Thursday, August 19, 2010

FANTASY FOOTBALL: Oakland Raiders will produce for owners

Will the Oakland Raiders be an upgrade for fantasy football owners this season with new quarterback Jason Campbell?
I think....definitely.

Quarterback Jamarcus Russell, a highly touted QB from Louisiana State University, took the fantasy football world by storm when he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2007. There were certainly high expectations from management, RaiderNation fans and fantasy football team owners that Russell would some day lead RaiderNation to the NFL promised land.

The dismal result:
In 31 career games, Russell completed 52.1 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns, 23
interceptions, 15 lost fumbles and a 65.2 passer rating. His well-documented shoddy work ethic certainly didn’t help.

The Raiders were a fantasy football afterthought the past two years and the sentuiment began and ended with the quarterback.
Enter newly acquired quarterback Jason Campbell in a trade with Washington.
Fantasy football experts are reserving judgement with the move. But the Raiders’ offensive players truly become more than just bye-week fill-ins or late-round roster additions with Campbell on board.
Really.
Instead of thinking outside the box, many fantasy football experts simply make predictions and projections based on the black and white evidence of past statistics. While talent ultimate determines a player’s on-field performance, many times performance is affected, even enhanced, by motivational factors.
And the much-maligned Campbell is certainly motivated to succeed early and often with the Raiders.
Is he the team’s savior? I think so, almost to the point where the Raiders might even make the playoffs this season.
Ignore Raiders' offensive players at your own risk.