Oakland Raiders Fantasy Football Outlook: Studs, Duds, Sleepers, and Rookies

The preseason has begun for the Oakland Raiders and fantasy football draft season is upon us. Which Raiders players are worth drafting this season?

If you are like me, you are intently analyzing magazines, blogs, Twitter, and depth chart updates to try to find that player that will shift your fantasy destiny from chump to champion. Normally, it is a good rule of thumb to avoid players on your favorite team.

Usually, your faith in your team leads to overvaluing a player instead of looking objectively at the matchups, but the siren song of winning your fantasy league with a player from your team is hard to ignore.

With that in mind which Oakland Raiders players should you be targeting in the early rounds? What sleeper should you be targeting in the mid to late rounds? What rookie will have a breakout season and what players should I avoid like they were gas station sushi?

Here is our breakdown of the top studs, duds, sleepers, and rookies for the 2019-2020 Fantasy Football Season if you are playing in a PPR (Points Per Reception) league.

*All rankings are based on FantasyPros.com*

Studs: (The top players at each position who should give you a steady performance each week)

Josh Jacobs, RB — If you look at Josh Jacobs‘ output at Alabama you may wonder why he is in the stud category. He never rushed for 1,000 yards or even scored his 10th touchdown until his junior year.

This lack of production was more of an offshoot of the deep backfield at Alabama than a reflection of the true skill of Jacobs. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein had the following to say about Jacobs as he compared him to New England Patriots running back Sony Michel.

"“Prototypical combination of size and skill-set as an every-down runner with the ability to slash or impose his will on any given snap. Jacobs runs with good bend, vision, and burst, and he proved to be an effective pass-catcher out of the backfield or from the slot….Jacobs is a decisive runner with outstanding one-cut talent to become a bellcow lead back.”"

ESPN has him as a fringe RB1 who is currently going in the fourth round or later.

Antonio Brown, WR — This is the definition of a stud wide receiver. Antonio Brown can get you over 100 catches, double-digit touchdowns, 1,200+ yards, and can take the top off of a defense at any moment.

He is going late in the first round to early second round in PPR drafts but with all the hysteria regarding his feet and his helmet, his ADP will probably drop. The question is whether or not that production will be matched with Derek Carr throwing him the ball instead of Ben Roethlisberger.

Most analysts would have you believe that Jon Gruden’s emphasis on running and balance would diminish the returns of Brown, but there is evidence to suggest that will not be the case.

Le’Veon Bell was just as much as a threat or more to his opportunities than Josh Jacobs and JuJu Smith-Schuster was more of a threat for production than Tyrell Wiliams.

Carr is looking to bounce back and with the Raiders defense still trying to find its footing, the likelihood of shootouts increases.