Top Five Fantasy Players: Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders haven't had a solid fantasy player on the team for a long time.
Occasionally, Sebastian Janikowski was a popular pick at kicker because of his potential to hit long field goals. If you were really desperate, you may have played Darren McFadden at RB during weeks he was healthy.
If an Oakland player was drafted in the past, it was often time as a joke or the fantasy owner was just a homer.
This year, that's all going to change.
The Raiders have some legitimate options on the field which could help fantasy teams out there.
Here are the top five fantasy players for the Raiders in the upcoming season.
5. Sebastian Janikowski - K
As opposed to recent years passed, Janikowski will do more than just kick long field goals. For the first time in a while, the Raiders have a solid offense, which means farther drives down the field and more touchdowns.
It has always been a gamble to start the Raiders' kicker. If he hit a couple of long field goals, great, but if not, you weren't getting any points from him.
With the Raiders much improved offense, you will see more points from the long time Oakland kicker. More PATs and mid-range field goals make Janikowski a definite start at the beginning of the season.
4. Derek Carr - QB
He's not on the level of the Aaron Rodgers, or Andrew Lucks of the world. He may not even be on the level of the Matt Ryans or Cam Newtons of the world, but he will be a solid fantasy player this season.
Carr will be valuable to fantasy owners in a couple ways.
One, if all the top name quarterbacks are already off of the board, fantasy owners can look to Carr for a consistent QB all season.
Two, he can serve as a backup when your top quarterback has his bye-week or even gets hit with an injury.
Carr won't be the type of quarterback to put up huge numbers game in and game out, but if you're looking for consistent points, Oakland's quarterback may be perfect for your fantasy team.
3. Michael Crabtree - WR
Now that the former San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver has a more well-rounded quarterback, you can expect Crabtree's numbers to jump from last season.
Not only will second-year quarterback Carr help, but rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper will draw a lot of attention, leaving Crabtree more space to run his routes.
Although he will have a jump from last season, Crabtree still is not a WR you want to build your fantasy team around. If you can draft him as borderline WR2, or more as a WR3, he is worth the pick.
His touchdowns may be limited, but he will earn points through yardage.
2. Latavius Murray - RB
The 24-year-old running back showed signs last season of being a very good player. He spent most of the season backing up McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew.
The time which he did spend on the field was enough for the Raiders to make Murray the feature back in the upcoming season.
Murray is set to have a big year for the Silver and Black. The offense is much more balanced this year, which will make the run game a bit easier for Murray and the offensive line.
The Raiders' running back is a solid RB2. If he can have the type of season the Raiders are hoping for, fantasy owners will love the production he's going to provide at a RB2 slot.
1. Amari Cooper - WR
The first-round pick for the Raiders in 2015 comes into the season as the top fantasy player on the team. From all accounts during this offseason, Cooper is the real deal at wide receiver.
The mix of his speed, route running and ability to catch the ball will start the rookie at a WR2 spot with the potential to be a WR1.
Typically, it takes rookie wide receivers a few games to catch on to the speed of the NFL. Just look at Odell Beckham Jr. last year. He started off slow, but once he hit his stride, he was a top wide out in the league.
Look for that same development for Cooper. He may start the season out slow, but once he hits his mark, he should put up high numbers for fantasy owners week in and week out.
