In support of: Spina Bifida Association 
The mission of the Spina Bifida Association is to build a better and brighter future for all those impacted by Spina Bifida.
Nominated by Matt Flowers (@MattFFBall) “Whilst I obviously didn’t know him, my parents had a son before I was born and he was born with Spina Bifida. They only had a few days with him before he passed and I often think how lives (including my parents and probably me) would change with the help of organisations such as this.“
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: AFC West
2020 Finish: 8-8 (2nd in AFC West)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 55% (24th)
- Neutral Game Script: 54% (25th)
- Offensive Scheme: West Coast
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 50%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) = 19%
- 22 Personnel (2RB, 2TE, 1WR) = 12%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 8%
- 13 Personnel (1RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 8%
- 23 Personnel (2RB, 3TE, 0WR) = 2%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Jon Gruden
Jon Gruden is entering year four of his 10-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders back in 2018. The team has shown improvement for three consecutive years and finished 8-8 in 2020. The Raiders organization believes that Jon Gruden can bring a Lombardi Trophy to Las Vegas like he did his first year as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he defeated his former team, the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. Coincidentally, that was the year after he left the Oakland Raiders sideline to go to Tampa Bay. He will need a lot of things to fall into place and perhaps some luck in 2021 to continue to move in the right direction.
Offensive Coordinator: Greg Olson
Greg Olson was hired by Jon Gruden to be the offensive coordinator of the Raiders back in 2018. Olson was also the quarterbacks coach under Gruden in Tampa Bay. He has more than 33 years of coaching experience and has been an offensive coordinator for the Lions, Rams, Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Raiders. The Raiders offense was one of only three teams in 2019 to have a 1000-yard rusher, 1000-yard receiver, and a 4,000-yard passer.
Overall Rank: 18th/32
OL Room
LT Kolton Miller – PFF 72.9, Pass Blocking 81.3, Run Blocking 55.4
Kolton Miller, to put it nicely, was not good his rookie season in 2018. His overall PFF grade was only 49.6 and he struggled in both pass blocking (52.7) and run blocking (46.8). He made some positive strides in 2019 and then took another big leap in 2020 ranking 34th overall and 15th in Pass Block Grade. Miller is looking to prove to the Raiders he was worthy of the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and his lucrative contract extension he just signed this off-season.
LG Richie Incognito – PFF 74.0, Pass Blocking 88.5, Run Blocking 68.9
Richie Incognito is no stranger to controversy which caused him to miss the 2014 and 2018 seasons. Aside from the off the field issues, Incognito has been one of the best interior linemen in the NFL for many years. He has started every game he has every played dating back to his rookie year in 2006. However, he did miss all but two games in 2020 due to a torn Achilles that required season-ending surgery. In 2019, Incognito was one of the best pass-blocking interior linemen in the NFL with an 88.5 pass blocking grade from PFF. If he can stay healthy, the left side of this offensive line should be set.
C Andre James – N/A
Andre James will enter camp in a position battle with Nick Martin. James only has one career start in his two seasons in the NFL after signing with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA. In only 117 snaps in the NFL his overall PFF grade is a smoldering 23.4. That, my friends, is not good. Nick Martin is better in pass protection, but really struggles in the run game, which is a staple of a Jon Gruden offense. I would not be surprised if Nick Martin wins the job coming out of the preseason, but for now, I think Jon Gruden wants to see what James can do running with the first team.
RG Denzelle Good – PFF 56.7, Pass Blocking 51.4, Run Blocking 57.6
Denzelle Good started 14 games in 2020 which is a career high. Good came over from the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 and replaces Gabe Jackson who is now in Seattle. Simply put, this is a downgrade for the Raiders as Good struggles in the passing game against stronger and more athletic interior linemen in the NFL.
RT Alex Leatherwood (Rookie)
Alex Leatherwood was the first surprise pick in the 2021 NFL Draft going 17th overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. This is what I call the Alabama Effect. Leatherwood had a second-round grade by most NFL scouts, but the Raiders needed to replace Trent Brown at left tackle. Why not take an offensive lineman from Alabama? They tend to produce the most NFL ready prospects year in and year out under Nick Saban. Why should this be any different? We will find out soon enough if Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock got this one right. I know Tom Cable, long-time offensive line coach, cannot wait to go to the lab with this rookie.
