Amari Cooper – All eyes are on Cooper after his dominating performance last week. For many Cooper single-handedly carried you to the championship game after putting up 265 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in week 16. Unfortunately, Cooper is now dealing with a heel injury that may keep him out of the Thursday night game vs. the Jets. We will know later today whether he is good to go or not.

Josh Jacobs – Jacobs missed last week with a quad injury and has not been present at practice this week. If he is out again this week Zamir White will be a popular option to start as the Raiders have a plus matchup against the Colts.

Trevor Lawrence – It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Lawrence who is now dealing with a shoulder injury. He was seen at practice on Thursday but in a limited fashion. If Lawrence can’t go this week you should downgrade the offensive threats on the Jaguars.

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Josh Jacobs – Jacobs left last weeks contest with an apparent quad injury. So far details have been sparse on the severity of the injury going forward. We should know more about his injury later today when the Raiders practice. If Jacobs does miss time Zamir White would be next in line to handle the workload.

Justin Jefferson – It was a short-lived return for Jefferson in week 14. After missing 7 games with a hamstring injury Jefferson returned to action last week. Unfortunately, he suffered a chest injury that knocked him out of the game vs. the Raiders. Early reports are that Jefferson could play this week but be cautious in starting him.

Tyreek Hill – Hill went down with an ankle injury in the Monday night loss to the Titans. The good news was he was able to return but he looked to be laboring a bit in the second half. This situation will need to be monitored closely throughout the week.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Las Vegas Raiders plan to release Kenyan Drake – according to ESPN. Drake’s 2021 campaign (543 all-purpose yards & 3 combined TDs) was honestly a regression from his 2020 season (1,092 all-purpose yards and 10 total TDs). Of course, the Raiders will still lean on their RB1 Josh Jacobs to mow down opponents. In addition to Jacobs, the Raiders also drafted Zamir White in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. It’s clear they feel confident enough in their RB room to cut ties with Drake. With that said, I’m going to untwine several potential landing spots for the talented, 28-year-old RB. 

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots lost their all-purpose RB James White this off-season & it would be wise for BB to ink the versatile, former Raiders RB. The mysterious head coach/GM inked Devante Parker & and it may be time to bring in another weapon. I trust that Drake can be an upgrade over White. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are always looking to improve their roster and of course: win the Super Bowl. The Brad bunch has the young Rachaad White and the bowling ball Leonard Fournette, but I believe Drake could still get involved as a pass-catching RB. He may be an x-factor in the Buccaneers pivotal showdowns against the New Orleans Saints. 

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have the ultra superb RB Christian McCaffrey. However, he has sort of had injury issues over the prior two seasons (as he’s missed 23 contests in the past two seasons combined). Drake could certainly be an excellent depth piece and even a pass-catching weapon on occasion. Matt Rhule and the Panthers can’t afford to take their foot off the pedal in the bloody NFC South. 

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are the third NFC South team on this list and they would absolutely be a great landing spot for Drake. The Saints carry Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, but AK will almost certainly be suspended in 2023 and Ingram may be out the door next off-season, as well. It may be quite intuitive for the Saints to bring in Drake for not only his 2022 abilities but his potential value in 2023. 

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have a Greek god-like RB in Derrick Henry, but he can’t be the only lone ranger in Nashville. Furthermore, the Titans don’t have the sexiest talent behind him at RB. The Titans RB2 Dontrell Hilliard has registered 447 rushing yards in his career. The arrival of Drake would bring a lot of music to Titans fans ears – especially after their offense lost A.J. Brown this off-season.

Dallas Cowboys 

The Dallas Cowboys have quietly fallen behind in the Power Rankings this off-season. They have a ton of explosiveness, but I believe they could benefit from the addition of a talented all-around asset like Drake. The playoff gods may favor the Boys if the reigning NFC East champions bring in the former Cardinals RB. 

