Dynasty Capsule: Oakland Raiders
As part of the premium content package, we’re again unveiling dynasty capsules for every team in the NFL leading up to free agency and the NFL Draft. This year, we’re again going to do a follow-up on all the teams after all the free agency and NFL Draft movement to assess the impact of any players teams have gained or lost. Since these capsules are always done as a simple snapshot in time, we figured that was the best way to tackle the off-season and provide ultimate value for our subscribers. All in all, we’ll have close to 500 player profiles found in these capsules over the off-season.
We continue our path through the NFL with the Oakland Raiders.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr
Carr was one of the few bright spots on a dismal Oakland offense. He threw for over 3,200 yards and finished with an impressive 21 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. Surrounded by one of the least talented groups of pass catchers in the league and a midseason coaching change, his rookie season was much more impressive than at first glance. Now with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave on board to install a no-huddle offense like the type Carr ran at Fresno State, his outlook is bright. The Raiders still need to add a legitimate playmaker at the receiver position and have been linked to the likes of Amari Cooper and Kevin White in the draft. No that free agents are lining up to play in Oakland, but a player like Randall Cobb or Jeremy Maclin would be perfect for Carr.
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Matt Schaub
It didn’t take Schaub very long to prove he was a bust in Oakland. He fought through elbow tendinitis throughout the preseason and did nothing to dispel the notion he was washed up. He only appeared in two games this past season and lived up to expectations by quickly throwing a pick six. Once a quarterback’s confidence is shot it’s usually not too long before he falls out of the league. The Raiders can free up $5.5 million by cutting him loose this off-season, so he’s as good as gone. He’ll likely end up landing a backup gig somewhere for less money, places like St. Louis, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay or Cleveland make sense.
Matt McGloin
McGloin will likely enter 2015 as Carr’s back up but doesn’t have any fantasy value. Even if he were to get playing time due to injury, he’s proven to be overwhelmed at this level and couldn’t be counted on even in 2QB leagues.
Running Backs
Latavius Murray
Murray finally had a bit of a coming out party in one half of a week 12 Thursday night game against the Kansas City Chiefs last year. Even though he only carried the ball four times, he rushed for 112 yards and scored twice against a defense which had yet to give up a score on the ground, one for 11 yards and one for 90 yards. The 90-yard run was a thing of beauty. He stuck his leg in the ground, cut up field and was nothing but a memory on his way to the end zone. Unfortunately, he would exit the game on his next carry with a concussion and miss the following game. Over the last four games of the season against a group of very strong defenses he averaged just 3.9 yards per carry but caught 11 passes as he got more involved in the passing game.
New head coach Jack Del Rio and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have identified Carr and Murray has the young nucleus to build this team around. Murray finally appears to have the organization’s backing and should be able to deliver on his sleeper breakout potential but his price tag will undoubtedly be higher than ever entering 2015.
Maurice Jones-Drew
When the Raiders signed Matt Schaub and Maurice Jones-Drew last offseason, it looked like they were building a team ready to compete in 2011, not 2014. Jones-Drew was awful and looked completely washed up averaging 2.2 yards per carry with no touchdowns on 43 carries. Even though he said he wants to be back this year, the Raiders can save $2.5 million by cutting him. Barring a restructure to the league minimum with performance based incentives, there’s practically zero chance he returns. We might not see him land anywhere unless several injuries occur around the league.
Marcel Reece
Every year Marcel Reece starts out as the team’s starting fullback and every year enough injuries occur which push Reece into the starting lineup at tailback for a game or two. A PPR plug and play option when given the chance, Reece is the west coast version of Mike Tolbert. He would and should form a solid one-two punch with the electric Latavius Murray. With Darren McFadden hitting free agency, the backup running back position is currently Reece’s to lose.
Wide Receiver
James Jones
Jones left the pass happy confines of Lambeau Field for the literal and metaphorical Black Hole of Oakland in 2014. He signed a three year, $10 million contract to be their number one receiver but was predictably overmatched when asked to face off against a team’s top corner. He responded with a career low 9.1 yards per catch on a career high 73 catches for 666 yards and six touchdowns. Without a legitimate downfield threat and a sub-par offensive line, the Raiders would litter the intermediate and short routes with Jones and tight end Mychal Rivera.
Jones still has some upside and potential in this offense if the team can add one of the aforementioned wide receivers through the draft and/or free agency. Entering 2015 with Jones atop the depth chart would be a disservice to both he and Derek Carr. He will maintain mediocre WR3 status.
Andre Holmes
Holmes has been the closest thing to a downfield option the team has had in recent memory but has failed to generate any consistency. At 6’4” and 210 pounds, he looks the part of an NFL wide receiver though and he led the team in yards with 693 on 47 catches last season while scoring four times. He’s a restricted free agent and depending on the level he’s tendered might actually get signed away from the Raiders. He would be an interesting fit in Musgrave’s offense and would make a great second or third option for Carr. He still holds intriguing dynasty value for the foreseeable future.
Rod Streater / Brice Butler
Streater is also a restricted free agent and has a 50/50 shot of being tendered and returning to the team. He was once an intriguing option in PPR leagues but his value took a massive hit when the team signed James Jones last year.
Butler on the other hand has flashed enough potential to monitor in dynasty leagues as he enters his third season. He’s 6’3” and 210 pounds with sub-4.4 speed. With speed and size like that you would expect his career yards per catch to be higher than 12.4 yards. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and blame the annually poor Oakland coaching staff on his development.
Tight Ends
Mychal Rivera
A textbook example of situation over talent, Rivera was able to finish the year as the TE15 in PPR leagues. On sheer volume he turned an inconsistent season into 58 receptions for 534 yards and four touchdowns. He doesn’t do anything great but seems to do everything pretty well. He’ll maintain low end TE2 numbers for fantasy purposes but will struggle to maintain his numbers if the Raiders actually add pass catching talent.
Nick Kasa
Kasa is coming off a torn ACL suffered in the 2014 preseason and has one career catch on his resume. He does possess legitimate size at 6’6” and 265 pounds but only played a season and a half of collegiate ball at the tight end position after transitioning from defensive end. He’s incredibly raw and entering his third season as a pro. He’s nowhere near fantasy relevant.
Follow me on Twitter @OlingerIDP.
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