Fantasy Focus: Raiders vs. Bears

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It's safe to say that it's a good time to be a Raiders fan.

Fresh off their first road victory since 1899 and their first win in the eastern time zone in franchise history (I think?), the Oakland Raiders are riding an offensive wave this franchise hasn't seen in years. And the even better news? They get Jimmy Clausen and the Bears this week!

First, though, a recap of last week...

Studs

Latavius Murray — 139 yards, 1 TD, 1 catch, 10 yards receiving

Michael Crabtree — 4 catches (9 targets), 36 yards, 0 TD

Derek Carr — 314 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Sleepers

Mychal Rivera — 0 catches

Gary Barnidge — 6 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD

Josh McCown — 341 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Snoozers

Isaiah Crowell — 10 carries, 36 yards, 0 TD

Travis Benjamin — 4 catches (10 targets), 45 yards, 1 TD

Browns Defense — 27 points allowed, 469 yards allowed, 0 INT, 1 Fumble, 0 Special Teams TD

All in all, not a bad week — I went 2/3 in every category, nailing the Murray, Carr, Barnidge, McCown, Crowell and Defense picks. As for Crabtree, I love the nine targets he got, so it's disappointing he wasn't able to haul a few more in, but I'm still high on him moving forward.

But, enough about last week, time for the picks this week....

Studs

Matt Forte — coming off a slow week against Seattle, I think the Bears are going to run him into the ground this week after seeing how terrible Jimmy Clausen looked. Also, considering how poor Oakland's linebackers are in pass coverage, we could see an 8-10 catch day for Forte as well. I'm not expecting Forte to have over 100 yards rushing, but I don'y think 150 total yards is out of the question.

Latavius Murray — In Week 3, Murray finally had the breakout game many were expecting and I don't think Week 4 will be any different. As bad as the Bears are, their pass defense isn't terrible. That said, they allowed 159 rushing yards last week on just 29 carries (not to mention defensive tackle Will Sutton left last week's game with an injury).

Martellus Bennett — You know the drill, insert-opposing-tight-end-here. Eifert, Gillmore and Barnidge have combined for approximately 1,000 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns in three games so far (approximately). We also know Bennett is a) good and b) a tight end, making him a quarterback's best friend. Only hesitancy here is presence of old friend Zach Miller, who may snake some targets. The good news? Bennett led the Bears in targets (5) last week.

Sleepers

Seth Roberts — A BIG sleeper here, but Roberts is definitely intriguing. He saw five passes come his way this weekend, catching three for 54 yards. The downside? The other two were blatant drops. The upside? Touchdowns in two straight and a developing chemistry with Derek Carr. Chicago is fairly good in pass coverage, meaning we could see a No. 3 wideout like Roberts emerge.

Eddie Royal — Yes, Jimmy Clausen sucks, but the Raiders pass D still isn't any good and someone has to catch passes. Royal led Chicago receivers in targets last week (obviously in the absence of Alshon Jeffery), and if Jeffery is still hampered by an injury this week — even if he plays as expected — Royal could be in for a solid day.

Jimmy Clausen — lololololololol (just kidding)

Snoozers

Raiders D — I know, you see Jimmy Clausen and the 146 total yards the Bears put up last week and you're getting all excited. Take a deep breath, amigo, this is still the Oakland defense we're talking about here. With Alshon Jeffery presumably back, the Bears will score some points — hopefully less than Oakland, but this defense is never going to be great, we're just hoping for "good enough"

Jimmy Clausen — The rare exception to the "start any QB against the Oakland pass defense" rule. This guy is terrible.

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Just one final note: I've caught some heat for Amari Cooper's absence in this space, and I'll admit that's deservedly so. This week will be a test for him against a pass defense that held both Aaron Rodgers and Carson Palmer under 200 yards passing in Week 1 and 2. Obviously, Cooper is a must-start every week at this point, I just think some other guys might shine a little brighter. Expect Cooper to make his debut here in Week 5 against Denver.