Las Vegas Raiders, it has a nice ring to it. Football is in Vegas, baby! How many suspensions is that gonna result in? Haha, Sin City has gotta be hard to live in. In case you missed it, last time we covered the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, let’s throw the dice, let it ride, double down, split, and bet on black. I feel cool saying every one of those things.

QB:

Derek Carr: Passing: 339/487-3,776, 24 TD: 8 INT
Rushing: 22-79, 1 TD: 7 FMBL
Standard: 243.92 (26)
0.5 PPR: 243.92 (26)
1 PPR: 243.92 (26)

Marcus Mariota: Passing: 32/52-390, 2 TD
Rushing: 25-148, 2 TD: 1 FMBL
Receiving: 5 targets, 3 catches, 29 Yds
Standard: 52.3 (36)
0.5 PPR: 53.8 (36)
1 PPR: 55.3 (36)

Well, Carr completed over 70 percent of his passes in 2019. He also threw for over 4,000 yards for the second consecutive season. But he only threw 21 touchdowns. The Raiders signed Mariota this offseason. And I suspect they use him some, in some weird spider Y banana package. This should cap Carr’s ceiling. I am also concerned that Gruden wants to move on. However, Carr has done enough for me to think he keeps his job in 2020. And he could obliterate these projections, as there are some weapons in this offense. But don’t bet your house, or against the house, and Carr is not the house in Gruden’s Vegas.

Mariota is probably gonna get a few snaps, maybe as a decoy, but he is going to be on the field some. He is only valuable if Carr goes down, and even then, mostly because of his legs giving a solid floor. But there is an outside shot he wins this job. Feel free to reach with your last pick, because technically it could pay off.

RB:

Josh Jacobs: Rushing: 266-1,258, 9 TD: 1 FMBL
Receiving: 33 targets, 24 catches, 198 Yds, 2 TD
Standard: 210.6 (11)
0.5 PPR: 222.6 (15)
1 PPR: 234.6 (17)

Jalen Richard: Rushing: 31-118, 1 FMBL
Receiving: 46 targets, 37 catches, 303 Yds, 1 TD
Standard: 47.1 (66)
0.5 PPR: 65.6 (61)
1 PPR: 84.1 (57)

Lynn Bowden: Rushing: 33-163-2 TD
Receiving: 31 targets, 24 catches, 221 Yds, 1 TD
Standard: 56.4 (60)
0.5 PPR: 68.4 (60)
1 PPR: 80.4 (59)

Devontae Booker: Rushing: 5-19
Receiving: 10 targets, 7 catches, 46 Yds
Standard: 6.5 (102)
0.5 PPR: 10 (99)
1 PPR: 13.5 (98)

Ok, before you attack me for being low on Jacobs, realize I know he is an absolute beast. But the Raiders added Ruggs early, had a breakout from Waller, added Bowden, and even the addition of Mariota could hurt Jacobs. I am not saying he is not a beast, I am saying I have concerns about his touches, especially considering if Carr throws 21 TDs this year, he might be gone. I fear they will want to use Richard and Bowden as their receiving backs, saving Jacobs to grind on the ground. The lack of pass-catching volume hurts him especially in PPR formats. It’s not that he can’t catch, it’s that the Raiders won’t use him that way.

Richard and Bowden could both emerge as viable options behind Jacobs. However, I suspect they cripple each others fantasy value. I am seriously intrigued in Bowden, as there has been news saying Bowden could line up behind center some as soon as 2020. But Richard has the track record as the pass catcher. Good luck knowing which emerges as the real RB2. That being said, I am way more intrigued about Bowden than Richard. Bowden has the ceiling, Richard the floor.

Booker can pass block. You get no points for that, so don’t draft him.

