Five Biggest Questions:
1. Who will start at QB and will it matter?
2. Is Zamir White a top-24 RB?
3. Is Davante Adams still a no-brainer weekly fantasy starter?
4. Will Jakobi Meyers provide streaming value?
5. Can Brock Bowers be a top-12 TE?
Some franchises figure it out, and others keep clawing -- sometimes for decades. The Raiders have had a winning record only twice since reaching the Super Bowl 21 years ago. They haven't won a playoff game during this stretch, cycling through 13 head coaches and 23 starting quarterbacks. The "stability" of the Derek Carr era produced a 63-85 record, including the postseason, which comes to a .426 winning percentage. Last year, 66% of teams had a better winning percentage. These have been lean years.
Entering 2024, this franchise appears to be biding its time, and it's not all their fault. They had three game-winning, fourth-quarter TDs last season. Take one away, and maybe they're drafting Box Nix, or even Michael Penix or J.J. McCarthy. Instead, they were on the outside looking in as six QBs came off the board, bringing them no closer to a coveted "franchise" quarterback.
This year's battle between Gardner Minshew (QB33 ADP) and Aidan O'Connell (QB 35 ADP) probably will go to Minshew, which is why I've ranked him 26th. While he's not assured of anything, I think O'Connell (should he start Week 1) is more likely to be benched by October than Minshew (if he starts Week 1).
As some of you might recall, I was very down on Josh Jacobs last summer, ranking him 68th overall compared to a 16 ADP. So of course, I ranked Zamir White much better (127th) than his overall ADP (242). Coming out of college, White's question marks revolved around his health more than his talent. This year I've got White as a big bargain compared to his RB21 ADP and backup Alexander Mattison as a slight bargain at his RB67 ADP. Rookie Dylan Laube's capped ceiling and Ameer Abdullah's advanced age (and minimal usage since 2017) suggest that barring a midseason acquisition, this will remain a thin backfield.
In 10 O'Connell starts last season, Davante Adams averaged 6.4 catches for 68 yards and half a TD. There's nothing inherently worrisome about the veteran wideout's WR13 ADP. In fact, I've got him at #10, though there's a big cluster in the 9-to-15 range that might shift in the coming weeks. Still, even at 31 years old, Adams commands a passing attack with no peers. Jakobi Meyers is a decent buy at his WR57 ADP, while Michael Gallup and Tre Tucker will compete for relevance-in-waiting (if Adams or Meyers gets hurt).
The bigger dilemma is at tight end, where Vegas selected Brock Bowers at #13 overall. He'll probably be a fantasy mainstay for years. But will it begin this year? I don't remember the last time (if ever) a team has picked a TE in the second round and then another in the first round in back-to-back drafts. But assuming they operate heavily in two-TE sets, both should be drafted in deep leagues, while Bowers (TE 12 ADP) is an obvious any-league draft pick. Both are bargains given the Raiders' top-heavy WR corps and clear-cut commitment to capitalizing on having one of the league's most talented (based on potential) TE tandems.
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