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Title: Raiders FF-specific Team Report Post by Callie on May 30th, 2005, 10:04pm by Cheryl Wall Time & Date of this Update (PST): 10:00 on Fri Oct 21 2005 News: Week 7, A very short version.... Fantasy Football Slant: I'm not wimping out here after a painful Raider defeat in Week 6. We got beat fair and square, and Tomlinson didn't seem too troubled by the Raider run D. The reason this report is a very quick hit is the schedule change that starts Week 7 tonight. This is the only way I can give you my comments in time for anyone submitting rosters this afternoon. So here is the short, short version: (Bear in mind that these predictions are based on Randy Moss as out in Week 7.) QB Kerry Collins - Facing a good secondary and Moss out. Low #2. RB Lamont Jordan - Facing a run D that isn't great. Also, see Collins - may have to run a lot. Mid #1. WR Jerry Porter - High #3. Moss out, but facing a good secondary. WR Doug Gabriel - Playing WR2 this week, but facing a good secondary. Low #3 or High #4. TE Courtney Anderson - Mid #2, since Moss is out, but there is that solid secondary on the other side again. D - Not yet. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 13:30 on Fri Oct 07 2005 News: Some Quick Notes of FF Interest from Game 4, Raiders beat Cowboys 19-13 Fantasy Football Slant: Injured center Jake Grove will be out for at least 2 weeks after the bye in Week 5. Adam Treu (who lost the job to Grove in training camp) will fill the slot. Collins is used to Treu, no worries. The Raider D put consistent pressure on Bledsoe, contained the DAL passing game, and actually blitzed for a change! Near the end of the game they were solid in the red zone and prevented a late game score that would have probably won the game for the Cowboys. The Raider run D held Julius Jones to 76 yards and gave up only 4 rushing first downs. The Raider pass D is definitely improving. The Raiders went to the run on Sunday, instead of the pass-happy game we expected. Looks like the Raiders will not be forced to depend upon their Air Force alone. Opponents will be game planning accordingly, which will help open up the pass. Collins has to get out of the pocket faster. Janikowski was 4 for 4. Jano is back! Randy Moss caught a 79 yard pass, then drew a lot of coverage for the rest of the game. IDP guys - time to start watching Gibson and Sapp. Keeper league IDP guys - time to start watching the Raider secondary. WEEK 5 is a BYE. WEEK 6 - The Chargers PLEASE do NOT post to this thread! This thread is only to be appended to by Cheryl Wall. |
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Title: Re: Raiders FF-specific Team Report Post by StegRock on Aug 20th, 2005, 12:56am Time & Date of this Update (PST): 04:00 pm on Fri Sep 30 2005 News: Week 4 Against the Cowboys Fantasy Football Slant: Fantasy-wise Kerry Collins has once again pleased his owners. In Week 3 (23-20 last-seconds loss to the Eagles), Collins threw for 345 yards, two TDs - and no INTs. In many standard scoring leagues Collins now ranks as the fifth highest fantasy scoring QB, and he has the 5th highest QB rating to date. Collins is spreading the ball around, and the passing game is the show even for RB LaMont Jordan. In Week 2 against the Chiefs, we expected a true shoot-out that never developed, but in Week 4 it looks like we should predict a shoot-out once again. Both teams are struggling against the pass and have high-powered passing offenses. The deciding factor in this one could be who forces the most turnovers. Oakland may also make more use of the blitz. Sapp is looking much happier back in the 4-3 defense and seemed very happy making McNabb's day unhappier last Sunday. Historically, the Raiders have done well against Bledsoe as well as against the Cowboys. So far this year, Dallas has allowed the 6th most passing yards and 2+ TDs per game. Start Collins as a high #1 QB. For the same reason, start Moss as a high #1 WR and hope they throw to him more in spite of the coverage. The Cowboys are giving up the farm to WR1s. Porter should get some looks due to attention on Moss, but the way Collins is spreading the ball around makes me want to moderate expectations and put him at a low #2 WR. Gabriel may have a few big plays, but that's just a shot in the dark at this point. Not a good choice as a WR3 or even a WR4 until we see more balls going his way. Because of the way Jordan is used in the passing game (he has just one less reception than Westbrook), he should be a safe play at mid to low #1 at RB this week. The Cowboys have been brutal to TEs so far, but Courtney Anderson could get his touches against this secondary and should be a mid #1. Sebastian Janikowski is still not in a rhythm and keeps kicking them wide, so I would only expect him to finish as a low #1 or a high #2. If the scoring is high, at least he'll get those PATs. As for the D, still not yet. One more toughie, against the Cowboys, and then the bye. