NFL FANTASY FOOTBALL
 Oakland Raiders - Priority News
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| Bruce Gradkowski - QB |
Posted 11/20/09 9:41am et |
| Oakland Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski practiced in full Thursday, Nov. 19, and he will start Week 11. Head coach Tom Cable said the move is for the remainder of the season. |
The Huddle's Take: Gradkowski has been battling a hamstring injury, but that won't prevent him from replacing JaMarcus Russell as the Raiders' starting quarterback. Not that fantasy owners are paying any attention to the Oakland passing game anymore.
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| Chaz Schilens - WR |
Posted 11/19/09 10:45am et |
| Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders WR Chaz Schilens will start in place of WR Louis Murphy Week 11. |
The Huddle's Take: Dare we make the comparison to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?
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| Bruce Gradkowski - QB |
Posted 11/18/09 6:06pm et |
| The San Francisco Chronicle reports the Oakland Raiders have named QB Bruce Gradkowski the starter heading into Week 11. |
The Huddle's Take: All NFL fans that have seen the Raiders play this season will now let out a collective "what took so long". After we all watch the Raider offense continue to struggle with the not much better Gradkowski under center will have their answer soon.
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| Darrius Heyward-Bey - WR |
Posted 11/16/09 11:09am et |
| Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable said WR Darrius Heyward-Bey could lose playing time if his production does not increase. "I think so. I absolutely think so," Cable said following Week 10. Heyward-Bey had one catch for 22 yards in the game, in addition to two red zone drops. |
The Huddle's Take: It's taken this long for Cable to figure out that Heyward-Bey isn't that good? His one catch was inexplicably held up on review despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and his bobble on the next play cost the Raiders a shot at a come-from-behind win. And it's not that everyone in football this side of Al Davis didn't see DHB struggling like this—except, apparently, Cable.
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| JaMarcus Russell - QB |
Posted 11/16/09 5:04pm et |
| The National Football Post reports Oakland Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell said he is not sure why he was benched in Week 10. 'I really can't explain it. I really don't know what to say about it, but that was his decision, and just move on from it,' Russell said. Russell has completed only 47.1 percent of his passes this season and has thrown two touchdowns and nine interceptions. |
The Huddle's Take: If Russell can't understand why he was benched, then maybe we should question more than just his football IQ.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 11/14/09 12:00pm et |
| CBSSports.com reports Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable has refused to reveal his starting running back for Week 10, even though RB Darren McFadden (knee) will play in the game. Cable said he wants to keep their opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, guessing for as long as possible. |
The Huddle's Take: Well since Cable already stated publicly earlier in the week that he'd be rotating the Oakland backs Sunday, I'm sure the Chiefs are reeeeally worried about who starts the game at running back.
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| Javon Walker - WR |
Posted 11/13/09 11:16am et |
| Steve Corkran, of the Oakland Tribune, reports Raiders WR Javon Walker has asked the Raiders for his release. |
The Huddle's Take: Oh yeah, almost forgot Walker was still in the league. The Raiders barely use the young receivers they have, so it's not surprising a veteran with little if any left of his NFL career would prefer a different venue. If he offers to give back whatever money Al Davis has given him so far, there's little question the Raiders would have no problem giving Javon his walking papers.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 11/13/09 11:52pm et |
| Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) practiced Friday, Nov. 13. He is listed as probable for Week 10 and will play. |
The Huddle's Take: McFadden is another player that had some high hopes starting the year but injuries and a weak Raiders offense has derailed his fantasy value. McFadden will likely share carries in Oakland for the remainder of the season but should not be considered as more than a No. 3 running back for fantasy teams this season.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 11/7/09 6:24pm et |
| ANG Newspapers reports Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) is expected to return for the team's Week 10 game. |
The Huddle's Take: Even if he does play in week 10, Fargas will get the bulk of the caries and will relegate McFadden to an almost useless fantasy role.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 11/3/09 10:00pm et |
| ANG Newspapers reports Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) may be able to play in Week 10. He is expected to limited during practice this week. |
The Huddle's Take: Justin Fargas has taken the reigns in the Raiders running game, which doesn't say all that much these days, but McFadden returning will push him. It really is still too early to call McFadden a bust, but he really needs to start making an impact. Look for him to get the chance, but with the offense struggling as it is, don't look for a huge impact.
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| Tom Cable - HC |
Posted 11/2/09 6:49pm et |
| The Associated Press reports Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable expects to remain the head coach for the team, despite allegations that he assaulted his former wife and girlfriend. |
The Huddle's Take: The Raider offense actually had a semblance of a pulse in Week 8 against the Chargers on the road. Maybe they're playing a little harder for their embattled coach. More than likely, however, the game was an anomaly and Oakland will get back to being a complete non-factor Fantasy-wise after their Week 9 bye.
