The Raiders had two top fantasy players that finished inside the top three of their position in both standard and PPR scoring. Davante Adams finished second in standard scoring and third in PPR scoring. Josh Jacobs finished number one in standard scoring and third in PPR scoring.
Darren Waller was the only disappointment last season as he only played in nine games. As for Derek Carr, he finished as the QB17 averaging 15.5 fantasy points per game. The Raiders played from behind in a lot of games or blew their leads, so that meant more time for the offense to put up points. That is why Jacobs and Adams had such dominating seasons.
Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Football Preview
Key Subtractions and Additions
Speaking of the underperformances of Carr and Waller, they are both gone. Carr is now in New Orleans and Waller is with the Giants.
Waller is a top-end talent when healthy, so it was surprising the Raiders traded him. However, they did add Austin Hooper and O.J. Howard in free agency and drafted Michael Mayer in the second round.
As far as replacing Carr, they signed Jimmy Garoppolo and drafted Aidan O’Connell from Purdue.
Some other key additions the Raiders made were signing Jakobi Meyers and Phillip Dorsett.
In the draft the Raiders went heavy on defense, drafting six players out of their nine picks. Three of them came in the first four rounds. What they didn’t do is upgrade their offensive line. They pretty much have the same line as last year, which was non an elite line.
Positional Previews
Quarterback
Garoppolo should be the starting quarterback, however, he is still coming off the foot injury that sidelined him most of last year. His only competition is Brian Hoyer and the rookie O’Connell. O’Connell is the only one that could possibly give Garoppolo a run for his money, but it does seem like he will still have the starting position locked down.
Running Back
Jacobs will be the workhorse this season. Will he have a top fantasy finish like last year? Probably not, but he will still finish in the top 10, close to the top five. Zamir White, Ameer
Abdullah and Brandon Bolden will all steal some carries and receptions, but nothing too significant. Jacobs should be looked at as a top fantasy running back going into 2023.
Wide Receiver
The wide receiver position gets interesting outside of Adams. Hunter Renfrow was out most of last year, but the year before he was a crucial part of the Raiders offense. He should stay in the slot, but will still have to earn his spot with McDaniels.
The wide receiver two-slot gets interesting. Keelan Cole and Meyers will be battling for that spot. But, in reality, Meyers should run away with that position battle. Meyers had a breakout season last year putting up 804 yards and six touchdowns. Cole has yet to put up over six touchdowns in a season, his career high is five.
Meyers will be a PPR machine this year.
Tight End
This position will be the biggest battle. Hooper is a veteran and still has a lot of talent. But, Mayer was the number one ranked tight end in the draft. The Raiders also used a second-round pick on him, so it is hard to say he won’t get playing time.
It is too early to tell, but Hooper will be number one on the depth chart. However, the two should be splitting snaps as the season gets underway.
As for Howard, he will be a red-zone target. He shouldn’t get much playing time and is just depth to the Raiders’ offense.
The upside for these two is that Garoppolo will be their quarterback. While in San Francisco, George Kittle had a 1,053-yard season and a 910-yard season with Garoppolo under center. This is a huge upside for Hooper and Mayer.
D/ST
The Raiders added a lot of young rookies in the draft. They drafted Tyree Wilson, defensive end, with the seventh pick, Byron Young, defensive tackle, with the 90th pick, and Jakorian Bennett, cornerback, with the 104th pick.
The Raiders defensive line gained a lot of talent this year with the draft and they still have Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby.
However their secondary did not improve at all. Their best defensive back in Rock Ya-Sin signed with the Ravens. Leaving the Raiders to start Nate Hobbs and Duke Shelley.
Last year the Raiders finished second to last in defensive fantasy points. They will not be a threat this year, as they may get some sacks but will give up a ton of yards and points as well.