Oakland Raiders Team Preview

Disappointment. The Raiders’ offseason in a word. Going into free agency with plenty of cap space, the Raiders let LaMarr Houston and Jared Veldheer, two young stars, walk away and spent  most of the available dollars on players like LaMarr Woodley, Justin Tuck, and Austin Howard. Most of these moves didn’t make sense from a football perspective, and they don’t exactly brighten fantasy circumstances either.

Of the players added in the offseason, only Matt Schaub, Maurice Jones-Drew, and James Jones will be examined for fantasy. Of those three, Jones-Drew is the only one who will have much of an ADP, or even much of a hope for fantasy success. For those in dynasty leagues, don’t rebuild like the Raiders.

QB: Matt Schaub, Matt McGloin, Derek Carr

With Terrelle Pryor no longer on the team, no Raiders passer is worth consideration as an every-week play. Schaub, acquired from the Texans, is the favorite to win the job, and is someone worth watching as a potential streamer or QB2. Prior to last season, he was an underrated option who thrived in Houston’s offense, and he can be had for free this year.

RB: Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew

The unofficial slogan of the Raiders backfield is "less is more". McFadden and Jones-Drew both have histories of injury, and have not demonstrated the ability to play well through one. Weekly upside will be capped, as neither back should expect more than 15 or so touches, but both guys have shown off their immense talent in the past and could experience a renaissance under a reduced workload.

WR: James Jones, Denarius Moore, Rod Streater, Andre Holmes

If one wants a bye-week fill-in, Jones is the guy. He proved to be a reliable red zone target for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, but he won’t reach WR2 status unless Schaub treats him like Jay Cutler treats Brandon Marshall. For upside, Moore, Streater, and Holmes all have interesting cases. I like Moore the best because I think he starts, but Holmes popped up on the radar with a hot finish to 2013 and probably has the most upside of the group.

TE: Mychal Rivera

Placing as the 23^rd tight end in 2013 standard scoring, Rivera doesn’t profile as a must-own tight end, but as a streamer at best. The best sign for hope is that Schaub relied heavily on tight ends Owen Daniels and Garrett Graham while with the Texans.

Defense/Special Teams

After losing LaMarr Houston and replacing him with many aged veterans, the Raiders D/ST doesn’t look special. Bad against both the run and the pass, the Raiders probably aren’t even worth a look against enticing matchups.