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| JaMarcus Russell - QB |
Posted 11/1/09 10:07pm et |
| The Associated Press reports Oakland Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell was 14-for-22 for 109 yards with an interception Week 8 against the San Diego Chargers. He was sacked five times in the game. |
The Huddle's Take: Despite the poor performance by JaMarcus Russell the Oakland offensive line has to shoulder an equal amount of the blame for his dismal outings. Russell continues to get pounded week in and week out as was evident by the five sacks against San Diego this week. He should not be considered as a starter for any fantasy team at this point.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 10/29/09 11:33pm et |
| Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) is out for the team's Week 8 game. |
The Huddle's Take: McFadden is once again out for Week 8 which will force the Raiders to utilize Justin Fargas and Michael Bush as the primary ball carriers. The Oakland offense has been terrible this season so fantasy owners should not expect much at all out of the running game despite who may get the start.
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| JaMarcus Russell - QB |
Posted 10/26/09 12:27pm et |
| NFL.com reports Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable said he will stick with QB JaMarcus Russell as the team's starting quarterback. Russell was pulled from the game in Week 7 midway through the second quarter after completing 6 of 11 passes for 61 yards with two interceptions and a fumble. |
The Huddle's Take: It's not as if the Raiders' offense improved dramatically with Bruce Gradkowski at the helm. And Oakland has plenty invested in Russell, so despite all the evidence he's already provided he probably hasn't exhausted his opportunities to be the Raiders' quarterback of the future—however bleak that future may look.
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| Justin Fargas - RB |
Posted 10/26/09 5:19pm et |
| The Contra Costa Times reports Oakland Raiders RB Michael Bush is running out of time to impress the team and head coach Tom Cable. Cable prefers RB Justin Fargas over Bush. |
The Huddle's Take: Lost in the embarrassment that was Jets 38, Oakland 0 was the fact that Fargas averaged better than 8 yards a carry on Sunday. You'd obviously have to be in pretty dire straits to even consider starting any Raider, but if you have bye week RB issues Fargas could be worth a look against a San Diego defense that has looked very weak at times against the run. Again, though, Fargas would have to be one of your very last options.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 10/26/09 8:33pm et |
| CBSSports.com reports Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable said RB Darren McFadden (knee) is "improving," but his status for Week 8 is unclear. |
The Huddle's Take: With Michael Bush slipping in performance and the trust of the coaching staff, the team needs McFadden to get back and help offset Justin Fargas. This running game works best (if it can be said that it works at all) when at least two of the backs are healthy, holding onto the ball and mixing it up.
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| Chaz Schilens - WR |
Posted 10/23/09 11:57am et |
| Oakland Raiders WR Chaz Schilens practiced without limitations Thursday, Oct. 22, and he should play Week 7. |
The Huddle's Take: Finally, some good news for the Oakland passing game! No word yet on how much Schilens will be involved, but given that Raider wideouts have produced three catches and six yards over the past two games you can go ahead and leave him on your fantasy bench until there's a better idea of what Chaz's role will be.
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| Chaz Schilens - WR |
Posted 10/22/09 10:24am et |
| Steve Corkran, of the Oakland Tribune, reports Oakland Raiders WR Chaz Schilens looked good in practice Wednesday, Oct. 21, according to head coach Tom Cable. However, it is still unclear if Schilens will start in Week 7. |
The Huddle's Take: Schilens has been sidelined since the preseason with a broken foot. While his return won't be the cure-all to Oakland's struggling passing game, it certainly presents them with another option.
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| Gary Russell - RB |
Posted 10/21/09 11:01am et |
| Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders RB Gary Russell will likely be the team's new starting fullback after a strong performance in Week 6. Russell caught five passes for 55 yards but also provided strong blocking. |
The Huddle's Take: Super-duper, another back in the mix in Oakland. Not that Michael Bush or Darren McFadden or Justin Fargas had much in the way of fantasy value anyway, but Russell's presence lops off another percentage or two from their share of the workload--and, subsequently, their fantasy value.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 10/21/09 11:11pm et |
| Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) will not play in Week 7. |
The Huddle's Take: Despite the fact that McFadden is out of action once again in Week 7, fantasy owners should expect Justin Fargas and Michael Bush to get the bulk of the carries for the Raiders. The only problem is the Oakland running game has been essentially non-existent due mainly to an ineffective passing game in recent weeks.
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| Nnamdi Asomugha - CB |
Posted 10/20/09 11:33am et |
| ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha (eye) should be fine to practice Wednesday, Oct. 21, but he will wear a protective shield in his helmet in Week 7. |
The Huddle's Take: If Ashomugha plays against the Jets, he'll likely be attached to Braylon Edwards all day. And that can't be good for Edwards owners.
