The Oakland Raiders aren't being give much of a chance on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos in the game that closes out Week 3 of the season, but despite that, there is some fantasy value going into the game and the players to watch includes Darren McFadden, Terrelle Pryor and wideouts Denarius Moore and Rod Streater.
The Raiders are 1-1 this season through two games and while things have not been perfect (like any team is), Oakland is looking improved in a number of areas compared to last season, including in the running game and also on defense. Head coach Dennis Allen has helped to turn around the secondary and so far things have been working out, as the team is allowing under 200 yards in the air per game.
Part of that ranking is the fact that the team played the Jaguars last week and faced a Colts team that struggled passing the ball, but still, it's two games and the team is ranked in the top 10 in both passing and rushing yards allowed on average. Reggie McKenzie signed Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins in the offseason and drafted DJ Hayden and those decisions are clearly paying off and the rush defense has been excellent as well.
The biggest positive for the Raiders this season is the rushing game and that's what makes McFadden an interesting play on Monday night. Everyone knows that McFadden is an injury prone running back, but so far this season he has looked good on the field and while the Broncos have a tough defense, not having Von Miller has left the rushing defense exposed a bit and even though they are ranked at the top of the league, McFadden could have a good matchup.
This season he is leading the team with 177 yards just ahead of quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has 162 and he has the most attempts on the team among running backs, while Rashad Jennings is in second. What makes McFadden intriguing is hi value in PPR leagues, as he has done a good job catching balls out of the backfield and he is the second most targeted receiver already this season with 10 from Pryor. He has made seven of those catches for 46 yards and the team could mix more of that in as time goes on. McFadden is a good start tonight, while names like Rod Streater and Denarius Moore are sleeper options.
Terrelle Pryor is also a sleeper option, but only in deeper 12 or 14 team leagues. The fact that he was leading the NFL in rushing for a time was a promising sign and the Raiders appear to love what he brings to the offense. The Raiders are not going to make anyone mistake them from the Broncos, but having Pryor in the pocket is way more exciting than Matt Flynn and the team already is on its way to besting its 4-12 record from 2012.
