Oakland Raiders: Fantasy outlook vs. Redskins in Week 3

The Oakland Raiders face off against the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football in Week 3. Here is what you should expect from Oakland’s star players.

The Oakland Raiders continued to impress fans and fantasy team owners as they cruised to an easy 45-20 victory over the New York Jets in Week 2. In Week 3, the Raiders will go on the road to face off against the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football.

Here is what you should expect from Oakland’s biggest stars as you set your fantasy football lineups for the week.

Stars and Starters

The Raiders have another good matchup for the second consecutive week. Washington has allowed 688 offensive yards and 50 points in the course of their first two games. Considering how good the Raiders offense has looked in the early portion of this season, fantasy owners may want to consider starting any Oakland player on their roster.

Marshawn Lynch is set up to have a particularly good game against Washington in Week 3. Washington’s run defense looked decent in their Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, they regressed in Week 2 as they allowed running back Todd Gurley to rush for 88 yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries. Lynch’s workload should be heavier than Gurley’s was as their game will likely be not as close as Washington’s Week 2 contest. Lynch should be considered a must-start in all fantasy leagues and likely will be a decent value in daily fantasy lineups.

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Before the season began, I wrote that wide receiver Michael Crabtree was set up to have a much better season than his teammate Amari Cooper. In Week 1, Cooper looked like Oakland’s primary target in all aspects of the passing game and put doubt on that conclusion.

I am feeling much better about my point now, though, as Crabtree caught three touchdowns in Week 2 against the Jets. Crabtree had a career day on Sunday as he caught every pass thrown at him, a total of six receptions for 80 yards and three touchdowns. Cooper should be started in all leagues as well, but Crabtree is a threat to score multiple touchdowns in every game as long the Raiders offense to click. In terms of fantasy, Crabtree is the star you should want on your team.

Running back Jalen Richard is also an interesting play in PPR leagues this week. Richard has established a role for himself as the passing down back in the Raiders offense. In Week 2, Richard ran six times for 58 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 51 yards. Over the first two weeks of the season, Washington has allowed 92 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns to opposing running backs. Richard seems to have earned the primary share of carries behind Marshawn Lynch and should be a good FLEX play this week.

Risky Plays and Your Bench

Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson looked great in Week 2. The Raiders ran Patterson out of the backfield, where he ran three times for 57 yards and a touchdown, including a 43-yard run that illustrated how explosive he could be. Despite his success out of the backfield, Patterson only caught one pass for six yards when lined up as a receiver.

Patterson is an explosive athlete but will face the same problems in Oakland as he did in Minnesota, where he played for the first four years of his career. Patterson’s game relies on athleticism but has proven to have trouble learning complex NFL offensive schemes. The Raiders will likely use Patterson depending on the matchup, but his usage will not be anyone near reliable enough to foster him being owned in standard fantasy leagues.

Last week I wrote that despite tight end Jared Cook’s impressive Week 1 performance, team owners should hesitate to start him unless he can prove to be consistent. That advice seems to have paid out as Cook caught four passes for only 25 yards on Sunday. In a game where Derek Carr threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns, Cook seemed to be a side note on the offense.

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Cook’s inconsistencies seem to be carrying into this season and should be considered a TE2, unless something changes. Most fantasy teams will have a better option than Cook going into this week. However, with a few tight ends suffering injuries in Week 2, Cook should be a decent enough option as a filler in deeper-PPR leagues.

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