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 18:30 on Thu Sept 23 2005 News: Week Three Report Fantasy Football Slant: The Week Two game against the Chiefs was certainly not the score-fest we expected, but don't give up on your Raider skill players just yet. On the down side, Collins, Moss & Jordan have not been playing together for very long and still need time to gell. Jerry Porter (hammy) still did not look 100%. Janikowski missed a 50 yard FG. Doug Gabriel may be back this week as the Raider WR3, as Ron Curry is re-injured and out for the rest of the season. The O line is still gelling. The early part of the Raiders' schedule is brutal. On the up side, Collins completed 21 of 35 passes for 263 yards and no INTs. Moss scored a TD and would have had another were it not for a bad call (and the Raiders only lost by 6), and Moss was open a lot. Porter is starting to look almost back from that hammy. Jordan was in for a lot of short yardage passes and a TD, and again Crockett did not get the goal line vulture work. The Raiders' rush D held the Chiefs to an average of under 4 yards per carry (but gave up 2 rushing TDs). The Raiders' pass D held down the big passing plays (giving up one 49 yarder to Parker). The Raiders kept it close playing the Chiefs offense. For Week Three at the Eagles, the Philadelphia cops are already gearing up for the tailgaters, and Raider Nation is coordinating where they will meet up. Moss and Owens will be on the same field, and both will want to out-do the other. The Eagles will probably be blitzing Collins all day, so again moderate expectations. Still, Collins should be good as a mid to low #1 just based on the need to score and his number of targets. The Eagles' secondary is far from chump change, but I'll predict Moss as a high #1, especially since the Raiders will need to go to the pass to keep up. I wouldn't be surprised to see both Moss and Owens have great days, just based on the competition. Jordan could be taken out of the game at some point because of the need to go to the pass, but the Eagles' rush D is just OK. I'll rank Jordan as a high to mid #2. He could be a part of the passing game, and Collins may need to dump off the ball to him. The Raiders like to go to Moss, and Porter is seeing fewer fantasy points because of that (Although in Week Two both Moss and Porter had 5 receptions, Moss had the score). And again considering the Eagles' D, I rank Porter as a mid to high #3, but he could get fantasy points in garbage time. Doug Gabriel may or may not be back to speed, and he may share time with WR Alvis Whitted. At this writing, Gabriel is still listed as questionable. If you must start Gabriel, figure him as a low #4 or worse, but watch the injury reports. And although TE Courtney Anderson may face an Eagles D that can give things up to TEs, Anderson has only had 4 passes go his way so far this season. The Raiders could use him strategically like they did against the Pats, but there is a lot of uncertainty. I put him at a high #3. Sebastian Janikowski has made only one FG so far this season, but when he gets in his groove he can hit the long ones. Not in his groove so far, high to mid #3. You may not want to play Jano this week. Defense - not yet. This one could be a tough game for the Raiders. The Raiders may need to take some chances. Then the Eagles are out of the way. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 11:30 on Fri Sep 16 2005 News: Some quick notes of FF interest from Game One, and a look ahead to Game Two Fantasy Football Slant: Quick notes of FF interest from Week One at New England (NE won, 30-20): Randy Moss saw a lot of double and triple coverage, but Collins kept throwing it his way. The pass blocking was not always stellar. The Raiders had 16 penalties for 149 yards. The Raider pass D really needs work (gave up 306 passing yards & 2 passing TDs). The Raider rush D looked, well, not so bad, and held Corey Dillon to just 3 yards rushing in the first half. CB Charles Woodson played safety; Brady didn't go his way. Woodson was also effective against running plays at the line of scrimmage. The Raider OL started out strong, but it faded as halftime approached. The running game was working, but the Raiders stayed with the passing game. Crockett was not automatically slotted in for short yardage situations. And finally, at least the Pats are out of the way - until the playoffs. Week Two Projections: QB Kerry Collins - High QB1. The Chiefs had 3 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, and grabbed an INT against Pennington last week, but this week's game should be a huge shootout. Last week Collins was a high scoring fantasy QB - against the PATS. He should do even better against the Chiefs. RB LaMont Jordan - High RB2. The Chiefs held Martin to 57 yds. rushing last week, and the Raiders' run blocking still