Author: Brandon Murchison, Staff Writer
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target="_blank" href="http://rotoexperts.com/250947/ravens-have-holes-to-fill-in-this-draft/" target="_blank">Ravens –Redskins – Lions – Buccaneers – Broncos – Giants – Texans
Team Needs: LB, DT, CB
Projected Top Three Picks
First Round- T.J. Watt, LB Wisconsin
Second Round- Adam Shaheen, TE Ashland
Third Round- Cameron Sutton, CB Tennessee
The Oakland Raiders have to be entering the 2017 season with a bad taste left in their mouth after how their 2016 ended. The injury to Derek Carr took them from Super Bowl contenders, to an early playoff exit. As well as they played on both sides of the ball, they do have some holes on the defensive side that they will look to address in this draft. With the first pick, they look to grab a little of the Watt family magic by drafting T.J. Watt. The younger brother of Texans’ DE J.J. Watt, T.J. is a strong player in his own right and can plug in right away next to Khalil Mack. Watt has plus ability in the pass rush and is average in defending the run, but he can be coached up to excel in this area. An extra pass rusher for this defense can only help the appeal of a squad that was a sleeper for many Fantasy owners in 2016.
In the second-round they will look to add another weapon for Carr with TE Adam Shaheen. Shaheen is a small school player that has been rising up draft boards during the process and catching the eyes of many. If you watch any of his film you will be able to see that he can play, but the argument will be that the competition he faced is nowhere near NFL level. However, Shaheen should be able to perform and be a sleeper at the TE position as early as this season. The potential steal here is if the Raiders have CB Cam Sutton fall into their lap. This is a CB with first-round talent who is great in coverage and has excellent ball skills. An injury-plagued 2016 knocked him down many draft boards. But grabbing him in the third round would be a robbery and make an immediate impact on this defense.
Derek Carr has the weapons and potential to finish as a Top 5 QB in 2017. Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire
Derek Carr undoubtedly put together an MVP-like campaign in 2016, and will look to build upon that as he is coming off of injury this season. With the weapons around him, he has what it takes to propel himself into the Top 5 at the position, but during drafts he will likely come off the board between QB7-QB9. Carr should finally surpass 4,000 yards this season and could easily go over the 30 TD mark, making him a very reliable starter week to week. Expect for him to be playing with a chip on his shoulder this season as well. For all the talk about Amari Cooper as the WR1 for the Raiders, it is actually Michael Crabtree that has held that distinction for the last two years. I do expect that to change in 2017, with Cooper hitting that third-year mark and breaking out in a big way. Cooper will be drafted as a fringe WR1 in most drafts, whereas you could find Crabtree in the WR3 range. Seems crazy that Crabtree keeps getting valued here pre-draft each year, but he always returns value that exceeds that projection. If you go RB early in drafts, don’t be afraid to have Crabtree as your WR2 this season.
As of this writing, the Raiders have all but committed to bringing back Marshawn Lynch out of retirement to be their lead back. This is HUGE news in the Fantasy community, as no longer will you be looking at a committee backfield from Oakland, but a bona-fide bell-cow RB. The year off for Lynch could pay big dividends for him, as it gave his body time to rest up and be ready to take the pounding that his running style tends to bring on. With Lynch as the starter behind this offensive line, a big year is there to be had for the former Seahawk. His one-cut, in-between the tackles style is just what this offense needs to get the pressure off the passing game and make things more balanced, which will make this offense even more potent. Should he immediately return the land of RB1 in his return year? He could bring that value by year’s end, but when it comes to the draft, he could very well fall in the range between RB13-RB15. But there will be those owners that will jump on him early, so have a gauge on the room as to whom that owner might be. If you want to jump and take the risk, Lynch could very well reward you.
Team Ranks:
Passing Offense- 253.2 YPG (13th)
Running Offense- 120.1, YPG (6th)
Points Per Game- 26.0 PPG (7th)
Top Fantasy Performers:
QB- Derek Carr, 257 points
RB- Latavius Murray, 164 points
WR- Michael Crabtree, 144 points
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