Oakland Raiders Fantasy Football Player Projections, Rankings and Commentary

Data as of July 25 | Current Cheatsheets | Current Projections

NR = Not ranked

QB Matt Schaub

In 2013, Schaub turned into, well, a turnover machine, eventually earning himself a spot on the bench for doing so. But he wasn’t just any turnover machine, he was the pick six turnover champion tossing one in four consecutive games. Ouch. Traded to the Raiders in the offseason, Schaub will no longer be throwing to future Hall of Famer Andre Johnson. Instead, he inherits a group of Raiders wide receivers with very similar skill sets outside of the maddeningly inconsistent Denarius Moore. Not to mention the Raiders group of tight ends rates amongst the league’s worst. If this doesn’t sound like a recipe for a bounce back season, then you’re reading the tea leaves correctly.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew

Jones-Drew hit the wall hard last year in Jacksonville, totaling just 834 rushing yards and 314 receiving yards while averaging a paltry 3.4 yards per carry, easily a career worst. He looked like a shell of his former shelf, lacking agility and speed and more resembling Cedric Benson in his days as a Chicago Bear than the player who emerged as a fantasy favorite from his rookie season in 2006 until 2011. Banking on him in 2014 is pinning your hopes on a player who suffered through an injury plagued season in 2012 and followed it up spending the year convincing fans that he was nearly completely washed up. While the Jaguars offensive line was a mess last season, it’s not like the Raiders line this season is expected to be a whole lot better. Playing in a committee with Darren McFadden, MJD’s upside is likely 1,000 total yards and six or seven touchdowns and it just seems like there are better options out there with more upside.

RB Darren McFadden

Quick: How old is Run-DMC? 27 by opening day. Quick: After six seasons in the league, how many 1,000 yard seasons does he have? If you said one, bingo. The former 1st round pick has now missed 19 games over the past three seasons and finished last year with just 487 total yards and five touchdowns in ten games as he lost playing time to career backup Rashad Jennings. In 2014, McFadden figures to split time with Maurice Jones-Drew, another player clearly in decline. While McFadden’s talents are obvious, it is impossible to ignore his lack of production (3.3 yards per carry average in each of the last two seasons) and injury issues. If he’s available late in your draft, we can endorse taking a flier on him. Otherwise, leave the headache to somebody else.

RB Marcel Reece

While Reece is a solid fullback and a capable fill in at running back, the Raiders have chosen to only use him as a tailback when their hand has been forced. If their hand is forced and you need a bye week fill in or injury replacement, we’re fine endorsing Reece to fit you needs. Just don’t waste a roster spot on him until that happens.

RB Latavius Murray

After being selected in the 6th round of the 2013 rookie draft, Murray spent last season on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Considered a raw prospect coming out of Central Florida but blessed with outstanding measurables, Murray has a chance to carve out some playing time in a Raiders backfield that will open the season featuring a pair of veteran retreads who may be on their last legs in Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden. While that sounds appealing, it’s important to note that Murray has exactly zero rushing attempts in the pros, so it’s anybody’s guess as to how ready he is to produce. If Murray shines in the preseason, he could be worth a late round (think last round) flier in 2014.

WR James Jones

Shock of shocks, Jones’ touchdown count dropped from a career high 14 in 2012 to just three last season. While Jones has ranked as one of the league’s top backup wide receivers during the last couple of years in Green Bay, he is ill-suited to take over the role as the Raiders leading wide receiver in 2014. While Jones has displayed some big play ability, he has done so with opposing defenses focused on other league leading talents like Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Did we mention it’s a big drop from Aaron Rodgers to a quickly fading Matt Schaub at quarterback? If you like Jones grab him as a mid-tier WR4 and keep your expectations in check.

WR Rod Streater

After a surprisingly solid rookie season in 2012 when he caught 39 passes for 584 yards and three touchdowns, Streater, a former undrafted free agent, stepped it up a notch last season, leading the Raiders in receptions with 60 and yards with 888 while scoring four times. At 6’3” and 200 pounds with middling speed, Streater doesn’t do anything extraordinarily well but he has been a steady presence and that should ensure him a spot in the starting line up in 2014. Unfortunately, the Raiders have a depth chart that runs four deep at wide receiver so we aren’t sold on him getting enough targets to have an opportunity to break out in 2014. Consider Streater a low end WR4 or decent WR5 with some upside.

WR Andre Holmes

A former undrafted free agent, Holmes wasn’t given much chance to make the Raiders last season but over the course of the final five games, he emerged as a solid receiving option, catching 22 of his 41 targets for 296 yards and a touchdown. In 2014, Holmes seems assured of a roster spot and he will enter training camp fighting Denarius Moore for the top backup job. While Holmes averaged 17.2 yards per reception last season, he is more of a possession receiver than a true deep threat. With starters James Jones and Rod Streater possessing similar skill sets, it is possible the Raiders may choose to go with Moore given he is the team’s top deep threat. Keep tags on Holmes in the preseason and consider him as a potential late round option in your fantasy draft.

WR Denarius Moore

There is a lot to like about Denarius Moore. He has decent size, outstanding speed and has been a big play threat and reasonably productive for the Raiders with 2,054 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns during his first three years in the league. However, he has also proven to be unreliable and wildly inconsistent, failing to top 35 receiving yards in four of his 13 games last season. He also only topped 80 receiving yards four times. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Moore has much to prove but the word out of Oakland is that Moore will open the season coming off the bench and that role is even in jeopardy with Andre Holmes breathing down his neck. Moore is nothing more than a late round flier in 2014.

WR Greg Little, WR Juron Criner and WR Brice Butler

With the Raiders lacking a proven number one wide receiver and the top of the depth chart loaded with players best suited for backup roles, there is a chance that somebody buried on the depth chart could emerge in 2014. Little joins the Raiders having failed to live up to the hype of being a 2nd round pick of the Cleveland Browns with his receptions and yards having declined the past two years. Criner, a 2012 5th round pick, has done little during first two years in the league but, at 6’2” and 221 pounds, has the size to emerge as a solid possession receiver. Butler is the most intriguing of this trio, a 7th round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft who possesses solid size at 6’3” and 213 pounds who has run a sub-4.4 40. Unfortunately, he appeared in just eight games as a rookie, catching nine of his 17 targets for 103 yards.

TE Mychal Rivera and TE David Ausberry

Much like last season, the Raiders situation at tight end looks like a black hole. Mychal Rivera, taken in the 6th round of the 2013 NFL Draft, was the team’s de facto starter last season, finishing the season with 38 receptions for 407 yards and four touchdowns. However, he failed to show much improvement throughout the course of the season and managed to top 50 receiving yards just once. He will battle David Ausberry for the starting role. Ausberry missed last season with a shoulder injury and enters his fourth year in the league having caught just nine passes in his career. Needless to say, both of these players are best left on the waiver wire until they prove worthy of a spot on your fantasy roster.