The Oakland Raiders lost Derek Carr to a hand injury on Sunday in the loss against the Cincinnati Bengals and he could miss some time moving forward. Aldon Smith played for the Raiders after signing ahead of Week 1, while Latavius Murray and Amari Cooper had solid debuts for fantasy football owners.
The Raiders were dominated by the Bengals on Sunday and the team dealt with some injuries in the game, with quarterback Derek Carr having to leave with a hand injury. According to NFL.com, the initial reports on Carr were negative after he had to leave following a hit by Bengals cornerback Adam Jones. Carr fumbled out of bounds on the play and later Matt McGloin came into the game.
The Raiders were down 24-0 in the game and ended up losing 33-13 and now the team is hoping Carr will not be out long. Carr had a hand issue in the offseason, but he was healed up in time for training camp and was healthy in the preseason. The Raiders have the Ravens in Week 2 and if Carr can't go, McGloin likely will get the start for Jack del Rio.
The Raiders did not score until the fourth quarter and Carr finished the game with seven completions on 12 throws for 61 yards. The Raiders were outplayed in all phases of the game and they will have a lot to try and work on for Week 2 after a loss like this. The defense will have to play better and Aldon Smith could see more snaps after finishing with two tackles and one quarterback hit against the Bengals. Smith signed last week after his release from the 49ers earlier in the offseason following another DUI arrest.
Latavius Murray and Amari Cooper remain the best fantasy football options for the Raiders this season and both players were solid on Sunday. Cooper comes in after being the number four pick in the draft and the Raiders have high expectations for him as a rookie. Cooper had five catches on nine targets for 47 yards on Sunday and he will continue to be the number one WR on the depth chart ahead of Michael Crabtree. Murray is coming in as the starter with Darren McFadden gone and he had 44 yards in the game on the ground and also added seven catches for 36 yards.
Michael Crabtree is a solid number three option for fantasy owners and he comes in after putting up five catches for 37 yards for the raiders. Crabtree was targeted eight times and while he may not put up exceptional numbers, he is a good option in deep leagues. Roy Helu was a scratch for the Raiders in Week 1 of the season and he remains a low ranking fantasy option for the time being.
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