2006 RECORD: 2-14  -  2007 RECORD: 4-12  -  2008 RECORD: 5-11

Fantasy Stats Scoring System

Total Team Fantasy Points (TTFP): 1213.7 FP – 30 of 32

KEY ADDITION: QB Jeff Garcia

KEY LOSS: WR Ronald Curry

KEY DRAFT PICK: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey – Maryland

COACHES: Tom Cable took over as the Raiders Head Coach in Week 5 last season and signed on officially in February 2009. He has also taken over the offensive coordinator role. Not bad for a guy most people thought would just mop up and go away after the 2008 season. John Marshall comes over from the Seahawks and is the Raiders new defensive coordinator.

STATS SLANT: The Raiders continue to be the Raiders but they did show some flashes of offense to close out the 2009 season. In their last three games the Raiders put up 84 points and won the last two. Their biggest win in years came in Tampa during Week 17 when they beat Tampa Bay 31-24 and snuffed out the Bucs playoff hopes. There are some weapons on this team and Cable is an offensive minded coach so we will keep an eye on Raider Nation during the pre-season.

QUARTERBACK (QB): JaMarcus Russell is back for his second full season (3rd OA) as the Raiders projected QB1. While he’s had just one full season we wonder if he will ever develop into a serviceable NFL or Fantasy QB. He has the size and arm needed for success but the talent around him last season was dreadful. His arm may be too powerful as his accuracy is not good and he looked terrible in the Raiders recent OTA. The Raiders are trying to install a more vertical offense this season. That is normally good news in FF but this is Russell and these are the Raiders. The Raiders are still insisting that they brought QB Jeff Garcia (TB) in to mentor and backup Russell but that could change as camp moves along.

STATS SLANT: Russell may very well start the season but, if (when) the Raiders struggle early on, Garcia will get a shot as the starter. The Raiders have a few new weapons but they won’t be enough to make any Raider QB much better than a high QB3. If you take a chance on Russell, you must get Garcia as the handcuff.

RUNNING BACK (RB): The Raiders come into the 2009 season with a very crowded backfield. Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush are all vying for playing time and touches. Fargas is the incumbent RB1 and the Raiders have always been loyal to him but that is going to change in 2009. McFadden was the fourth OA selection in the 2008 NFL Draft and we think that he will pass Fargas during camp and will be the starter when the Raiders host the Chargers on Opening Day. Bush suffered a badly broken leg in his senior season at Louisville but has shown blazing speed during the Raiders OTAs and appears 100% healthy. He should pass Fargas as well but it will most likely be an in-season move. He certainly left a lasting impression when he ran for 177 yards and a TD against the Buccaneers in Week 17 last season. The Raiders brought in FB Lorenzo Neal (BAL) but at the age of 38 and after ten seasons how much gas can be left in the tank? He will help the Raiders RB to some degree but he’s not going to turn any of them into LT3 by himself. It should also be noted that HC Cable is widely recognized as being a RB friendly coach. He should be able to get all the pieces of this puzzle to fall into place in 2009.

STATS SLANT: The RB situation in Oakland will start as a three way RBBC system this season but should whittle down to a combo system between McFadden and Bush by mid-season. Don’t forget that Fargas has had just one full injury free season over six years (2006). McFadden dealt with a turf toe injury for most of 2008 and TT is always a cause for concern. McFadden will be wearing steel-toed cleats this season to help him prevent getting the dreaded injury again. You should be able get value with McFadden as a low end RB2 but make sure to handcuff him with Bush as a low end RB5. Fargas will stick around but his value is dropping daily and he is nothing more than a mid RB6 at this point.

