Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos
Final Score: Raiders 17, Broncos 16
Writer: Brian Hartman (@TooMuch_Brian on Twitter)
These two teams picked up right where they left off last year. In a nail-biting showdown, the Las Vegas Raiders edged past the Denver Broncos and earned a slim 17 – 16 victory. The score might suggest a thrilling contest, but the game prompted many to switch to other more exciting games on this slate. The underwhelming performance on the field was reflected in the stat sheet, as both quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo, failed to light up the scoreboard and received next to no support from their ground games: minimal gain after minimal gain. This game offered no excitement for what is to come from either team, but left us with plenty of questions.
Meyers and Adams saw 19 of Garoppolo’s 26 attempts tonight. Is that a reflection of the immense talent from those two, or an indictment of the other receiving options for the Raiders? Can Denver’s receiving corps make it through the season? As if the wide receiver room hasn’t been decimated enough, we saw Greg Dulcich leave this game early. Just how many on the Broncos’ current roster are former New Orleans Saints? After a stampede of Saints players traded after Sean Payton’s arrival, we saw Lil’Jordan Humphrey pull in a touchdown and Adam Trautman lead the team in tight end targets. How much longer do we wait until Taysom Hill is traded to the Broncos as Dulcich’s replacement (or even Russell Wilson’s)? I kid. I think.
Two Up
- Samaje Perine – His 12 total touches, including 4 targets, give a bit of faith in his role on this team. He was also more efficient than backfield mate Javonte Williams on a per-touch basis.
- Jakobi Meyers – He lead the team with 10 targets. I have to like that! Meyers works so well in McDaniel’s system
Three Down
- Broncos Pass catchers – An ugly overall effort from a decimated group that offers little excitement going into Week 2. At least Courtland Sutton scored a touchdown.
- Michael Mayer – The rookie was out-snapped by veteran Austin Hooper (31-29), ran only nine routes, and wasn’t targeted once.
- Hunter Renfrow – The savvy, skilled Clemson product ran nine routes on 13 snaps, but didn’t receive a single target.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo: 20/26, 200 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int | 9 carries, 11 yards
Jimmy G looked as he always does. His quick release and one-step drops put him in position to stay on his feet and deliver a decent ball which doesn’t travel far often. True to form, he took a hard hit and had to leave the field for a few plays. When Garoppolo came back in, he continued to feed Meyers and Adams. I’m really not sure if he noticed other players on the field. His willingness to push the ball into tight windows gave you hope that he’ll be pushing the Raiders to make them a productive offense. The beauty of his target distribution is that it gives us defined players to target as fantasy managers; we don’t have the fear we get from the Broncos of guys like Lil’Jordan Humphrey stealing red zone looks and touchdowns.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 19 carries, 48 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards
While Jacobs compiled only 71 yards on 22 opportunities, we saw things we wanted from Jacobs. In a rough matchup against a tough Denver defense, his second effort was a difference-maker. Despite missing most of the offseason, Jacobs looks like he did last year and will take on another incredible workload this year.
Notes
- Jacobs hit a league-high running back share today, commanding 95% of the RB carries.
Zamir White: 1 carry, 2 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
Ameer Abdullah: 1 target, 0 receptions
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Davante Adams: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 66 yards
Has Adams ever not led his team in targets in the games he’s finished? He is still out of this world in terms of his talent, as evidenced by an impressive play in the third quarter in which he worked his way back to Jimmy to give him a much-needed outlet for a first down. Meyers seems to be set for a huge target share in this offense, but Adams looks the part of the alpha in this uninspiring offense. The amount of deep routes he ran was encouraging; some of his greatness from last season carries over into this year.
Jakobi Meyers: 10 targets, 9 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TDS
Meyers fits magically into this system. Thanks to their prior experience together, Coach McDaniels knows exactly what to do with Jakobi, who effortlessly pulled in a few catches that weren’t quite on target.
Deandre Carter: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
Austin Hooper: 1 target, 1 reception, 20 yards
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: Let’s ride! Yeah, remember that garbage? Well, there’s more. Now, his completion percentage suggests a decent day from Wilson, but he didn’t manage to throw the ball past 10 yards very often, which really capped the offense. An incredibly frustrating line of wide receiver injuries isn’t helping, but nothing we saw today inspires much confidence in this passing game.
Missed Opportunities
- The few attempts he went deep on didn’t connect. We’ll need to see Wilson make those deep connections before we can get excited for him in fantasy.
Running Back
Javonte Williams: 13 carries, 52 yards | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 5 yards
Williams may not be 100% yet after last year’s ACL tear, but 80% of Williams is still better than most. Javonte looked great out there! He showed some confidence in his knee when making cuts. He soaked up more targets than Samaje Perine, the pass-catching back who was signed in the offseason. We do need to see more effectiveness in the red zone from Williams, however; touchdowns are needed to push him over the edge as a great weekly play. After a few more weeks, we might see the guy we saw pre-ACL tear.
Notes
- RB backfield snap breakdown: Williams 28, Perine 26, McLaughlin 3.
We have a Kamara/Ingram situation brewing, and that’s not a bad thing at all.
Samaje Perine: 8 carries, 41 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 37 yards
As mentioned above, Perine (6.5) was far more efficient on a per touch basis than Williams (3.4), so if we’re going to be excited for Williams, we should keep that same energy for Perine, who played exactly the same number of snaps as the guy he was brought in to share the backfield load with.
Jaleel McLaughlin: 1 target, 1 reception, -7 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Courtland Sutton: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 32 yards, 1 TD
He played well enough; the touchdown grab was the result of a solid effort in the back of the end zone, but one has to wonder what his target share looks like once Jerry Jeudy returns. Sutton had all the opportunity in the world today, but didn’t smash.
Marvin Mims: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards
Notes
- Mims had an amazing snag on a ball inches from the ground; he displayed control to reach down and haul in the reception and offered a small glimpse of his breakout talent that was on display at Oklahoma.
- I know it’s only Week 1, but seven players ran more routes than Mims, and that’s not something that inspires confidence in his role.
Brandon Johnson: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards
Lil Jordan Humphrey: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards, 1 TD
The touchdown catch was the only real moment of significance, but it’s worth mentioning that he ran the second-most routes (45) of any Broncos wide receiver. The fact that he was targeted just twice on 25 routes, however, is a clear signal to not expect much more, especially when Jeudy returns and Mims rounds into form.
Greg Dulcich: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards
Dulcich left the game and was ruled out with a leg injury. No word as of yet as to its severity or how many (if any) games he’ll miss going forward.
Notes
- Didn’t get the opportunity we thought he’d earn after such a promising rookie season.
- Left the game early with an injury.
Adam Trautman: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 34 yards
Notes
- Trautman showed in week one that he could be involved more than expected. Any tight end that pulls in 5 receptions should be on your streaming radar.