The Oakland Raiders are coming off their bye week as they welcome the Denver Broncos to town for an important divisional matchup. The Raiders are tied with the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs for first in the AFC West. Every game matters and a game against a team like the Denver Broncos is a must-win.
The Raiders head into this game with numerous question marks among their fantasy football-eligible players. The biggest question mark is at quarterback, where Carson Palmer is trying to work his way into some kind of comfort zone in the offense. The Raiders added T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the mix, with many viewing him as a security blanket for Palmer. Given the dramatic change at quarterback. Houshmandzadeh could also provide some veteran leadership to the young receivers.
The Raiders face a Broncos defense that is middle of the road against the run, but awful against the pass. It is tough to tell what to do with the Raiders receivers. Darrius Heyward-Bey remains the top starting option for now, with Jacoby Ford a decent second option. They are flex or maybe WR2 options at best.
Sebastian Janikowski is another question mark as he comes back from a hamstring issue. When healthy, Seabass is as good as anybody at the kicker position. The question is if he is ready to go. Keep an eye on the Raiders inactive list this Sunday and the transaction wire over the weekend to see if the Raiders go in another direction for week nine.
Definite Start: Michael Bush, Sebastian Janikowski (if active), Raiders Defense/Special Teams
Bye-week Fill-in: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford
Desperate Starter Need: Denarius Moore
Leave On Waivers: T.J. Houshmandzadeh