Oakland Raiders vs Houston Texans
What a weird game. I did the write up for the sit/start team this week on this game and figured coming into this game after just giving up 6 total TDs to Aaron Rodgers last week, the Raiders defense would continue to struggle up against DeShaun Watson and company. The Raiders dominated the first half of this game as the Texans could only manage one TD on a pass from Watson to Duke Johnson Jr. Derek Carr, on the other hand, looked great all day as he hit a 65-yard TD to Hunter Renfrow to start the scoring and then hit Darren Waller and Tyrell Williams for TDs as well. In the end, the heroics of Watson prevailed and the Texans won 27-24.
Oakland Raiders
Quarterback
- Derek Carr: 18/30, 285 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
Derek Carr opened the game struggling a bit as he had as many incompletions, 6, in the first quarter as he had the entire game versus the packers. Carr was targeting Darren Waller early and often but couldn’t connect until their TD connection early in the second quarter. Carr was slinging it almost all day testing this Texans secondary and specifically his former teammate, Gareon Conley who was matched up with Tyrell Williams for the most part. Overall as a streaming option, he was a great play if you were without Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott. The game flow was a little weird as most expected the Raiders to be playing from behind for most of the game however, Carr was still able to provide a good fantasy day.
Running Backs
- Josh Jacobs: 18 carries 66 yards | 2 targets, 2 catches, 15 yards
- DeAndre Washington: 5 carries, 23 yards | 1 target, 1 catch, 4 yards
Josh Jacobs established the run early but the main way to attack this Texans defense was through the air. Jacobs also came into the game questionable with a shoulder injury and on a fourth-quarter run, he was seen wincing after lowering said shoulder into a defender and left the field after that play. He later returned but this could be an issue for Jacobs owners that may linger for a while. Without the bye week to rest up, Jacobs will most likely be questionable each week but could still wind up playing. DeAndre Washington is the clear handcuff to Jacobs but he isn’t necessarily a must-own as the Raiders would most likely use some combination of him and Jalen Richard should Jacobs miss any time. Jacobs is still a safe RB2 moving forward with RB1 upside in the right matchup.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Darren Waller: 8 targets, 2 catches, 11 yards, 1 TD
- Tyrell Williams: 6 targets, 3 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD
- Hunter Renfrow: 4 targets, 4 catches, 88 yards, 1 TD
- Zay Jones: 2 targets, 2 catches, 27 yards
- Foster Moreau: 2 targets, 1 catch, 10 yards
Darren Waller looked to be in line for a huge game just like any other week but he was unable to haul in any of his first 6 targets from Carr. The target share is still enormous for Waller and thus puts him in the conversation for the TE1 crown but owners are a little disappointed with his performance today. Tyrell Williams looked good in his first game back from injury and picked up right where he left off by catching a TD in his fifth straight game to start the year. His other 3 targets should have been caught too which would have made his day even better but all in all, he is a steady WR2/WR3 week in and week out. Hunter Renfrow finally broke out but raise your hand if you saw it coming on a 65-yard TD grab? He was able to catch the slant in stride from Carr, split the defenders, then he was off. This was a nice game if anyone was desperate to play him. Zay Jones had a minimal impact in his first game but he could be a desperation flex play once he gets the playbook down and more targets.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
- DeShaun Watson: 27/39, 279 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
Let’s just say it’s a good thing that an NFL game is four quarters long. At the half, DeShaun Watson was not having a good game as he only had one TD pass and the offense as a whole looked very underwhelming. In the second half though, we were able to see vintage Watson evading sacks and throwing darts all over the field. He was able to get DeAndre Hopkins involved in the second half and eventually threw two more TDs to Darren Fells. I’ll be honest, I thought Watson would have a bigger game but the Raiders defense made huge adjustments after Aaron Rodgers torched them last week. Watson still had 3 TDs and no INTs which may just be his floor with his ability to run. He did get kicked in the face on his last TD and had noticeable swelling around his eye. He still finished the game but this is something to monitor moving forward.
Running Backs
- Carlos Hyde: 19 carries, 83 yards | 1 target, 0 catches
- Duke Johnson Jr.: 3 carries, 1 yard | 5 targets, 4 catches, 33 yards, 1 TD
Another boring game for Carlos Hyde but hey, he’s a consistent RB2/Flex week in and week out. Hyde had a fumble in this game that should have been recovered by the Raiders but landed back in Hyde’s arms. He should be good for 50-100 yards each week with the chance at a touchdown since he is the red zone back. Duke Johnson Jr. had a decent game with 4 catches and a TD and made for a nice flex play. Unfortunately, they will not feed him as a running back so that caps his upside and most of his production is game-flow dependent. Hyde is the safest running back to start now but Duke should still be owned as he’s one injury away from a huge role and possible production.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- DeAndre Hopkins: 13 targets, 11 catches, 109 yards
- Kenny Stills: 5 targets, 3 catches, 22 yards
- Darren Fells: 6 targets, 6 catches, 58 yards, 2 TDs
- DeAndre Carter: 3 targets, 1 catch, 46 yards
- Keke Coutee: 0 targets, 0 catches
This is where I was the most wrong from my sit/start article this week. In a favorable matchup, the thought was that the whole receiving corps could be very productive in this game. DeAndre Hopkins had a great PPR game and has been able to turn around from his slow start to the season and become the safe reliable WR1 that everyone drafted in the first round this year. Kenny Stills may have had the most disappointing game of all today. With Will Fuller V out the thought was that Stills would slide into his role and be a major factor for this offense in a great matchup. He underwhelmed in a big way for all of the season-long players that started him and in DFS where he was over 30% owned in the Milly Maker. Darren Fells just continues to perform for this team and any receiver that is involved in this team is worth a look. Given the TE landscape, Fells could be a starting-caliber TE moving forward. Another huge disappointment was Keke Coutee who I thought could be a flex option this week. Look for Stills and Coutee to bounce back moving forward with Fuller V still out.
- Colin Weatherwax