The Oakland Raiders won last week after strong performances from Amari Cooper, Latavius Murray and Derek Carr and those players are all solid fantasy football starter options moving into Week 4. The Raiders feel they have improved from last season and part of that is because of the play of Khalil Mack, as he has been off to a strong start on defense.
The Raiders win against the Browns was important since it improved the team to 2-1, but it also was big for this young team, as it snapped an 11-game winning streak away from home. Carr has been playing well to start the season and he has already put up two 300-plus yard passing games over the first three weeks. Carr had 351 yards in Week 2 and on Sunday he ended up going 20-of-32 for 314 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions in the win against Cleveland.
Carr got some strong work from his two most important offensive players, as Amari Cooper and Latavius Murray came through with productive performances. Murray has been nominated for the FedEx Air & Ground player of the week after going for 139 yards and a touchdown and now he has 248 yards through three games this season. Last year Murray had 424 yards total and he took over as the starter this year with Darren McFadden gone.
Cooper came into the season with high expectations as a rookie and he has performed up to par. Last week Cooper had eight catches for 134 yards and he already has 20 catches for 290 yards and one score this season. Mack has been playing very well to start the season and he is a prime defensive player of the year candidate.
The team opened the season with a bad loss to the Bengals, but they bounced back for a huge win against the Ravens and then took care of business on the road against the Browns. The Raiders have the Bears next before a very tough stretch that includes the Broncos, Chargers, Jets and Steelers and that makes the Chicago game a must-win. The Raiders may not be a wild card team yet, but don't tell them that, as they are 2-1 and looking to get another win in Week 4.
With how the Bears have played and how they have looked, the Raiders are the clear favorites even with the game on the road. Alshon Jeffery may return, but Jay Cutler is out and the Bears have started making trades with defensive players. With the Bears at 0-3 this should be an easy game for the Raiders and it's a huge opportunity for a young team to get a taste of winning early in the season.
The defense has played well enough for the team to win and with Mack dominating, the team has an anchor they can rely on to disrupt offenses. Charles Woodson has also been playing well and this past week he had an interception, making it 18 straight seasons that Woodson has had at least one pick, according to Pro Football Talk.