the Raiders favor. He’s the Raiders special teams captain and he plays like one. He’s quickly become on of my favorite Raiders to watch. Just watch him work on special teams because it is a thing of beauty.

 

Duds

Stanford Routt

Gave up too many catches for an “elite” cornerback. The Patriots ran a quick slant that Routt wasn’t able to defend and the Texans took advantage of the same play to get their first score. He’s still clearly the Raiders best corner, but he’s not playing at an amazingly high level that is making the team forget about Nnamdi Asomugha. That’s troubling, because the two players are making about the same amount.

Quentin Groves

The 12-men on the field penalty on the final drive was a direct result of Groves lack of hustle to get off the field and it cost the Raiders crucial time at the end of the game. Groves also blew his coverage assignment on Texans fullback Lawrence Vickers only for Vickers to drop the sure touchdown. Groves was nowhere to be found when Arian Foster was catching swing passes out of the backfield. He’s still rounding into form as a linebacker, but he isn’t good enough to make up for his own mistakes.

Jason Campbell

Forced too many throws and didn’t always give his receivers a chance to catch the ball. Way too many missed receivers. He missed Chaz Schilens on the flea flicker and threw several passes to Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore that took the receivers out of pounds or where just too far out of reach. Campbell made enough plays to redeem himself and the touchdown pass to Schilens was a highlight, but he has to play better for the Raiders offense to take the next step. The next step for the Raiders offense is producing when Darren McFadden isn’t putting up be yardage on the ground.

Taiwan Jones

He redeemed himself with a big special teams tackle on Shane Lechler’s final punt, but he committed a penalty and was getting into Denarius Moore’s way on punt returns. The Texans special teams units pushed Jones back into Moore as well. Jones can’t stay active on gameday without his special teams ability, so the Raiders will continue putting him into position to make a play on special teams. Let’s hope his stop on special teams is the real Jones.

Studs and Duds From Week 4

 Posted by at 11:24 PM  No Responses »
Oct 052011
 

This a little late this week as it took an extra night to watch the game for the second time.

Studs

Darrius Heyward-Bey 

He made a great hands catch and already has nine receptions for 164 yards in three games which surpasses his entire rookie season.

Kevin Boss

4 catches for 78 yards. He’s proving to be every bit the weapon Miller was in the passing game and he blocks well also.

The Offensive Line

Without singling out a single player, these guys have been the surprise of the season. Campbell has all day to throw and they are opening holes for the backs as well. Jared Veldheer, Stefen Wisniewski, Samson Satele, Cooper Carlisle, and even Khalif Barnes. Sprinkle in a little Joe Barksdale. No stars here, this group is getting it done together.

 

Duds

Richard Seymour

Penalties, penalties, penalties. Complain if you want, but the penalties can’t happen. Giving free yards to Tom Brady is a recipe for disaster. To cap it off, Seymour didn’t have a very good day putting pressure on Brady. It’s Seymour’s defense and they got waxed on Sunday through the air and on the ground.

Joe Porter

I’m not sure who thought it would be wise to put Joe Porter on Wes Welker for most of the afternoon. That didn’t work out. I feel bad for putting Porter here because he was put in an impossible situation, but he still played poorly.

Rolando McClain

The Patriots ran all over the Raiders. Rolando McClain needs to be responsible for the running game as it is his primary job. There are many factors that go into stopping the run, but McClain is not getting it done. McClain has his own issues as a player and he can’t make up for others deficiencies. He doesn’t get much help and he’s not capable of overcoming others mistakes. He must play better for the Raiders to have a chance.

Tyvon Branch

A few rather poor angles and tackles in the game Sunday. Pretty uncharacteristic day for Branch. He’s always putting in the effort and that is admirable, but he didn’t play well last Sunday.

Jason Campbell

The first interception was killer and the second the final nail in the Raiders coffin. If the Raiders score a touchdown on that drive things could have gone very differently than they did.

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