Cincinnati Bengals

I would really love to see the Cincinnati Bengals ink the explosive free agent RB. Cincy has an unearthly WR trio and Joe Mixon, but they could benefit from an upgrade over Samaje Perine at RB2. The Bengals properly boosted their OL this off-season. I’d still love to see Cincy bring in another toy for their former LSU QB and his improved pass protection.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Las Vegas Raiders running Josh Jacobs has been a rumored trade candidate after having seven touches in the HOF game. The amped-up Josh McDaniels has clarified that they have no intentions of trading Jacobs. With that said, I’m going to untwine three reasons why McDaniels isn’t bluffing and why it would be sacrilege for LV to ship away Jacobs.

Divisional competition

The Raiders undoubtedly compete in the most sinful NFL division: AFC West. I already have pegged the Raiders as the worst team in the division that features the Greek God-like QB Patrick Mahomes, Super Bowl MVP signal-caller Russell Wilson, and the ascending, mega-arm Justin Herbert. It would be more difficult for the Raiders to thrive in their heavy-weight division if they also traded away a pivotal piece of their offense in Josh Jacobs. He ran for 1,065 yards and 12 TDs in 2020 & 872 yds and 9 TDs in 2021.

Potential

Jacobs hasn’t only been a productive ball-carrier, but he is still a young gun (as he turned 24 years old in February). He’s four years younger than the Incredible Hulk-like RB Derrick Henry and two years younger than the utterly imposing RB Nick Chubb. Jacobs can be a monster RB for the Raiders for many years to come. Davante Adams is also 29 years old, so it’s crucial that they have a pivotal play-maker for many years during the demise of Tae’s career.

Role

Jacobs is the thunder ball-carrier amid the Raiders RB group. He is the downhill RB that can break a defense down by a thousand cuts. Meanwhile, Kenyan Drake is the all-purpose RB that excels in space. Drake notched more receiving yds (291) than rushing yds (254 yds) in 2021. Zamir White has the make-up to be a talented RB, but he’s also an unproven rookie. It would be risky for McDaniels to pull the plug on the talented, young, bull-dozing RB at this point.

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By: Justin Frye

One of 2021’s biggest surprises was the Hunter Renfrow breakout. With struggling receivers on the outside and TE Darren Waller battling through injuries, Renfrow stepped up and became Derek Carr‘s favorite option. Despite the top thirteen finish at receiver, Renfrow is currently viewed as outside the top 36 options. Is that low ranking justified or is he a strong buy-low option?

Coaching Change

One big change, which isn’t being accounted for enough in his value, is the hiring of Josh McDaniels. The Patriots’ system, where he came from, has had prolific slot receivers for years. If Renfrow continues in the same mold as Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, he’s vastly underrated and should be viewed as a WR2 type.

Looking back through Patriot seasons, it’s hard to find apples-to-apples comparisons. Unfortunately, Randy Moss, Welker, and Rob Gronkowski all played together, as Gronkowski joined the year Moss left. The fewest targets a healthy Patriots slot WR saw since 2010 is 86, to Danny Amendola when playing with Brandin Cooks and Gronkowski. So that is the absolute floor, health permitting.

That undersells the targets though, which routinely hit 130+ in those seasons. The Patriots were aware of Amendola succumbing to injuries often and minimized his usage to protect him for the playoffs, especially with Julian Edelman already out. I believe a better comparison is out there though. Let’s look at the 2013 season. In 2013, the Patriots had four primary targets: Edelman (134 targets), Gronkowski (131), Brandon LaFell (119), and Shane Vereen (77).

Increased Target Competition?

I brought up the difficulty in finding a Patriot comparison because the Raiders no longer have just Renfrow and Waller, they made a huge offseason addition. Davante Adams is now in Las Vegas, reunited with his Fresno St running mate in Carr, and is clearly the team’s new alpha. Adams has seen at least 127 targets in each of the last four seasons, and that low was in only 12 games.

It’s unlikely the Raiders have two players still mentioned in the above tweet after the 2022 season. Which is bad news for Renfrow because those targets aren’t coming from Adams. What it does mean is that Renfrow is likely to see a lot less coverage, as teams are going to have to roll safeties towards Adams and Waller. So I’m expecting more efficiency in 2022, though less scoring.