needs work. But the KC DL has injury problems and will probably be shifting players around for this game. He won't blow things out this week, but he should have a nice, if moderate, game. I list him as "High" because the Raiders should use him in the passing game as well. WR Randy Moss - High WR 1. See Collins. Surtain will have problems covering Randy, because Randy is very, very good. WR Jerry Porter - WR2. See Collins. Could be low or high, depending who gets the touches. I would lean toward high, since the high scoring should make plenty of touches to go around and since Moss will draw coverage. Plus, Jerry is healthy. Keep an eye out, however, for any reports about re-tweaking his hammy. WR Ron Curry - WR3. Could be low or high. See Porter. Curry's big games will be spotty, and you won't know which games will be the big ones. Again, I would lean toward high due to the shoot-out factor. TE Courtney Anderson - Low TE2/High TE3. I think the Game One targeting of Anderson was due to strategy against the Pats and the double and triple coverage of Moss. Keep watching how the Raiders use him. It's too early to go nuts over him. K Sebastian Janikowski - Low K1. Should be even better than last week, but I always worry about his inconsistency. D/ST - Not yet. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 05:30 pm on Wed Sept 07 2005 News: Oakland Raiders Season Opener @ New England, Thursday September 8th, 9:00 PM Eastern Fantasy Football Slant: OUT WR Doug Gabriel (finger) QUESTIONABLE RB Justin Fargas (knee); WR Jerry Porter (hamstring) Sorry this report is in so close to game day (due to computer problems). In the interest of getting this report up as soon as possible, I'll make it short and sweet. The first four games for the Raiders (@ Patriots, Chiefs, @ Eagles, Cowboys) are tough ones. Things go a bit easier after that. In Game One, the Raiders face a New England pass defense that can challenge the mighty Raider Air Force and a rush defense that has looked solid in preseason. QB Kerry Collins - QB1. But temper your expectations, as New England has improved their secondary. Be very cautious if you have penalties for INTs. Kerry could have a bunch of them in this game. WR Randy Moss - WR1. Collins and Moss have shown in the preseason (during the little bit they played Randy) that they can connect for some magic. The Patriots will control the middle of the field, meaning that the Raiders will need to go to their beloved vertical game. Look for a couple of big plays and drawing a lot of coverage the rest of the game. WR Jerry Porter - WR3, since he is questionable for the game and since New England has improved their secondary. Also, Jerry has missed time due to his hamstring injury. RB LaMont Jordan - RB 2. Ball control will be very important to the Raiders in this game (see below). Look for yards, but he may not be big in the passing game this week. WR Ron Curry - WR4 or 5 in this one. Personally, I wouldn't play him this week. He has recovered from an Achilles injury, but against the New England defense and with those other hands in the Raider offense, I don't expect him to be big in this game. Watch to be sure that Porter is playing, however. If Porter sits out this game, Curry would move up to WR3 or 4. TE Courtney Anderson - Don't start him until you see how he does and how the Raiders use him. There are a lot of hot hands in the Raider offense, and Anderson may be used mainly as a blocker and a decoy. Defense - Don't play anyone here until you see something happening. The Raiders will try for good time of possession in the first half to keep the score close and the defense fresh, then will try to open up with the big plays to Moss & Porter in the second half when the Patriot D is tired. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 10:50 on Wed Aug 31 2005 News: As the Preseason Winds Down.... Fantasy Football Slant: The Raider D. Warren Sapp is a new man and seems much happier in the 4-3. Back at right DT, Sapp is shooting the gap and getting real penetration. OLBs Grant Irons (replacing Sam Williams, who has been placed on IR) and Tyler Brayton continue to improve. DBs Derrick Gibson, Stuart Schwiegert (3 tackles by the early second quarter in preseason game 3) and Charles Woodson also continue to improve. Preseason game 3 against the Cardinals may have been a first test, and it gave the Raiders some hope in their defensive rebuild. But the true test will come when the regular season begins and the Raider D is no longer facing vanilla offenses and second teams. Punt returner rookie CB Chris Carr has impressed and could replace former Raider Phillip Buchanon in this special teams duty, passing rookie CB Fabian Washington. (WR Doug Gabriel, also used at this position, is probably sidelined for at least a month.) A finally healthy CB Charles Woodson is currently considered likely to remain short man on punt returns, which could be a concern