WIDE RECEIVER (WR): The Raiders were one of just two teams (SEA) that didn’t have a 100+ FP WR in 2008. There’s lot of blame to go around for the lack of results but that’s still an amazing stat. They did some housekeeping at the WR position during the off-season. Ronald Curry is now with the Lions and Ashley Lelie is UFA looking for work. Hopefully he doesn’t find it and stops embarrassing himself by thinking that he’s an NFL caliber WR. The Raiders made the first Huh? What? They took WHO move of the 2009 NFL Draft when they selected WR Darrius Heyward-Bey in Round 1 with the 7th overall pick. DHB was lightly regarded because of less than eye-popping college numbers. His stock rose after he posted a 4.30 40 at the combine. Al Davis was said to have been infatuated with WR Michael Crabtree but may have been talked into taking DHB as the “safer” pick. He definitely needs some polish (and a QB to get him the ball) but he has the physical tools to succeed at the NFL level. Johnnie Lee Higgins was one of the Raiders who showed some flash late in 2008. JLH had three TD and 174 YDS over the last three games. Not to be outdone, Chaz Schilens pitched in a TD in each of the Raiders last two games and had 98 YDA (52, 46). Two year wonder Javon Walker and rookie Louis Murphy are both in the mix here as well. We have all but given up on Walker and the Raiders may soon as well. Keep an eye on Murphy though. He is currently rehabbing a winter knee scope but when 100% he has that rocket sideline speed that Al Davis loves. He also played in the very large shadow of Percy Harvin while playing as the split end in Florida.

STATS SLANT: This is a murky situation but it’s not without value. If the Raiders somehow stick to their convictions and start JR at QB this talented group will suffer. For now, consider DHB as a high end WR5, JLH as a mid range WR6 and Schilens as a high end WR7. If Garcia is the starter then everyone gets bumped up some. We will be monitoring this situation and we’ll keep you posted.

TIGHT END (TE): The lone shining star in Oakland over the past two years has been Zach Miller. This guy is a football player through and through. He has had modest success despite the supporting cast around him. Miller went from 106 FP as a rookie in 2007 to 140 FP in 2008. He had the dreaded sports hernia surgery in the off-season but has returned to practice. He is not out of the woods yet though as a sports hernia injury can linger, or even flair up again after surgery.

STATS SLANT: We will monitor Miller’s recovery/progress from the surgery but we obviously like this kid. We currently have him listed as a low end TE1 and he should be drafted as such.

PLACE KICKER (PK): Sebastian Janikowski either loves California or he is a glutton for punishment. How else can one explain why he has toughed it out with the Raiders for nine long seasons? SeBass is back for more though and is uncontested as the Raiders PK. He was 24 of 30 on his FGA and 25 of 26 on his XPA in 2008. That being said, he has averaged just 109.8 FP per season since his career high of 146 in 2002. One of the weirdest moments of the 2008 season occurred when the Raiders attempted a 76-YD FGA just before halftime against SD in Week Four. The attempt ended up about 16 yards short. Even more bizarre was the Raiders asking Sebass to try a 58-YD FGA when they were down by 11 with 13 ticks left on the clock in Week Ten against the Panthers. SeBass wasn’t expecting to kick in that situation and didn’t have a chance to warm up prior to the attempt. He ended up with a mild quad-strain from that attempt but it could have been much worse. That’s the wild and wacky Raiders in a nutshell.

STATS SLANT: The Raiders should be able to move the chains a bit more in 2009 so SeBass will get his shots. It won’t be enough to move him up much though so consider him as a mid range PK2 at best.

DEFENSE-SPECIAL TEAMS (D/ST): Despite the anemic offense in Oakland, their defense was able to hold them in some games last season. This unit finished a respectable 14th OA amongst the 2008 D/ST. The Raiders have one of the best CB in the league in Nnamdi Asomugha and some talent with JLH on special teams.

STATS SLANT: If the offense can move the sticks a little better in 2009 this unit should come in with respectable numbers again this season. We wouldn’t make them a priority D/ST but they do play KC and CIN, back-to-back, in Weeks 10 & 11. Consider them as a high end D/ST2.

RED FLAG: QB JaMarcus Russell.

Keep a pre-season eye on: Who wins the starting QB job as well as who wins the RB1 role and how everything shakes out at the WR positions.

Stats Sleeper: RB Darren McFadden

Strength Of Schedule: 20 of 32

Summary: It always seems like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the Raiders but it inevitably turns out to be an oncoming train and the wreck that follows is never a pretty site. Much like the Chicago Bears the Raiders have a chance to turn around their Fantasy fortunes in 2009. We will be watching their progress in camp and we will keep you posted.

StatsGuru

Photo Credit : http://www.raidernationstation.com/2008_regular_season