Oakland Raiders: Potential X-Factors In Week Three Tilt With Washington
By Kevin Saito
With the plethora of new toys Derek Carr has to play with, wideout Seth Roberts has almost become a forgotten man in Oakland’s powerful and electric offense.
Fresh off signing a three-year $12 million dollar contract extension this summer, Roberts has been targeted just twice by Derek Carr this season, making one grab for a 19 yard touchdown against Tennessee in week one.
Given the ridiculously small sample size, it’s almost silly to even mention the fact that Roberts is on pace for career lows in every statistical category. (When have we ever let the fact that something’s silly stop us from mentioning it before, huh?)
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It’s early in the year, of course, and Roberts has always been the third wheel in Oakland’s passing game. But now, with big dogs Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, and now Jared Cook eating first, it seems that Roberts has largely been left on the shelf to gather dust.
That could potentially change this week. Given Crabtree’s three touchdown performance against the Jets, Cooper being as dynamic as he is, and Cook being a formidable threat in the passing game, there’s no question that Washington is going to devote plenty of time and resources to making sure they do their level best to lock them down and keep them from being as impactful as they normally are.
Which gives Roberts an opening to sit at the big dog’s table and feast. With the aforementioned three-headed beast drawing the lion’s share of attention from the Washington secondary, Carr could conceivably have a field day with Roberts on short and intermediate routes.
Roberts is great in open space, is lightning fast, elusive as all get out, and it would be a nightmare for Washington if one of their linebackers ended up in coverage on him.
Oakland is 10-0 in games in which Roberts has snagged a touchdown. He very well could find himself with some good looks at the endzone on Sunday – can the Raiders make that 11-0?