for anyone who actually wants to see him play for the entire season. Raider pass protection. After suffering 11 sacks so far this preseason, the Raiders need to address this area if they wish to see Collins playing for the entire season as well, and without an excessive number of INTs. In all fairness, the Cards left their first team D in through the third quarter in preseason game 3. We'll know a little more after tomorrow night. Coach Turner announced today that WR Jerry Porter will sit out the final preseason game to avoid re-aggravating his hamstring injury. Punter Shane Lechler is expected to return after injuring his hamstring in preseason game 1. WR Doug Gabriel (finger) will not be playing in the final preseason game tomorrow night and could miss the first three regular season games. Most of the Raider starters will not see much action against the Saints in preseason game 4. One final note that I cannot resist. In preseason game three a Raider challenge was successful due to THE TUCK RULE! You can't make this stuff up. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 11:30 on Mon Aug 22 2005 News: Preseason Game Number 2 Notes. Raiders @ Texans. Fantasy Football Slant: The DC Rob Ryan experiments continue. OLB Sam Williams (torn ACL, right knee) will undergo surgery (again), and converted DL Grant Irons was moved into his spot in both the 4-3 and the 3-4. Carr exploited the resulting mismatch as Irons tried to play man coverage on the slot receiver, and Carr pretty much had his way with the Raider D during the one series he was in. Ryan seems to be working on a scenario in which the DLs and the OLBs mostly know two positions, allowing for defensive lineup shifts at the line of scrimmage to create confusion for the opposing Os. Only time will tell if the Raiders have the talent for this or if it might be better to use players in a situation where they are good at one position instead of just OK at two. Obviously not a fantasy pick, as usual. K Sebastian Janikowski continued his tendency to choke on FG attempts in the preseason and when someone other than Shane Lechler is holding for him. Normally, Jano is fine come regular season. Jano hit a 39 yarder and missed 2 attempts by a whole lot, with the possibility that timing needs to be practiced with anyone not named Shane. I would not worry about Jano's fantasy value changing at all at this time. WR Doug Gabriel, with 4 receptions for 89 yds. and 2 TDs looked terrific on Saturday. Collins and Gabriel were able to develop chemistry last year playing together on the second team. Gabriel may still be a trade possibility if the Raiders were able to get enough in exchange, but at this point that is pure speculation. If Gabe stays a Raider and an injury occurs to Moss, Porter or Curry, he could be fantasy gold. Finally, the real first viewing of the new and improved Raider offense could come as early as next weekend, when starters could play in three quarters. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 09:30 on Wed Aug 17 2005 News: First Preseason Game Fantasy Football Slant: The first quarter of the first Raider preseason game may have shown us that LaMont Jordan will indeed be the next great Norv Turner RB. (Turner coached Emmit Smith, Stephen Davis & Ricky Williams.) The Raiders played ball control, holding possession for 11 and a half of the first 15 minutes. Even with Jordan and Crockett rotating to avoid possible injuries, Jordan showed speed, power and "soft hands," gaining 23 yards on 4 carries and making a very impressive left-handed reception. Turner has stated that he believes Jordan can handle 300 carries this season, meaning he could easily exceed his entire career totals (of 262 carries, 1,277 yds., 10 TD's) in this season alone. Turner also says that, unlike the Jets, the Raiders will be using Jordan in the passing game. Jordan is being drafted at RB2, but may move up the board as the preseason continues and Turner continues to show his belief in LJ's feature back abilities. As usual, the caveat here is that Crockett will very likely be a goal line vulture. Also in the first preseason game, rookie QB Andrew Walter impressed with surprising pocket presence, a great arm, a quick release, good decision making and tackle breaking, and good mobility. Fantasy footballers will be very interested in seeing who will be around now and in years to come as Kerry Collins' back-up to guarantee the values of Moss, Porter, Curry and Jordan in the event of injury to Collins. Walter is currently listed at QB3. Due to a groin strain, Walter has missed 2 days of practice and is unlikely to play in Saturday's game against Houston. Turner said that QB2 Tuiasosopo may play the entire second half against Houston, depending on the number of O series the Raiders play. David Rivers and Bret Engemann are currently competing for QB4 and may have a chance to show their stuff. After signing Gary Cook to