New Toys: Nick Martin
Old News: Rodney Hudson (16/16), Trent Brown (5/5), Gabe Jackson (16/16)
Overall Rank: 25th/32
QB Room
Derek Carr (QB16)
Derek Carr is coming off a strong 2020 season that ended with him throwing for more than 4,000 yards for the third straight year. During that same three year run he completed almost 69% of his passes with a 2.48 TD/INT ratio. Carr is entering his fourth season under Jon Gruden and Greg Olson so he has a deep understanding of this offense. His success will be dependent on the revamped offensive line and the inexperience of his wide receiver core. When everything breaks down just find Darren Waller.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 571 attempts, 68.3%, 4963 yards, 35 touchdowns
Rushing: 38 attempts, 129 yards, 2 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 341.4
New Toys: N/A
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Rank: 17th/32
RB Room
Josh Jacobs (RB24)
Josh Jacobs is coming off two back to back 1,000-yard rushing seasons to start his NFL career. Impressive, considering he is the first back to accomplish this feat in a Raiders uniform since Marcus Allen did it for three consecutive seasons from 1983-1985. However, due to poor offensive line play and some injury concerns, his yards per carry dipped from 4.8 to 3.9. Jacobs will be looking to continue the streak of 1000-yard seasons in 2021, but the Raiders did bring in Kenyan Drake so it will be interesting to see how this plays out throughout the preseason.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 265 attempts, 1194 yards, 9 touchdowns.
Receiving: 23 targets, 16 receptions, 112 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 207.0
Kenyan Drake (RB31)
Kenyan Drake arrives in Las Vegas coming off a 10-touchdown season with the Arizona Cardinals. In 21 games with the Cardinals, Drake ran for 1,598 yards and 18 touchdowns with an average of 4.4 yards per carry which is on pace with his career average of 4.5. Drake can play WR as well, so I expect to see Jacobs and Drake on the field at the same time quite a bit.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 133 attempts, 570 yards, 6 touchdowns
Receiving: 63 targets, 45 receptions, 290 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 179.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Devontae Booker (16/1)
Position Fantasy Rank: 15th/32
WR Room
Henry Ruggs III (WR41)
Henry Ruggs III struggled to live up to the hype that comes with being drafted 12th overall in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He started 12 games for the Raiders but was only able to turn that into 26 receptions for 452 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ruggs has elite speed clocking a 4.27 at the NFL Combine and showed off that speed at times averaging 17.4 yards per reception. With a full off-season to work with Derek Carr the Raiders should see a big jump in year two for Mr. Ruggs III.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 103 targets, 62 receptions, 1073 yards, 6 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 205.0
Bryan Edwards (WR52)
Bryan Edwards was drafted in the third round out of South Carolina in the 2020 NFL Draft. As a freshman at South Carolina, Edwards was a Freshman All-American and an SEC All-Freshman selection. In his sophomore season, he was voted the teams Offensive Most Valuable Player and finished his college career with over 3,000 yards receiving and even spent time as a punt returner. There were many scouts who felt his game would transfer to the NFL level, but his rookie season only produced 11 receptions for 193 yards and 1 touchdown. He can be great with contested catches and in high pointing the football, but he struggles to create separation. Not to mention, the Raiders tend to not target the X receiver as much as they like to attack the middle of the field. It will be tough for Edwards to crack the starting lineup with Henry Ruggs III, John Brown, and the reliable Hunter Renfrow, but I’m not ready to give up on him yet. I believe the return on investment may not come until year three but only time will tell.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 80 targets, 54 receptions, 914 yards, 5 touchdowns.
Total Fantasy Points: 175.7
New Toys: Willie Snead IV
Old News: Nelson Agholor (16/13)
Fantasy Position Rank: 24th/32
TE Room
Darren Waller (TE2)
Darren Waller is a tremendous story. Waller has overcome drug addiction that almost cost him his entire career, and more importantly, his life. Waller shared his story on NFL Total Access and to listen to him speak and talk about how far he’s come only makes you root for him even more. In his first two seasons in Baltimore he only started four games for a total of 12 receptions, 103 yards, and two touchdowns. Then, it happened. Jon Gruden signed Darren Waller off the Baltimore practice squad in 2018 and the rest is history. In 2019, his first full season in Oakland, he took the league by storm notching 90 receptions, 1,145 yards, and 3 touchdowns. How did he follow up in 2020? With 107 receptions, 1,196 yards, and 9 touchdowns while also being selected to his first Pro-Bowl. Waller has been targeted 262 times in the last two years and that will not change in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 149 targets, 108 receptions, 1312 yards, 11 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 305.6
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Jason Witten (16/7)
Position Fantasy Rank: 2nd/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #7 (.527 134-120-2)
2021 Predicted Finish: 7-10 (Last AFC West)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
