Never Too Early: Oakland Raiders Fantasy Football Preview

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, Fantasy FanHouse is here to preview each and every team. Listen closely, you're almost guaranteed to win your FREE fantasy football league, only over at Fleaflicker.

Meet The ...
Soon-to-be really exciting offense. There is certainly no shortage of high-powered weaponry in Lane Kiffin's stable. JaMarcus Russell is surrounded by Javon Walker, Drew Carter, Ronald Curry, Darren McFadden, and Justin Fargas. That's explosivity and it's only a matter of time before it ignites. Hopefully Al Davis likes the results, or they'll be starting over again next year.

The Breakout
I LOVE JAMARCUS RUSSELL. I want to yell it from the mountaintops. Only I don't have a mountain. I have a keyboard. (here's hoping you get the movie reference ... otherwise that would have been really weird) Seriously, though, there's a reason that JaMarcus was the top overall pick. He's talented as sin. Last year was a very weird season for him, but he did finish on a high note (23-31, 224 yards, TD) against the Chargers. He has been provided two new, speedy deep threats -- assuming Walker's recovered from his Vegas outing -- and McFadden, in addition to a steadily improving offensive line and Fargas. With a full arsenal at his disposal in camp, look for the 23-year-old to storm out of the gates in a coming-out season.

The Bust
It's tough to even pinpoint a real bust here, but I'll go with Darren McFadden to be a mild bust. Look, I'm a huge fan and think he's going to be an elite back in this league someday. I also think that with the success of Adrian Peterson last season, people will be a little too zealous in nabbing McFadden. He shouldn't be going in the third round of 10-12 team leagues and most certainly shouldn't see the second round. If that happens, don't let it be you.

The Depth Chart
QB1 - JaMarcus Russell
QB2 - Andrew Walter
RBBC - Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden
RB3 - Michael Bush
WR1 - Javon Walker
WR2 - Ronald Curry
WR3 - Drew Carter
TE1 - Zach Miller
K - Sebastian Janikowski

The D/ST
After coming from nowhere to be a respectable unit in 2006, the Raiders fell apart and were awful in '07. They have added DeAngelo Hall and Gibril Wilson to the secondary, but that was hardly the problem, as the Raiders were 8th against the pass in the NFL. They did nothing to address the fact that their front seven sucks. They were the 31st ranked rushing defense and 28th in sacks. Yeah, they have Nnamdi Asomugha -- a stud at locking down the opposing receiver -- but he rarely picks it off. They have big-play LB Thomas Howard (six picks, two TDs last year), but none of this makes them draftable at this point.

The Skinny
There's more to like about this squad than in years past. You have two startable backs (to reiterate, just don't reach for McFadden), a QB that's about to bust loose, and three draftable receivers. The line cleared enough holes for the Raiders to be sixth in the NFL in rushing in '07, so there's plenty of potential on the offensive side of the pigskin.

Also, picture this: passing down, McFadden trots out to the flats, Walker and Carter streak down the field, and Russell bootlegs out. That's a lot of attention to spread around. You know who gets lost in the shuffle? Tight end Zach Miller. He's a good sleeper at backup TE to grab late in drafts, potentially even the last round.

They won't be a playoff team, but things are looking up in Oaktown, that's for sure.