NFL Fantasy Preview: Las Vegas Raiders

In a 32-part series leading up to the start of the 2021 National Football League season, we will take a look at each NFL franchise from a fantasy perspective. The 17th team we will review is the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Las Vegas Raiders have bounced around in my lifetime. They have been in Oakland twice and Los Angeles, before moving to Las Vegas at the beginning of the 2020 NFL season.

When it comes to fantasy football, the Raiders do not have a standout wide receiver worth selecting, but do have a standout tight end in Darren Waller of Landover, Maryland. In 2020, Waller put together his second consecutive outstanding season. After registering 90 catches for 1145 yards and three touchdowns in 2019, Waller was even better in 2020, as he had 107 catches for 1196 yards and nine touchdowns.

What Waller does best is use his size to his advantage. At 6’6″, 255 pounds, he is able to power his way through the middle of the field and catch balls from Derek Carr on a regular basis. Waller is the second ranked tight end, only behind Kansas City’s Travis Kelce.

The fact that Carr does not have many quality options at receiver, reduces his overall value. However, Carr had a respectable season in 2020, and is ranked 16th in fantasy. Last season he completed 348 passes in 517 attempts for 4103 yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Carr’s quarterback rating was also a career-high 101.4.

At running back, the Raiders will have a double running back set which includes Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake. It appears Las Vegas will be trying to model their running attack this year after the Cleveland Browns of 2020. but a lot of positive things need to happen before you start to compare Jacobs and Drake to Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Jacobs appears to be a lower-ranked RB1 right now, and Drake is a higher-ranked RB2.

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In 2020, Jacobs had 273 rushes for 1065 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 33 catches for 238 yards. Drake had 239 rushes for 955 yards, and 10 touchdowns, along with 25 catches for 137 yards with the Arizona Cardinals. Unless one of the two running backs get hurt, expect a time share throughout 2021.

The other Raiders player worth taking is kicker Daniel Carlson of Colorado Springs, CO, who is ranked fourth in fantasy rankings. Carlson had a breakout season in 2020, as he made 33 of 35 field goals for an excellent field goal percentage of 94.3%. The fact Carlson kicks at the indoor Allegiant Stadium enhances his value.

Heading into 2021, the Raiders are not as strong when it comes to overall talent as Kansas City, but should contend for a playoff spot. Coach Jon Gruden would not have it any other way.

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