Fantasy outlook: Las Vegas Raiders rest of the season outlook + DeSean Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr. projections
Fantasy football got a bit more interesting with the Las Vegas Raiders signing DeSean Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr. forcing his way out of Cleveland but still remaining without a home.
For fantasy purposes and through all of the off-field buzz, the moves by these two players and the Raiders will have significant ramifications for the rest of the season. Most fantasy league trade deadlines have not passed, and teams sitting at .500 or even a few seeds away from a playoff spot could certainly use a boost to get into the playoffs. Fantasy managers will need more than just DeSean Jackson or Odell Beckham Jr., but acquiring either of the two players is a start.
For DFS purposes, DeSean Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr.'s DFS prices will be cheap and a decent consideration for GPP and cash games. Both are projected to be WR3s for the rest of the season unless either player sees a considerable increase in volume and target share.
Browns officially placed Odell Beckham Jr. on waivers today; other teams can claim him and the $7.25 remaining on his contract Tuesday by 4 pm.
Fantasy outlook: Las Vegas Raiders' rest of the season projections with DeSean Jackson
The AFC West is highly competitive. Every team in the division after Week 9 is at five wins, with the Los Angeles Chargers tenuously holding on to the first place. There is no reason for the Raiders to “tank,” so the addition of DeSean Jackson makes sense from a football perspective. From a fantasy perspective, Jackson will be interesting if fantasy managers need a WR3 or flex play. DeSean Jackson will immediately slide into Henry Ruggs’ role and will also take some pressure off of tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow.
The new head coach is using running back Kenyan Drake more in the passing game, so his fantasy outlook is trending up for the rest of the season, especially in PPR leagues. Josh Jacobs, when healthy, remains the lead back but will be TD dependent.
Before the season began, many fantasy managers expected wide receiver Bryan Edwards to be a valued sleeper out of the Raiders’ wide receiver room. So far, the second-year receiver has not flashed in any games, and even with the new head coach, his usage has not increased. The addition of a veteran like DeSean Jackson may muddy his 2021 prospects.
The Las Vegas Raiders are also dark horse contenders for the Odell Beckham sweepstakes. If this comes to fruition, OBJ could immediately become the WR1 or the WR2 if you count tight end Darren Waller as the actual WR1 of the team. But OBJ would definitely slide into the intermediate to deep threat role alongside DeSean Jackson, while the middle of the field would be free for Waller. But it appears unlikely Odell Beckham Jr. will join DeSean Jackson and the black and silver in light of the floating rumors.
Fantasy outlook: Odell Beckham Jr.'s projections depend on the team he joins
Hold now, drop later. If you still have Odell Beckham on your roster, or he happens to be on your waiver wire, hold him until he clears waivers and see where he decides to go. Keep in mind that Beckham wanted to leave a playoff-contending team. He wants to be with a playoff contender that also has a high passing volume.
Of all of the rumored destinations, the Seattle Seahawks are the frontrunners. Hooking up with quarterback Russell Wilson, who is an uber-efficient passer as well as one of the best deep ball throwers, is hard to pass up. For fantasy purposes (and real-life football purposes), Odell Beckham Jr. would be the WR3 behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
Pete Carroll is asked whether Seattle will claim Odell Beckham, Jr. He does not rule it out, ending his answer with this and a smile: “So, I didn’t say yes or I didn’t say no. That’s just cause…you’ll see.”
Seattle does have the cap space to take on the $7.25M owed to OBJ. https://t.co/sNfq4wbkVq
Even if OBJ manages to garner more looks than one of the other two WRs, it’s unlikely that he will be the immediate WR1, but depending on how much the Seahawks are willing to pass the ball, he will be fantasy relevant.
A good comparison would be Antonio Brown joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and still managing to grab a leading target share away from Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Odell Beckham doesn’t look like he’s lost a step or hobbled by an injury. Depending on the destination, Beckham may be valuable or just another pricey wide receiver with a diva complex.
For fantasy purposes, Odell Beckham Jr. needs a capable quarterback plus a high-passing volume offense, which rules out other frontrunners like the New Orleans Saints or the New England Patriots. The Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams would also be good destinations for OBJ with the latter team having a more crowded wide receiver room. In that regard, as a Packer, Beckham would instantly be fantasy relevant running behind Davante Adams.
At his current price, which is lower than his fantasy draft price, he is a very low-risk, high-reward speculative add. Once he joins his new team, he should make an immediate impact. If he pouts and his numbers remain below his brand-name price, then fantasy managers should feel free to drop him to release a valuable roster spot.