2014 Review

Last season was a step in the right direction for the Raiders. After losing 16 consecutive games dating back to 2013, Oakland won three of its final six games. It might not seem like a lot, but at least this young team was able to show some promise heading into the offseason. 

Derek Carr played extremely well under center, Latavius Murray showed some talent towards the end of the year. Meanwhile, Andre Holmes caught 47 passes for nearly 700 yards. 

Despite a trend in the right direction, Oakland had to add talent in the offseason in order to field an even average offense in 2015. And that's exactly what it did. 

Veteran Additions

Michael Crabtree is the most-likely immediate producer out of this laundry list of veterans. Despite coming off the worst season of his career (698 yards and four touchdowns), there is some late-round potential here. Crabtree will likely find himself starting opposite rookie Amari Cooper. With that will come enough targets to make an impact. He's also not going to be in as much of a run-based attack as he was in San Francisco, further expanding his opportunities. Having a more consistent pocket passer in Derek Carr should also help. Though, Crabtree is nothing more than a deep bench option or waiver-wire add in 12-team leagues. 

Trent Richardson. Remember when he was considered a viable fantasy option? That seemed like so long ago. He's now going to be battling for a roster spot with Oakland. Coming off a 2014 campaign that saw him average 3.3 yards per attempt, there really isn't much to look at here. Though, the Raiders did add a potential deep option in PPR leagues in the form of Roy Helu, who has put up an average of 37 receptions over the past two seasons. Even then, he's nothing more than a waiver-wire add should snaps trend in his direction. 

NFL Draft

Outside of Carr likely providing top-20 fantasy production from the quarterback position, Amari Cooper is going to be the most-exciting fantasy option in Oakland. While we do like to avoid relying on rookie receivers to make an impact, there's no reason to believe Cooper won't at least be a mid-tier WR2 option in 2015. The targets are most definitely going to be there. And he has a quarterback to actually get him the football. Those are two indicators leading me to believe immediate fantasy success will find the Crimson Tide product. 

Clive Walford, a second-round pick out of Miami, is also someone to keep an eye on in deeper leagues. A lot of this is going to depend on whether Walford will be able to take over for Mychal Rivera as the team's starting tight end. If not, there isn't much to see here. Though, the Raiders could potentially go with more 2-TE sets in 2015. Either way, just look for him on the waiver wire and check in on his snap count. 

Potential Breakout Star

Carr finished as the 20th-best fantasy quarterback last season. That made him a bottom-end QB2 option. Natural progression seems to indicate that he should jump up a few notches this year. However, the indicators here suggest Carr could actually find himself being one of the top QB2 option in 12-team leagues. First off, he did put up double-digit fantasy points in 10 of his 16 starts last year. That's remarkable consistency from a rookie. Secondly, the Raides have much more talent on offense than they did last year. Something to the tune of 4,000 yards and 25-plus touchdowns isn't out of the question here. 

Potential Disappointment

Call me a skeptic, but I just don't envision Murray being a 20-touch running back in Oakland's system. Instead, I see more of a running back by committee approach here. That's an indication that he likely won't put up anywhere near the numbers that his current PPR suggests (mid RB2 value). Prior to the final four games of last season, Murray had not attempted more than four rushes in a single game. Outside of a high-round rookie, I want to see some on-field production before relying on a player to provide top-15 production from the running back position.