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| Justin Fargas - RB |
Posted 10/20/09 11:34am et |
| ANG Newspapers reports Oakland Raiders RB Michael Bush (head) said he received a blow to the back of the head in Week 6, which kept him out of the game and allowed RB Justin Fargas to carry the majority of the rushing load. |
The Huddle's Take: With Darren McFadden still likely out with a knee injury and Bush dinged, Fargas should once again get the lion's share of carries this week. Oakland will take on a Jets' run defense without Kris Jenkins in the middle, so Fargas could be in line for some substantial numbers.
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| Justin Fargas - RB |
Posted 10/19/09 1:01pm et |
| ANG Newspapers reports Oakland Raiders RB Justin Fargas likely moved up the depth chart after rushing for 87 yards in Week 6. Fargas will likely not be the team�s No. 3 running back, even when RB Darren McFadden (knee) returns from injury. |
The Huddle's Take: It's puzzling why the Raiders don't give Fargas more opportunities, but maybe he opened up enough eyes in Oakland's win over the Eagles that he will now get more looks. He could be worth a free agent pickup if you have room on your roster for possible bye week filler.
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| Zach Miller - TE |
Posted 10/18/09 10:50pm et |
| The Associated Press reports Oakland Raiders TE Zach Miller caught six passes for 139 yards with an 86-yard touchdown reception during the team's Week 6 game. It was the team's longest pass play since a 92-yard pass Oct. 7, 1984. |
The Huddle's Take: It seems the Raiders have finally gotten something else to cheer about since they did manage to win another game and defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 13-9. TE Zach Miller has been one of the most consistent players on the Oakland roster where fantasy football is concerned and should likely remain that way for the remainder of the season. The Raiders will apparently struggle all season long but there could be some bright spots along the way like this.
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| Chaz Schilens - WR |
Posted 10/15/09 11:59am et |
| Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders WR Chaz Schilens went through drills and warm-ups and was in the regular rotation catching passes during practice Wednesday, Oct. 14. He has a chance to be active Week 6. |
The Huddle's Take: The Raiders might get Schilens back for this week, which means he could contend with Louis Murphy for the limited number of wide receiver receptions JaMarcus Russell and the Oakland passing game provides.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 10/15/09 11:11pm et |
| Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) missed the team's practice Thursday, Oct. 15, and he is out for Week 6. |
The Huddle's Take: It appears that McFadden could miss the next 2-3 weeks with this injury which opens the door for Michael Bush and Justin Fargas to get the carries on offense. Keep in mind that the Raiders have been dismal all season long on offense and it would be hard to imagine anything changing anytime soon.
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| Tom Cable - HC |
Posted 10/12/09 11:50am et |
| Paul Gutierrez, of the Sacramento Bee, reports Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable said Sunday, Oct. 11, he was not summoned to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's office over the weekend to discuss his alleged role in an altercation with a former assistant coach, as many expected. Cable also said he had not spoken with the team about the investigation, which was completed by the Napa Police Department and is now in the hands of the Napa County District Attorney's office. |
The Huddle's Take: This incident doesn't seem to be going away, and it's beginning to give the NFL a black eye. Or maybe that's just from Cable's alleged punch.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 10/9/09 11:13pm et |
| Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) missed the team's practice Friday, Oct. 9, and he is out for Week 5. |
The Huddle's Take: Backup Michael Bush and Justin Fargas will likely get the carries for Oakland this week but should not be considered as fantasy relevent until the Raiders prove they can move the ball consistently on offense. Your fantasy team should be able to find far better options than taking a chance on any Oakland running back.
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| Darren McFadden - RB |
Posted 10/8/09 11:14pm et |
| Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden (knee) missed the team's practice Thursday, Oct. 8, and he is out for Week 5. |
The Huddle's Take: It really doesn't matter who carries the ball for the Raiders since the offense is having problems in both the passing game and the running game. Fantasy owners should steer clear of this situation altogether until their is some consistency on offense and the team ends its struggle to make plays.
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| Justin Fargas - RB |
Posted 10/6/09 11:29am et |
| Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable said RBs Michael Bush and Justin Fargas will split carries in the absence of RB Darren McFadden (knee). 'We have (Justin) Fargas and (Michael) Bush and go with the two of them. Really haven't thought about changes or anything like that,' Cable said. |
The Huddle's Take: Fargas is an extremely tough runner, but we can't recommend him as a Fantasy starter because QB JaMarcus Russell has been so comically inept. Opposing defenses will continue to commit 8 or 9 in the box and dare Russell to beat them with his arm. So far, he hasn't come close to demonstrating he's capable of doing so.
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