The 2022 offense

I want to circle back now to the 2013 Patriots. While this is the closest comparison, I still think it’s flawed. For one, while Josh Jacobs has shown an ability to catch passes before, I don’t think he’ll be used that way (again). McDaniels prefers sharing the load, so likely a combination of Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, and possibly Zamir White split backfield touches.

With less short-area target competition, this bodes well for Renfrow. Waller and Adams are both vertical threats to challenge defenses. So were Gronkowski and Moss. Renfrow is likely to be the open-off-the-line guy Carr targets to move the chains and when he sees a blitz or free rusher coming. Which is likely to be a lot with all the pass rushing in the AFC West.

That’s to say nothing of the current offensive line situation. It’s gross and unlikely to improve drastically. The way McDaniels calls plays to combat this? Get it out quick to the open slot WR. It’s why Edelman saw so many targets later in his career. I expect similar from Renfrow this year.

Long Term Outlook

Darren Waller and Davante Adams both turn 30 in the season, while Renfrow will only hit 27. This gives him his prime years with Carr as his QB and likely a slot-friendly scheme for at least his next two years. He’s shown adept at collecting targets, including the red zone. His role can grow too, as both Waller and Adams have injury histories that only get worse with age.

In any PPR leagues, I think I’m comfortable with Renfrow as my WR2 or 3, likely paired with a higher variance player like a Terry McLaurin or Drake London. He’ll never be highly sought after, but is going to be a steady contributor to whoever manages him. As a contender, he’s someone I absolutely want on my team. I think now is the time to buy before people see him pop in the system.

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By: Jeremy Trottier, Jake Rajala, and Faustino Felix

The 2022 NFL Draft was loaded with offensive talent, as potential 2022 starters were picked in the third round and beyond. The NFL Draft, also known as a football holiday, is finally over. Nonetheless, it’s time for fantasy football gurus to begin scouting talent for their beloved rosters. With that said, we’re going to untwine seven fantasy sleepers that sleeping with Mr. Sandman.

Jeremy’s sleepers:

Jalen Tolbert – WR – Dallas Cowboys

One of the most notable players coming out of round 3 or beyond is Jalen Tolbert, the 6’3” receiver out of South Alabama.  Tolbert has received little to no recognition coming out of this class primarily due to his competition being FBS players.  The part about him that makes me think he could break out is the fact that the Dallas Cowboys already moved on from two of their receivers this offseason (Amari Cooper & Cedrick Wilson). 

Combined they leave 165 targets and 113 receptions on the table for someone to take, and with the receiver room shifting significantly this offseason, Tolbert could seek to snag the 2nd or 3rd receiver spot early in the season.  It is also worth noting that starting receiver Michael Gallup will likely miss the early part of the season due to his torn ACL, which gives Tolbert a direct route into a starting role alongside CeeDee Lamb and James Washington.  Jalen had a great final 9 games in 2021 and will seek to continue that level of play in the NFL for Dallas.

Dameon Pierce – RB – Houston Texans

The other sleeper of mine is Florida Gator Dameon Pierce, who was taken at pick 107 by the Houston Texans.  Pierce is another player who has an immediate shot at the starting role on his respective team, with the Texans RB room pretty much up in the air at the moment.  Last year’s starters David Johnson (current free agent) and Mark Ingram (traded to Saints) are presumably both gone or are at least for the moment.  The backs on the roster that he will be competing with are Rex Burkhead, Marlon Mack, and Dare Ogunbowale, who he should be able to at the bare minimum get rotational minutes with.  His size and power as a running back give him some solid upside as a roster-bound player on any dynasty team.  

