This Sunday, the Oakland Raiders begin their season in New York to face the Jets. Which players project to have a big week and may be worth picking up on your fantasy football team?
Start
Sebastian Janikowski
If the offensive line can protect Derek Carr, he could have a big day against the Jets weak secondary. Even if the Raiders don't score every possession, they should be able to push the ball into Janikowski's field goal range.
Through the 2014 preseason, Seabass has looked much better and his chemistry with Marquette King is improved. If Matt McGloin was able to lead the Silver and Black to 27 points last year against the Jets, think of what Carr can do.
More points means more field goals and extra points for The Polish Cannon and more points for your fantasy team.
Sit
Maurice Jones-Drew
Rex Ryan is going to stack the box and blitz Derek Carr like crazy. At the same time, this method of defense will stop the Raiders rushing attack.
MJD will already be losing carries to Darren McFadden. Add in the Jets star-studded defensive line and Jones-Drew's fantasy outlook is bleak.
The Raiders starting runningback is projected a meager 3.4 fantasy points on NFL.com
Sleepers
Denarius Moore
Last week against the Seahawks, Moore caught three passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns. While he is projected to be the Raiders third receiver, he has the highest upside of the group and the most big play potential.
Because of an increased chemistry with Carr, Moore could be a valuable sleeper this week. With James Jones and Rod Streater being covered by the Jets top cornerbacks, Moore will be covered by a slot-corner. Since Dee Milliner is out, that slot-corner could become the Jets number four cornerback. That would be a big mismatch the Raiders would look to capitalize on.
Moore's production will boil down to the Raiders offensive line. If they can hold up, expect a big night from the explosive playmaker.
Derek Carr
While rookie quarterbacks in their first meeting with the Jets are 1-7, there is a chance that Carr will change that. The Jets have a terrible secondary with second year player Dee Milliner as their best cornerback likely to miss the game with a high ankle sprain. That leaves Darrin Walls, Antonio Allen and rookie safety Calvin Pryor to cover the Raiders receiving corps.
Carr led two touchdown drives and completed 75% of his passes against the Seahawks and the Legion of Boom, so it stands to reason he should be able to pick apart the Jets secondary if given enough time to throw the ball.
That if is where the risk in starting Carr in your fantasy leagues comes in. While at Fresno State, Carr completed a ridiculous 72 percent of his passes when not under pressure. But when the blitz arrived, his completion percentage plummeted to 29 percent. If the Raiders offensive line can mimic their performance last week against theSeahawks, expect Carr to pick the Jets apart.
Jets Defense
Either Carr is going to be really good, or really bad. That is going to be decided by the Raiders offensive line and whether or not they can stop the Jets dominant defensive line. If they can, Rex Ryan's defense is going to be demolished.
But if the Jets defense can pressure the rookie, they could be a top fantasy defense this week. As mentioned earlier, Carr's completion percentage significantly drops when he is pressured. If the Jets can penetrate the pocket and hit Carr, the rookie may begin to make poor decisions and turn the ball over.
Starting the Jets defense provides insurance if you decide to start Carr because one of the two is guaranteed to put up some serious fantasy points.
Geno Smith
Smith will be facing a Raiders defense that has struggled mightily throughout the preseason. The Raiders secondary is very thin, especially with D.J. Hayden out of the game.
The Jets added Eric Decker, Jace Amaro and Chris Johnson during the off-season in an attempt to help Smith. Decker should be a tough matchup for Tarell Brown and Chris Johnson will keep the Raiders defense honest.
Because of the Raiders lackluster secondary and the Jets new offensive weapons, look for Smith to lead the Jets to plenty of scoring drives.
Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a $100,000 Fantasy Football Contest for Week 1's NFL games. It's only $10 to join and first prize is $10,000. Starts Sunday, September 7th at 1pm ET. Here's the FanDuel link.
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