WR Seth Roberts, Oakland Raiders

An UDFA out of the 2014 NFL rookie class, WR Seth Roberts has steadily earned himself not only regular season snaps, but has turned some heads along the way. For Dynasty Football owners, the real question is…who is Seth Roberts, or more importantly, should I care who Seth Roberts is? Let’s take a look at one of the more intriguing Dynasty prospects who many may not have considered as a solid bench stash.

Hailing from NCAA Division II West Alabama, second year Oakland WR Seth Roberts has seen his time on the Raider practice squad pay the highest dividends. But before we canvass the “now” it is equally important too know just how he got on our radar. There isn’t a lot of information to be found on Roberts and what is available does not scream “hidden gem”, at least not initially if only purveying topical statistics.

However, taking a closer peek you will find a young man who was a duel sport athlete in High School (Football & Basketball) and prior to latching on at West Alabama, Roberts spent his first two collegiate years of college level football at Pearl River Community College in Mississippi where in 2 seasons he accumulated 105 receptions for 1,290 yards with 12 touchdowns.

Today, Seth Roberts is a fixture on the Raiders 53-man active roster. Thus far in 2015, Roberts has amassed 29 receptions on 52 targets for 460 and 5 touchdowns. Roberts currently sits at third on the team, in receiving yards and touchdowns, not too shabby for an unheralded second-year WR called up from the practice squad.

It is my opinion that the Oakland offense is certainly capable of supporting three quality production wide receivers. Especially, a WR possessing Roberts combination of size and athleticism. Roberts is a hair under 6’2, while weighing in at just under 200lbs. For a slender player, Roberts plays with tenacity and does possesses a solid physical base highlighting his strength not only in and out of breaks but in snagging the ball. A finesse, yet gifted athlete with the tools too be physical when called upon. It also helps that Roberts scoots at the pace of a 4.44 40-time, which he posted at his college Pro Day.

There was much buzz and ballyhoo to the notion that 2016 could see Roberts ascend to the WR2 in Oakland, at least until the recent re-signing of veteran WR Michael Crabtree, who himself is having a renaissance season. As of today, Crabtree is firmly entrenched as the WR2 in Oakland, but the emergence of Roberts not only keeps the pressure on Crabtree too perform, it also sets Roberts up for greater impact production potential should either Cooper or Crabtree miss time. Note: As Dynasty owners we must remain vigilante and identify those diamonds early on and keep the mindset of always be building. The Next Man Up could be the savior of your Championship aspirations.

Although Crabtree’s new contract does put a slight damper on the overall short-term production appeal of Roberts, the repertoire Roberts has established with Carr paired with his underdog desire to overachieve will keep him “in the mix” in Oakland. From a Dynasty owner’s perspective, Roberts is emblematic of a player worthy of an end-of-the-bench stash. He is ripe with pride, desire, determination and of course the natural physical attributes to be a solid NFL WR. This is the time to buy and stash, while he is an affordable option. I won’t endorse Roberts as the “Next Big Thing” for the Oakland offense, but I will say that in the land of plenty, he is one of the few young WRs offering an intriguing appeal which could pay dividends for the savvy Dynasty owner.

Thanks for reading. You can find me on Twitter @DynastyFFactory.