Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down: Las Vegas Raiders

Welcome back to the “Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down” series (offseason edition). We’re currently in the slow season. This is the part of the offseason where we remember back to the NFL Draft, and we look over our Dynasty teams constantly. Most of us have concluded our rookie drafts, and some of us have participated in dynasty start-ups. There’s still a ton of time before the 2022 NFL season gets underway before September. This is the time to shape up our dynasty rosters. Should we look to trade away any assets? Do we need to make some important cuts to our team? Is our taxi squad maximized and full of potential? As always, we will break down each NFL team one by one. Today is all about the Las Vegas Raiders. 

STOCK UP – DEREK CARR

There’s only one obvious fantasy player that sees a decent fantasy boost going into the 2022 season. “Bring in the Carr.” What most fantasy managers don’t realize is that he has improved steadily throughout his career. His completion percentage has improved mightily since entering the league. He smashed his career-high in passing yards this past season. Sure, he’s turned the ball over a little more as of late, but what’s most important is that Carr finished as the QB13 in 2021, which is tied for the second-best finish (2016 was his best) during his eight-year career. Barring injuries, he should have no problem serving as the QB12 or better going forward now that his former college teammate, Davante Adams, is hauling in passes from him once again. 

We’ve seen this a lot more in today’s game. Former college teammates are reuniting in the league, and it’s working out for the most part. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have created quite the duo. Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith have struck an early pro connection. Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle surprised many this past season as well. Although Carr and Adams haven’t played together in nearly nine years, it would be shocking if the duo didn’t spark something special in 2022 and beyond. Adams helped Aaron Rodgers finish as a QB12 or better in eight of the last nine seasons. He’s also been a huge reason why Rodgers has won MVP in back-to-back seasons. 

Adams joins Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller, as the three should become one of the most lethal pass-catching trios in today’s game. Add that to one of the more prolific rushing attacks in the league as well, and Carr should have a clear path to finish as a QB1 for the next few years. He’s fresh off leading the Raiders to their first postseason appearance since 2016. And in return, Vegas gave him a three-year $121.5M contract extension. That will keep him in a Raiders uniform until 2025. He may not be the most enticing player on the block to trade for, but if he’s your QB2, you should be set up for years to come as well. His asking price will be a little higher now that Adams is on the team, but for the right price, he’s worth adding to your dynasty team. 

Other Notables: Hunter Renfrow, Foster Moreau

STOCK DOWN – JOSH JACOBS

Jacobs was in a similar situation last offseason. After topping 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, the Raiders added Kenyan Drake to their backfield in a somewhat puzzling move. Drake sustained injuries and played in a limited fashion, but Jacobs took a step back. His fantasy numbers wouldn’t indicate that because he hauled in a lot more passes once Drake went down. But he received 56 fewer carries and seemed to be playing hurt for most of the season. Now going into his final season under contract after not receiving a fight-year option, Jacobs has more competition in the backfield. 

Drake is still under contract for this season. Assuming he comes back healthy, he should dip into Jacobs’ receiving production. Vegas decided to sign both Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah during free agency. To make matters worse for the three-year pro, the Raiders also drafted Zamir White out of Georgia in the fourth round. And they added one of the better undrafted free agent running backs in Sincere McCormick. Sure, Jacobs could still lead this running back room in 2022, but he’s not the clear “bell cow” back anymore. On top of that, most starting running backs don’t produce great fantasy numbers after their fourth season. We dove deep into this in the Buccaneers section of this series. 

The time to trade away Jacobs is now. He’s still on his rookie contract, and he’s still in good shape to produce decent fantasy numbers in 2022. But what the Raiders are telling us is that he may not be back in 2023 wearing black and silver. White will dig into his touches as a rookie. Drake will cut into his receiving production. And the Raiders have shifted into more of a pass-first team. His dynasty outlook looks murky at best right now. Target that team in your league that’s going all in this season and get a decent return on your investment. If you are that team going all in, you better make sure you have a plan to move off him in case this is his final RB1-like season.

Other Notables: Kenyan Drake, Jarrett Stidham

Teams Broken Down Already: Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Giants, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Patriots

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