The Touchback is launching a preview series for fantasy football this season. Today, we’re providing you with the Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Fantasy Football Overview.
A new stadium and city provide optimism for fans, but the newly minted Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a lot for fantasy football managers to get excited about. The team had as many single-digit point tallies as it did games with 30+ points and Jon Gruden’s old school offense struggled to score touchdowns last season.
Only eight teams ran fewer offensive plays per game than the Raiders in 2019 despite Oakland having the third highest time per drive in the NFL. Interestingly, the Raiders defense faced the fourth fewest plays so it’s not like the offense didn’t have the ball. This team moves like molasses, limiting the upside of most players not named Josh Jacobs.
Derek Carr is back again at QB, but Marcus Mariota is waiting in the wings should he falter or get hurt.
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Fantasy Football Overview: Players to watch
Stud – Josh Jacobs
There can be a tendency to over think things in fantasy football when the correct answer is usually the most obvious one. Josh Jacobs finished as RB18 in half-point PPR leagues last season despite playing in only 13 games. His passing game usage in 2020 remains a mystery, but he will be in the RB1 mix should his workload there increase. Even if it doesn’t, Jacobs is a solid second round pick.
Dud – Any rookie WR
Jon Gruden basically despises rookie wide receivers so expectations for both Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards should be tempered. I don’t think Ruggs III is the reincarnation of Darius Heyward-Bey or anything like that, but neither of these guys seems likely to be fantasy relevant in 2020.
Sleeper – Jason Witten
Jason Witten managed to finish last season as TE12 and the Las Vegas Raiders seemed eager to sign him. Last season, the Raiders had two or more two tight ends of the field for 30 percent of their plays so the former Monday Night Football broadcaster will get some snaps. And if anything happens to Darren Waller, Witten would become a must start tight end as long as Carr is playing.
Wildcard – Lynn Bowden Jr.
When he wasn’t punching opposing players 90 minutes before games, Lynn Bowden Jr. was one of college football’s most electric players last season. Classified as a wide receiver at Kentucky, he ended up playing quarterback and was drafted as a running back. It feels like Gruden has a role in mind for Bowden Jr. but who knows what it could be.
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Fantasy Football Overview final thoughts
The Las Vegas Raiders just don’t have a lot of interesting players heading into the 2020 fantasy football season. Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller could end up being the only relevant players this season unless Carr can throw more than 20 touchdowns, something he hasn’t done since 2016, or Mariota comes in and does a “Tannehill”.