back up Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski, the Raiders saw the need to sign rookie kicker Bryce Benekos yesterday after Lechler's hamstring injury in Saturday's game. Coach Turner stated that QB2 Marques Tuiasosopo will hold while Lechler is out. Finally, Randy Moss has been showing all the young Raider receivers how to run routes, how to get open and what to expect from opposing teams. One beneficiary of all this is WR Johnnie Morant, who has been looking good in camp, looked very good against SF last weekend (making some difficult plays), and could challenge WR Doug Gabriel for WR4. Like Morant, Gabriel is both big and fast, but Gabriel has been inconsistent. Has PHI made Al Davis an offer for a Raider WR yet? PLEASE do NOT post to this thread! This thread is only to be appended to by Cheryl Wall. |
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Title: Re: Raiders FF-specific Team Report Post by StegRock on Oct 7th, 2005, 4:51pm Time & Date of this Update (PST): 18:00 on Sun Aug 07 2005 News: Mid-Camp Report Fantasy Football Slant: The WR rich Raiders are checking out their backups as training camp continues. Alvis Whitted was reported as 4th on the depth chart (ahead of Doug Gabriel) on Friday, although many observers did not expect this to be the situation by the time the regular season begins. Gabriel was working with the first string after Jerry Porter pulled his hammy on Monday and was expected to continue to do so. Gabriel is also considered to be the lead kick returner. Then on Saturday morning, Gabriel suffered a dislocated index finger and was predicted to return to practice on Monday, but in the meantime Porter has been back to running full speed. More as the situation develops. Third round draft choice LB Kirk Morrison has been looking good in camp and is expected to be a challenger to start at inside LB during the preseason. The Raiders really need to address problems at LB, so this one is worth watching. FB Zack Crockett continues to look like the man for short-yardage work this season. RB LaMont Jordan and Crockett have been splitting time in red zone drills so far in camp. Jordan is also a good short yardage back, but Raider head coach Norv Turner has been quoted as saying that Crockett "might be the best there is." Fantasy concerns are obvious. The ideal may be to give opposing D's much more to cover in the red zone, and both Jordan and Crockett are capable of getting the job done. CB Nnamdi Asomugha appears to be the man who will replace ex-Raider Phillip Buchannan opposite left CB Charles Woodson in 2005. Asomugha spent most of his college career at Cal playing safety and says he has been uncomfortable at corner. For two years he has been learning from Woodson, and during the off season Aso has been spending time with ex-Raider Rod Woodson to learn ways to get better at CB. Oakland drafted two CB's in this year's draft, Fabian Washington and Stanford Routt, who are currently competing for the number 4 position in the dime package, with CB Renaldo Hill seeming slated at nickel back. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 17:17 on Thu Aug 04 2005 News: Raiders Player Rankings Fantasy Football Slant: This analysis is based on your average 10- to 12-team league and standard scoring, with touchdowns and yardage being evenly weighted. The "Projected Fantasy Role" is where you should plan on lining that player up on your fantasy team from week to week.
Time & Date of this Update (PST): 16:00 on Wed Jul 27 2005 News: Training Camp Eve Fantasy Football Slant: Just 2 days before the official beginning of training camp on Thursday, the Raiders signed their top draft pick, speedy CB Fabian Washington, allowing him to attend all of training camp and improve his chances to make it as a starter this year. In further pursuit of a better defense and more depth, the Raiders also signed free agents S Calvin Branch, DT Lorn Mayers & DT Michael Quarshie. "Inside the Bay Area" has reported that rookie LB Kirk Morrison and vet LB Jay Foreman (Houston) will come into camp competing for the start at right inside LB. The Raiders are very high on Morrison, and he could step in as a starter when the Raiders line up in a 3 - 4 D and could contribute on special teams. However, unless Forman is not fully recovered from last year's injuries (ankle, shoulder), in this camp battle I would expect Foreman to win the start and allow Morrison to develop. The Raiders have a track record of starting their veterans unless injured. Although Foreman can play both inside and out and the Raiders need someone at both, currently LB Sam Williams comes into camp starting at right outside LB. The projected starting OL (very big fantasy factor for owners of Raider skill players): C Jake Grove - Center is where Grove belongs LG Langston Walker - has played mostly T, can play C or G on either side RG Brad Badger - filled in at LG last year, can