Faustino’s sleepers:

Alec Pierce – WR – Indianapolis Colts

There’s a lot of upside to Alec Pierce’s game, and he was drafted to an ideal situation after a solid college career with the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Colts’ depth chart is wide open after third-year wide receiver Michael Pittman, so Pierce, with 2nd round draft capital, should start on 3-WR sets right away. He could become a favorite of new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan, who has produced top fantasy wide receivers before such as Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, proving he can sustain good fantasy WRs. Ryan’s arrival should allow Frank Reich to open up the offense and pass the ball more often than he did with Carson Wentz.

Pierce has elite speed and burst, along with a huge catch radius. He’s a speed threat that has the potential to become a complete force at the perimeter, thanks to that athleticism and his 6’3” size. He averaged 17.5 yards per reception at Cincinnati. I fully expect Pierce to shoot up draft boards as the offseason progresses since this combination of talent, opportunity and draft capital at a solid team expected to compete for a playoff spot don’t come that often. It should be a matter of time before fantasy managers catch on, so get ahead of the curve and get Pierce in your rosters as soon as you can.

Zamir White – RB – Las Vegas Raiders

White’s arrival to the NFL was a roller-coaster, to say the least. He tore his ACL in his senior season of high school but nevertheless was recruited by Georgia as a top-five recruit for his position. He then suffered a second ACL before what was supposed to be his freshman season. Three years later, he was drafted in the fourth round by the Las Vegas Raiders, after being the leading rusher for two years in a row in a Bulldogs backfield that included fellow rookie James Cook. He won a National Championship along the way.

Nicknamed “Zeus”, White is a powerful runner who is bound to score a lot of touchdowns in his career. He also possesses breakaway speed, and he is more elusive than you would expect from power back such as him. His only knock is that he doesn’t have a lot of receiving production, so that limits him to being a two-down back in the NFL. He will join a crowded Raiders backfield that includes Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake. Jacobs just had his 5th year option declined, and Drake is on the last year of a two-year contract. With both being players from a previous regime, there’s a solid chance neither of them is on the Raiders’ roster in 2023.

New Raiders GM and Head Coach Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels both come from the New England Patriots, whose approach to the RB position is having a committee of cheaply acquired running backs. That bodes well for White’s playing time opportunity in 2023 if he manages to make a good impression in his rookie year. This is more of a dynasty pick, but one that has the potential to have a huge rise in value in the short term.

Jake’s sleepers: 

James Cook – RB – Buffalo Bills

I believe that the former Georgia stud with a popular football name has a legitimate chance of starting in a talented Bills offense early on. The brother of Dalvin Cook unveiled a personal best of 1,012 total yards and 11 total touchdowns in 2021. Similar to the prime version of Le’Veon Bell and former Georgia RB Todd Gurley, he displays excellent quickness and patience. He has a unique ability to be a receiving stud, as well. According to PFF, he ran the third-most routes from the RB position. He reminds me a lot of Kenyan Drake, but he can be a more talented pure RB. 

Isaiah Spiller – RB – Los Angeles Chargers

Isaiah Spiller might be a bit in the shadow of Austin Ekeler in the Chargers RB room, but he is the second talented RB on this list in the perfect location. Spiller was one of the most accomplished CFB RBs to enter the draft: 3,578 total yards and 26 total touchdowns. Bucky Brooks has already stated that Spiller is one of the “10 perfect rookie team fits”. In fact, Brooks feels that Spiller could be the potential 1A RB in Justin Herbert’s offense, while the scatback Ekeler returns to a “change in pace” ball-carrier. The former Texas A & M RB ran a poor 40-yard dash (4.63), but he could still soon be leaned on as the bell-cow RB in LA. 

Velus Jones Jr. – WR – Chicago Bears

Todd McShay has started to really praise the outlook for Velus Jones Jr. The ESPN analyst stated that he was the “Bears best draft pick” and that he has a great ceiling in Chi-town. It’s easy to see why Jones Jr. is a fascinating profile given his 4.31 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He can be an effective chess piece in the Justin Fields-led offense, as he can be dangerous with screens, deep routes, and quick slants. I absolutely expect Jones Jr. to be a security blanket for his second year QB frequently.

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