Oakland Raiders: Fantasy Football 2017 preview
By Nick Sparrow
Oakland Raiders: Sleepers
Finding a sleeper is the best feeling in fantasy sports, besides winning it all of course. It is also probably the most difficult. What makes a sleeper? Michael Crabtree is being drafted in the fourth round and I believe he will finish a top-10 receiver in fantasy. Does that make him a sleeper? I don’t think so, simply because Crabtree finished as the 11th best receiver last season. To me, a sleeper has to be someone no is talking about, or that no else believes in. That is where you can find amazing value.
New Raider Cordarrelle Patterson is easily my favorite sleeper on this team. Patterson never lived up to the hype while playing for the Minnesota Vikings, but has now found a new home in Oakland. Currently listed as the fourth wide receiver on the Raiders depth chart, I believe that by the end of preseason, Patterson will beat out Seth Roberts for the third slot. This will give the Raiders a speed-demon in the slot between the insane duo of Amari Cooper and Crabtree.
Being surrounded by such big targets and having the amazing speed and athleticism that Patterson does, I wouldn’t be surprised if the field opens up for him and he becomes a deep ball machine. I am predicting a five touchdown season for Patterson, which is the same amount that Cooper had last season. And as for the value, Patterson isn’t even being drafted in most leagues right now with an ADP of 297. I see Patterson as a lottery ticket that can either pay off big or nothing at all, but I will be drafting him in the final rounds of all my leagues.
Tight end Jared Cook is another new addition to Oakland that fantasy players should keep their eye on. Cook has been known for getting fantasy hype for years, both with the St. Louis Rams and the Green Bay Packers, with little return. Last season Cook only caught a single touchdown in the five games he started. I wouldn’t draft him just yet, especially because the Raiders listed him behind Lee Smith as their starting tight end.
Next: NFL 2017: One unpopular take about each team
However, Cook is a talented player and on a team that will score as much as this Raiders team will anyone with the talent of Cook has the chance to catch multiple touchdowns during the season. My suggestion is to keep an eye on Cook during the preseason and if he starts to look better and pass Smith to start, maybe pick him up on waivers.