Who is Seth Roberts?
Each week, a handful of players emerge as popular waiver wire pickups. This week’s batch has included Kamar Aiken, Miles Austin, Chris Thompson, Anthony Dixon and Jamison Crowder, though some of these names were already rostered in dynasty leagues. A name that may still be available, or may have been recently dropped following an uneventful week four, is Oakland’s undrafted rookie wide receiver Seth Roberts.
The unheralded receiver has faced an uphill battle throughout his football career. Although three colleges showed some interest in him coming out of high school, he did not receive any scholarship offers so he played for Pearl River Community College (PRCC) in Mississippi. He caught 49 passes for 733 yards with six touchdowns as a freshman in 2010, then followed up with a 56/557/6 line in his second and final season at PRCC.
He moved on to the University of West Alabama (UWA) in 2012, and in his first season caught 22 receptions for 312 yards (14.2 yards per catch) and a touchdown. He stepped up his performance in his final collegiate football season with 40 receptions for 857 yards (an impressive 21.4 yards per catch) and a dozen touchdowns, leading to a nomination to the All-Gulf South Conference team.
Unlike many of the players featured in this series, Roberts did not attend the NFL Combine given his lack of production and low rank among the wide receiver prospects. The 6’2, 196-pound receiver ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in March 2014, which would have tied him with Jalen Saunders for tenth among wide receivers at the Combine. His 3-Cone Drill time of 6.77 seconds would have placed him 11th along with Michael Campanaro and his 4.41-second 20 yard shuttle would have matched Ryan Grant for 12th. Even at his Pro Day, where the metrics are considered to favor the player, the numbers were less than impressive.
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Despite some attention leading up to the draft, the combination of limited collegiate production (and only two years at UWA) as well as a mediocre Pro Day left Roberts on the sideline during the 2014 NFL Draft.
A few days later, the Raiders picked him up as a free agent. He spent the summer with the team before being waived, and was signed to Oakland’s practice squad prior to the start of the season. He was not called up to the 53-man roster at any point during the season but was re-signed at the end of the year.
Roberts started getting attention in the preseason when he caught four passes for 42 yards in the Raiders’ first game on August 14. He only caught four passes in the next two games combined, though he averaged nearly 23 yards per reception. In the final preseason game (against the Seattle defense no less) Roberts broke out with seven receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown, finishing second in the NFL in preseason receiving yards.
This momentum, at least in terms of involvement in the offense, continued into the regular season. He caught three passes in the first game of the season, albeit for only 12 yards, and found the end zone in the second game. If Roberts was picked up in your league, it was probably after week three as he posted three receptions for 56 yards and another score.
Unfortunately for those who trusted him in week four against the porous Bears’ defense, Roberts didn’t catch a single pass and became one of the most dropped players in dynasty leagues just a week after being one of the most added. Week five proved just as fruitless as he failed to haul in either of his targets for the second consecutive week.
One of the primary reasons for the sudden lack of production is the talent of his supporting cast, which is certainly more than we have become accustomed to expect from the Raiders. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are locked in as the top receiving options, and Roberts is battling Andre Holmes for targets in three- and four-receiver sets. Rod Streater and Andre Debose are also looming, with running backs Roy Helu, Marcel Reece and Latavius Murray as well as tight ends Mychal Rivera and Clive Walford getting looks from Derek Carr, too.
In all, 14 different players on the Raiders have caught passes (Roberts is fifth with 80 yards and sixth with his seven receptions). As a group, this receiving corps is tied for seventh in receptions and is 12th in yards per game in the NFL, and the ball is being spread around to a lot of different targets.
With so many players to compete with for receptions, it is no surprise Roberts has fallen off the radar and the outlook is not optimistic that his production will rise consistently in the near future. All of the Raiders’ primary receiving options are signed through 2016, with all but Crabtree signed beyond 2016 as well.
Despite Roberts’ preseason success and flex-worthy production at the start of the regular season, he can be safely dropped in all but deeper leagues. The 24-year-old has good speed and agility for a 6’2 receiver, but just isn’t involved enough in Oakland’s offense to merit a valuable roster spot.
Although it is hard to believe given the team he is on, his best bet may be to find his way onto another roster in order to receive sufficient opportunities. With all the trade inquiries the Raiders received following Roberts’ strong preseason, a change of scenery may become a reality and would put him back on the fantasy radar.
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