WR:

Henry Ruggs: Rushing: 2-29
Receiving: 82 targets, 51 catches, 803 Yds, 5 TD
Standard: 113.2 (41)
0.5 PPR: 138.7 (44)
1 PPR: 164.2 (44)

Tyrell Williams: Receiving: 77 targets, 47 catches, 697 Yds, 5 TD
Standard: 99.7 (49)
0.5 PPR: 123.2 (51)
1 PPR: 146.7 (52)

Hunter Renfrow: Receiving: 62 targets, 43 catches, 487 Yds, 3 TD: 1 FMBL
Standard: 65.7 (74)
0.5 PPR: 87.2 (71)
1 PPR: 108.7 (70)

Bryan Edwards: Receiving: 18 targets, 12 catches, 133 Yds, 1 TD
Standard: 19.3 (127)
0.5 PPR: 25.3 (125)
1 PPR: 31.3 (124)

Nelson Agholor: Rushing: 13 targets, 7 catches, 59 Yds
Receiving:
Standard: 5.9 (153)
0.5 PPR: 9.4 (151)
1 PPR: 12.9 (150)

Henry Ruggs is hard for me to gauge. Is he Heyward-Bey? Ross? Or Tyreek? I can’t tell. He looks more like Tyreek, but so did Ross for spurts, and he sure had a bunch of talent around him in college. I think he is gonna cause issues for defenses with his speed, but I can’t tell if he will wind up as an elite WR in this league. But he is worth a look in all formats, just because speed does kill.

I feel a whole lot safer and happier landing Williams way later in drafts, and enjoying his safe floor. He scored 6 TDs last year, and averaged 15.5 YPC(Career 16.1 YPC)> The sixth year WR produced pretty consistently according to his target share, and I see no reason why the 6’4 weapons sees much less than last years 64 targets through 14 games. He is a weapon, he scores TDs, he gets high YPC numbers, what’s not to like? Going into year two with Carr, he should have more rapport, and Ruggs should only help him keep defenses honest.

Add in Renfrow’s slot potential, and this could be somewhat of a three-headed monster. I am ok targeting all three of these guys, but Williams at his price makes me happiest. If any of them goes down, Edwards has real potential but doubt he gets enough touches this year to be relevant. Also, Agholor is just not exciting to me. at all. Tyrell is the guy I want here at his price. You should too. There is someone else I want, though…

TE:

Darren Waller: Receiving: 108 targets, 78 catches, 901 Yds, 5 TD: 1 FMBL
Standard: 119.1 (4)
0.5 PPR: 158.1 (3)
1 PPR: 197.1 (3)

Jason Witten: Receiving: 36 targets, 25 catches, 186 Yds, 2 TD
Standard: 30.6 (48)
0.5 PPR: 43.1 (46)
1 PPR: 55.6 (45)

Foster Moreau: Receiving: 18 targets, 13 catches, 103 Yds, 1 TD
Standard: 16.3 (62)
0.5 PPR: 22.8 (62)
1 PPR: 29.3 (62)

Darren Waller broke out in a huge way in 2019. However, he barely saw the end zone. That will not be the casein 2020. Waller has reached elite TE status. He deserves to be drafted early, and I do have some exposure to him going into the year. He had 1,145 yds and 3 TDs in 2019. Defenses know about him know and Ruggs has arrived, but he is going to be elite for a while.

Witten is kinda meh. He is ok to stream as a spot-start, and if Waller goes down, Witten’s value goes way up. But Moreau is the more talented guy at this point in their careers. Waller will eat most of the targets, so the other two can be ignored outside very deep roster formats. But I like some Moreau exposure in dynasty in case Waller gets real expensive sooner rather than later.

I project the Raiders to score 1,274.14 points in 0.5 PPR, which is good for 16th.

Al Davis would have loved the Ruggs pick. Oakland would have too. Vegas fans… are there any? We will find out, maybe in 2021. What do you think, Casino owners? Follow me on Twitter @realryanhicks. Follow Belly Up Fantasy on Twitter for all your sports needs. Next up, we have the Dallas Cowboys.