The Oakland Raiders are quickly discovering how much a chore it is to roster one of the premiere players in the game. To say Antonio Brown has been a handful since arriving in Oakland would be putting it very lightly with the Pro Bowl wide receiver suffering a fluke cryotherapy injury to his feet and then throwing a hissy fit about not being able to wear his helmet of 10 years. When it’s said and done, his primadonna ways best see some major production on the gridiron or else. You know it’s bad when the mild tempered Mike Mayock more or less drew a line in the sand and told his $17-million a year pass catcher that he’s either all in in or he’s all out. While his receiving yards prop hasn’t budged at online sportsbooks, the juice riding the under has gotten heavier and heavier with every passing week. It’s safe to assume the betting markets are bullish on AB and expect him to take a few steps backwards in his debut with the Silver and Black.
Total Rushing Yards: 1250.5
Offensive Philosophy
Nothing will come to form regardless of how many changes upper management made to the roster in the offseason so long as the offensive line continues to stink out loud. The unit only paved the way for 1,628 total rushing yards a season ago (No. 25) and proved to be a turnstile in the passing game as well evidenced by the 52 conceded sacks (No. 28). The Raiders went out and made Trent Brown the highest-paid offensive tackle in the league, and brought Richie Incognito out of retirement to help the disappointing Kolton Miller protect Derek Carr’s blindside.
There is some talent on this retooled front wall, but it still ranks out as the 26th best unit per the folks at Pro Football Focus. Now with a more formidable running game bolstering it with the addition of rookie Josh Jacobs, the Raiders’ pass play percentage should come close if not surpass the 61.1 percent put forth last season. Only this time, it will be a part of the offense instead of being forced to play catchup due to falling into big early holes every passing week.
Oakland Raiders Football Schedule
Week 1: Broncos
Week 2: Chiefs
Week 3: @Vikings
Week 4: @Colts
Week 5: Bears
Week 6: Bye Week
Week 7: @Packers
Week 8: @Texans
Week 9: Lions
Week 10: Chargers
Week 11: Bengals
Week 12: @Jets
Week 13: @Chiefs
Week 14: Titans
Week 15: Jaguars
Week 16: @Chargers
Week 17: @Broncos
Schedule Breakdown
Being forced to run up against the stout defenses of the Broncos and Chargers in divisional play won’t be fun, but at least Brown now gets to feast upon the porous secondary of the Chiefs twice a season. Other tough spots include traveling to Minnesota and Indianapolis to run up against the Vikings and Colts respectively the first month of the season. Brown’s fantasy owners likely won’t be thrilled with his production leading up to the Week 6 bye as he and Carr look to build a rapport after failing to do so in training camp and preseason due to his myriad of off the field issues.
The back half of the schedule certainly looks to be more appetizing however with six of the Raiders final 11 opponents possessing below average pass defenses from a year ago. His fantasy owners could be looking to dump him late however with his two main playoff bouts scheduled to go against the Jaguars and Chargers who possess two of the best pass defenses in the league. If well off the pace of eclipsing his yardage marker heading into those matchups, there’s no shot he’ll come through for his wagering supporters.
The Bet
I’m really interested to see just how great Antonio Brown truly is this season. There’s no doubt he’s one of the best talents in the league, but just how much of a role did Ben Roethlisberger and one of the best pass blocking offensive lines in the business have in making him the star he believes he is today?
The fact that he’s missed all of the preseason games and numerous practices has me selling AB shares faster than I can get my hands on him. He just hasn’t gotten in sync with Carr or the offense, and it’s going to take time for him to find his bearings regardless of how great a receiver he is. Pair that with what looks to be a very tough schedule to open the year, and I’m selling Brown both in fantasy and in the futures markets at top rated sportsbooks.
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