RADIO
The Oakland Raiders’ offensive resurgence has been fun to watch this year, mostly because they haven’t had a solid offense since they went to the Super Bowl in 2003.
Derek Carr has shown tremendous signs of improvement in his sophomore season, and he’s gotten some help with wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, as well as running back Latavius Murray. But all expectations must be limited when playing the Denver Broncos, and that is where the Raiders find themselves this week.
Until his three-interception game against Kansas City in Week 13, Carr had essentially been turnover-proof. It was Carr’s first three-turnover game of the season, and just his second game where he threw more than one interception. He finished the contest with 13.2 fantasy points, which brought his average to less than 15 points per game over his last three. He’ll be in for a daunting task when the Raiders take to the road against Denver this week, a team that held Carr to just 9.7 fantasy points in Week 5.
With the exception of his seven catch-115-yard performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12, Amari Cooper has struggled over the last month. Cooper, who hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 9, is only averaging 6.5 fantasy points per game over his last four.
A big part of Cooper’s game is his ability to extend his yards after the catch, but his last few opponents have been able to contain that, and it won’t get any easier against the Broncos, who limited him to just 47 yards on four catches in Week 5. It’s been tough to gauge Cooper’s value this season because he has been so inconsistent, and his matchup with Denver puts the brakes on any hope for a big game from him.
Michael Crabtree has quietly put together the most successful season of his career, but he’s really struggled over the last few weeks. Crabtree only has nine catches for 64 yards over his last two games, but he’s been able to find the endzone in each of those games, bringing his total to seven touchdowns this year.
Crabtree is averaging just 7.2 fantasy points per game over the last month, and like Cooper, he’ll be in for a tough matchup against the Broncos who limited him to just 5.4 fantasy points in Week 5.
