Raiders@Broncos
Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 29th at 4:25 PM ET
Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Betting Odds: DEN -4.5, 41.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Sleeper Spotlight: DeAndre Washington
Oakland Raiders
Quarterback:
- Derek Carr (Sit)
If you’re reading this and you’re currently playing fantasy football, that means you’ve made it to your league’s championship (and congrats on that by the way). It also likely means that Derek Carr is not on your team, or at least he’s not been your starting quarterback, because he hasn’t been great this year. He surprisingly put up good numbers last week against a good Los Angeles Chargers secondary, but there is no way I’m trusting him against a pretty solid Broncos pass defense. Last week was just his third game of the season with more than 20 fantasy points, don’t start him.
Running Backs:
- Josh Jacobs (Start if healthy/RB2)
- DeAndre Washington (Start if Jacobs sits/Flex)
The Raiders have a very slight chance of making the playoffs this week, which means their starters are going to be in if they’re healthy. Unfortunately, it’s unclear whether Josh Jacobs is healthy right now. He’s missed two of the Raiders’ last three games recovering from his fractured shoulder (though in one of those games, he still managed 24 carries for 89 yards) and as of this writing, has yet to participate in practice, so we’ll see. If he participates in practice Friday, I think there’s a chance he plays, and if he does, he’s an RB2 given his volume. If he doesn’t play, however, DeAndre Washington becomes an interesting play, as the team trusts him when Jacobs is out, giving him 23 carries last week which he turned into 85 yards and a touchdown. Denver’s run defense is decent but not incredible, so Washington could put in low-end RB2 numbers or high-end flex numbers and warrants a start if Jacobs is out. Hopefully, for your sake, you own both.
Wide receivers/Tight end:
- Tyrell Williams (Sit)
- Darren Waller (Start/TE1)
The Raiders’ receiving corps is pretty simple at this point, it’s Darren Waller and nobody else. Tyrell Williams had a nice game last week against a good Chargers secondary, but he’s questionable to play with a foot injury and has yet to practice. Even if he did play, Denver has a good secondary, and Williams has had just three games with more than 13 PPR fantasy points this year, so pass on him. However, we all know how good Waller’s ceiling is, and you have to start him if you have him based on that, even against the Broncos. He saw just four targets last week, but hopefully, that was just an anomaly. Against the Broncos in Week 1, he caught seven balls for 70 yards, so here’s hoping he does something more like that.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback:
- Drew Lock (Sit)
If you’re in a two-quarterback league, you could do worse than streaming Drew Lock given that he’s going up against a Raiders secondary that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. However, since becoming the starting quarterback for the Broncos, Lock has just one game with more than 13 fantasy points and had just 192 yards last week. He could have a good game, but there’s no way I’m trusting him as my only quarterback this week.
Running backs:
- Phillip Lindsay (Start/RB2)
- Royce Freeman (Sit)
While yes, the Raiders’ run defense has allowed the seventh-fewest yards per carry to running backs this year, it’s also allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, so I think Lindsay makes for a decent play this week, especially coming off a 19 carry, 109 yards, one-touchdown performance last week against the Lions. Meanwhile, Royce Freeman is only a desperation flex in deep leagues in the hopes he happens to snag a touchdown or some receptions or something. Otherwise, it’s Lindsay and that’s it.
Wide receivers/Tight end:
- Courtland Sutton (Start/WR1)
- Daesean Hamilton (Sit)
- Noah Fant (Sit)
For the Broncos’ receiving corps, you’re starting Courtland Sutton and that’s it. Daesean Hamilton had a nice game last week, but you can’t trust him. Meanwhile, while Sutton has had his ups and downs this year, he’s mostly been awesome and going up against a Raiders secondary that’s allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, you should start Sutton based on his potential. As for Fant, I love him and his talent, but he’s just not involved enough in this offense to warrant starting.