play anywhere but C LT Barry Simms - moved to LT to replace Gallery RT Robert Gallery - should be at LT Other Raiders going into training camp as starters include: FS Stuart Schweigert - his strength is at ball hawking, not at tackling SS Derrick Gibson - his strength is at tackling, not at coverage DE Derrick Burgess (at right DE) DE Bobby Hamilton (at left DE) FB Zack Crockett - may have less goal line work due to the acquisition of RB LaMont Jordan TO WATCH DURING TRAINING CAMP, IN BOTH THE OFFENSE & DEFENSE - Once more, the Raiders need to use players in their natural positions or find a way to make their "position remodeling" work. (See prior post.) TO WATCH DURING TRAINING CAMP, IN THE DEFENSE - 1) The Raiders are indicating that everyone should be back in his natural position this year, and that they will predominantly line up in the 4 - 3 (instead of the 3 - 4 experiment fiasco of 2004). 2) Watch the development of SS Derrick Gibson and FS Stuart Schweigert playing alongside each other for the first time. 3) Watch the developments at LB. The Raiders definitely need to work here. And 4) Keep your eyes out for any sign of a pass rush. MORE NEWS AND OTHER POSITION BATTLES AS CAMP DEVELOPS! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 07:30 on Sat Jun 18 2005 News: WR3 and 2 TE Sets Fantasy Football Slant: Rumors of a WR3 battle seem to be put to rest for the time being. Ron Curry seems to have the lock on WR3, with Doug Gabriel set for now at WR4. Both are still worth watching for FF depth, since both could be just an injury away from interesting fantasy points on a potentially high scoring offense. The Raiders may be showing some 2 TE sets in 2005 with TE's Teyo Johnson and Courtney Anderson. Teyo may be in more on passing downs and Anderson on running downs as a blocker. Many see Anderson as the main guy, though. Teyo has put on the beef to help with his blocking, but that may hurt his athleticism when he could be used more as a receiver. Bottom line - at this point they don't look like the TE's you will want to be drafting. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 10:30 on Thur June 9 2005 News: Early FF Average Draft Positions of Oakland's "Big Four" Fantasy Football Slant: Collins, Moss, Porter, Jordan. These are the Raiders skill players you're most likely to be considering in your 2005 FF drafts. Here are some early mock draft average draft positions for them and an idea of who at that position is being taken off the board ahead of them. (Of course, I haven't seen every mock draft around. These are the results of the mock drafts, not rankings, that I've seen.) KERRY COLLINS: Being taken anywhere between the early 5th and mid 7th rounds. Most mocks have him going somewhere in the 6th round. Peyton Manning, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Trent Green, Marc Bulger, Matt Hasselbeck and Bret Favre are usually going ahead of him at QB. In the Gridiron's First "Huddle" Mock Draft of '05, Kerry was taken at #53. Peyton Manning, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Jake Plummer, Marc Bulger, Michael Vick and Trent Green were taken ahead of him at QB. RANDY MOSS: Being taken in the early 1st through early 2nd rounds. Most mocks have him going in the 1st round. He's usually the first WR off the board. In the Gridiron's First "Huddle" Mock Draft of '05, Randy was taken at #22. Marvin Harrison was taken ahead of him at WR. JERRY PORTER: Being taken somewhere between the late 4th and late 7th rounds. Most mocks have him going somewhere in the 5th round. Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Javon Walker, Andre Johnson, Joe Horn, Reggie Wayne, Darrell Jackson, Hines Ward, Roy Williams, Steve Smith, Nate Burleson, Michael Clayton, Drew Bennett and Laveraneus Coles are usually going ahead of him at WR. In the Gridiron's First "Huddle" Mock Draft of '05, Jerry was taken at # 61. Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Joe Horn, Andre Johnson, Javon Walker, Michael Clayton, Roy Williams, Hines Ward, Steve Smith, Laveraneus Coles, Reggie Wayne, Darrell Jackson, Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett were taken ahead of him at WR. LAMONT JORDAN: Being taken somewhere between the late 2nd and late 4th rounds. Most mocks have him going somewhere in the 3rd round. LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Priest Holmes, Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee, Deuce McAllister, Domanick Davis, Clinton Portis, Jamal Lewis, Ahman Green, Corey Dillon, Julius Jones, Kevin Jones, Rudi Johnson, Tiki Barber, Steven Jackson, Curtis Martin, Tatum Bell and Brian Westbrook are usually going ahead of him at RB. In the Gridiron's First "Huddle" Mock Draft of '05, LaMont was taken at #28. LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee, Ahman Green, Jamal Lewis, Priest Holmes, Deuce McAllister, Julius Jones, Corey Dillon, Clinton Portis, Steven Jackson, Kevin Jones, Rudi Johnson, Domanick Davis, Tiki Barber, Curtis Martin and Michael Bennett were taken ahead of him at RB. Those are early mock positions in early June. Of course, everything will change - a lot. