One of the major storylines of this NFL season has been the disappointing Oakland Raiders. Coming in with high hopes after a great 2016 season and a rested Marshawn Lynch, people saw the Raiders going all the way to the AFC championship game. That won’t happen unless the team can start playing its best, and soon.
The more important question to ask, at least for fantasy owners, is which Raiders can find consistency in fantasy football?
Michael Crabtree (Wide receiver)
One of the bright spots for the Raiders has been the play of Michael Crabtree. He’s enjoying another great year under Jack Del Rio. With 42 catches for 502 yards and six touchdowns, Crabtree has emerged as the top target in Oakland. He shows no signs of losing production, and with the upcoming schedule, regression isn’t on the agenda.
In three of the last six matchups of the year, Crabtree plays against the Giants, Cowboys and the Chargers. All these defenses are favorable matchups if Derek Carr can continue his play as of late. The No. 13 wide receiver in standard leagues, averaging 8.8 points per game, has found success recently without finding the end zone.
Being a huge red zone target has been the reason that Crabtree has had fantasy value in recent years. But in the past four weeks, Crabtree has gotten steady volume while producing at a WR2 level. If Crabtree can regain his red zone presence and provide touchdowns, then he will continue to produce consistency and be a valuable fantasy asset.
Derek Carr (Quarterback)
It’s been an up and down season for Derek Carr. He experienced a back injury that kept him sidelined for a week and made him play at a subpar level. Before that happened, the Raiders offense failed to find the chemistry to succeed and win games in the NFL. As of late, Carr has picked it up and produced at a QB1 level.
Carr had three straight weeks with over 300 passing yards and at least one touchdown, including an outburst of 417 yards and three touchdowns against the Chiefs. That made fantasy owners realize that he still has something to prove this year, and the Raiders are still fighting to try and win a Wild Card spot in the AFC.
He obviously has the same schedule as Crabtree, which means he has three games against an easier opponent and three games that could give him some matchup problems. Then again, he did go off against Kansas City once this year.
Look for Carr to continue being a QB1 option in fantasy and start him with confidence from here on out.
Marshawn Lynch (Running back)
The return of “Beast Mode” hasn’t been quite like everyone thought it would be. People expected Lynch to come back with a vengeance and take the league by storm behind the Raiders’ stud offensive line.
Actually, quite the opposite has occurred. Lynch has yet to have a 100-yard game and has only eclipsed 52 fantasy points over nine games. The volume has been there for Lynch, with double-digit carries in six of his nine games, but the production isn’t quite there.
Lynch is one of the players on the roster that I don’t see performing quite well in the end of the season. The defensive fronts of the Giants, Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos and Eagles are all above average and may cause Beast Mode to have less than average games to end his season.
Avoid starting Lynch in fantasy from here on out.
Feature image from bleacherreport.com
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