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 09:00 on Tue May 31 2005 News: Post-Draft and Early Look at 2005 Fantasy Football Slant: At last. We're finally winding down to the end of the deadest of times on the fantasy football calendar, and we all have the highest of hopes for the moves our teams have made so far this off-season. Especially so in Raider Nation. Kerry Collins has the tools this season to potentially make him a fantasy football stud. Randy Moss is, of course, a superstar. In spite of concerns over comments like "I play when I want to," Moss has had only one season under 1,000 yards (last season while hampered by a hamstring injury that kept him sitting through 3 games), has a career average gain per reception of 15.9 yards, and in 109 games has only fumbled the ball 10 times (recovering two himself). About 86% of his receptions have resulted in either a first down or a score. Talk is cheap; Randy plays. Many are expecting Randy Moss and Jerry Porter to be the best WR tandem in the league in 2005. Both Moss and Porter can stretch the field, and Collins is here because of his deep pass capabilities. Ron Curry is back from an Achilles injury, and Doug Gabriel is a solid back-up who should be a steady producer. Both Moss and Porter can be expected to put up some terrific fantasy numbers this season, but remember the issue of lots of hands. Who will get how much? Think Colts. And add in the hands of TE Courtney Anderson (who is the expected starter) and TE Teyo Johnson (more physical and athletic than Anderson and will become the starter if he can do something with his terrific potential). LaMont Jordan is a potential superstar who is expected to get the rock the majority of the time and has averaged 4.9 yards per carry. Raider OC, Jimmy Raye, had a working relationship with Jordan on the Jets and knows what he's capable of doing with his size and speed. Justin Fargas is healthy, and Zack Crockett would like to Diesel-vulture short yardage TD's; so there is a potential for an RBBC. But Fargas has never managed to carry the load when given the chance, and Crockett only managed to score twice last year (even though he averaged 4.8 yards per carry). Fantasy-wise, Fargas can only be considered a back-up at this point, and Crockett's scoring will come when it comes - unpredictably. As for Jordan, we will have to wait and see if he can carry the bigger percentage of the load he'll be seeing as a Raider. The Raider O-line should also be greatly improved in 2005. Last year Robert Gallery and Jake Grove had a steep rookie learning curve. Gallery is a natural LT but moved to RT last year to fill in for Langston Walker. Grove filled in at guard last season but will finally be at center in 2005. Barry Sims, who played LT in place of Gallery, has a reputation for false starts but started getting them under control last season. Brad Badger, who filled in at left guard last year, is versatile enough to play anywhere but center. Rookie OT Pete McMahon will add depth. I could go on, but you get the picture. With everybody finally playing where they belong, Collins should have plenty of time and a cleaner uniform. PK Sebastian Janikowski did an average job for three years, then started living up to expectations at last (and stopped getting into legal trouble). In the last two seasons he had completion percentages of 88.0 and 89.3. His cannon kick-offs, accuracy and range should make him a good fantasy value on this offense-heavy team. To quickly sum up the 2005 Oakland defense, expect middle-of-the-league rankings. Rookie LB Kirk Morrison should begin making an impact this year (some say he's slow and not big enough, but he always seems to end up at the bottom of the pile). LB Jay Foreman is a good run defender and had great fantasy value with Jamie Sharper in a 3-4 defense with the Texans. He could play ILB when the Raiders use the 3-4. The Raider secondary is full of question marks. I think the best thing to do is to wait and see how the Charles Woodson soap opera sorts itself out before even trying to predict how that one will go. The DL is expected to go back to the 4-3 most of the time this year. Tyler Brayton and Warren Sapp were just plain out of their element in the 3-4 last year. They should be much more effective in the 4-3. DE Derrick Burgess was brought in to address pass rush problems, may he stay healthy. The main hope of Raider Nation is that the defense can hold the leads of their high-scoring offense and just win, baby. Many things could happen after June 1st. We'll talk more later! PLEASE do NOT post to this thread! This thread is only to be appended to by Cheryl Wall. |
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