Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Conventional wisdom is that it takes three years to properly evaluate a draft class. Well we don’t need to wait another year to know Denarius Moore has outperformed his draft stock. Most of Raider Nation was aware of that before he even played his first NFL game. Moore was an instant star in his first training camp and has since gone on to out-perform all but 3 of the 17 receivers taken ahead of him in the 2011 NFL Draft. For the record those three men are Pro Bowlers A.J. Green and Julio Jones plus Super Bowl champion Torrey Smith. So Moore is already in elite company with regards to his classmates.

But the novelty of his diamond in the rough status will officially have worn off once the Raiders open camp in 2013. The time has come for Moore to up his status from unexpected contributor to dynamic playmaker.

We all know he’s capable of stretching the field like an unemployed man’s Randy Moss. We also know he can make the type of plays that can turn the tide of game in mere seconds.

All that remains is for Moore to do his thing with more consistency.

After a breakout rookie season Moore began his sophomore campaign looking like he was well on his way to making his #17 jersey an official seller in every NFL shop. Then Oakland’s offense slowed to a crawl and his production and consistency went south like so many football fans flocking to New Orleans last week.

Injury issues definitely didn’t help his cause but he never missed another game after sitting out the season opener. Still it’s hard to ignore his receptions, yardage, touchdowns and yards per catch all taking drastic dips from Week 11 until the end of the season.

In once seven game stretch from weeks 2 through 10 Moore caught 34 balls for 575 yards and 5 TDs. After that he only managed 17 catches for 196 yards a two TDs.  Clearly his role in the offense became confused as Greg Knapp struggled to understand how best to use his talent. Moore also didn’t give the same type of effort seemingly frustrated like all members of the Raiders’ offense became after watching Darren McFadden run into the back of his O-line on every carry.

There is no doubt Moore can easily become the Raiders’ first 1,000 yard receiver since the self-proclaimed G.O.A.T. did so back in ’05. That would mean he’d become more than just a favorite of Raider Nation, he’d also become a highly sought after fantasy stud.

Carson Palmer looked for the most part sharp and more comfortable on the field then in past games. The return of Denarius Moore was a positive for the team and especially Palmer. I can tell DMoe still is not 100%, but he still made some fantastic plays. Our new punt returner Phillip Adams is amazing. He is definitely going to make some crazy good plays this season. [blackbirdpie id="247724306187051008"]

Our front seven on defense played well again but got tired towards the end of the game. Also, Darren McFadden is not hurt yet (even though Gregg  Knapp’s poor play calling made him look injured).

Speed Kills, Picture A.P.

Now for the bad; this list is a lot longer than the previous “good” list. We have a huge hole in our defense called Pat Lee. He was exploited bad on Sunday. He made Brian Heartline look like Wes Welker. They picked on him like a kid in school wearing a Vanilla Ice concert shirt. We had no run game at all! Twenty two (22) yards all day by one of the league’s best running talents, Darren McFadden. Are you serious Gregg Knapp? I gained more than 22 yards yesterday pacing my floor wondering why DMC is not tearing up Miami like a hurricane! I saw way too many yellow flags yesterday. Every time we gained a big play, I would wait till I saw a yellow flag on the field, I was not disappointed most of the time. We also put on a clinic in the second half entitled “How not to tackle”. Is Reggie Bush that good, I don’t think so. He was breaking tackles like he was a 260 pound full back. (Attention Raider equipment trainers, the Butter Flavored Newman Gloves are not working.)

I hope two things happen before next weeks game; Gregg Knapp get lost on the way to the game and Nnamdi Asomugha gets dropped by the Eagles and we pick him up again. Since both of those things probably won’t happen, I’m leaving it in the football god’s hands.

Greg Simon

@simonizr

Staff Writer

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Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Greeting Nation. It’s that time of the year, Fantasy Football. Most have you have already drafted. Today, I’m going to chat a bit about Oakland Raider fantasy options. In the past, I’ve usually steered clear of just about all Raiders when it comes to fantasy football. I try not to choose my team with my heart, but purely stats. In the last few years, my attitude has changed. With the emergence of Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore and the Polish Cannon, Sebastian Janikowski, I can draft with my heart and a bit of stats to back up my picks. Let’s start with the no brainer then work towards the value picks, then the WTF picks.

No brainer; Darren McFadden is a first round talent that you should never pass up. However, if you do pick DMC, make sure you have other later round options, incase the injury bug jumps up and bites his toe again. DMC has never played a whole 16 game season but you already knew that. No brainer; Sebastian Janikowski. Sea Bass is the best kicker in the NFL and the best kicker ever to wear silver and black. Enough said. Go ahead and pick him in the first round! Ha Ha!

Now for some “value” picks. Darrius Heyward-Bey had a break out season last year showing sure hands and his lightning quick routes. DHB would be a great 3^rd or back up receiver. We still need to see his chemistry with Carson Palmer though. All other Raider receivers I wouldn’t touch unless you are looking for a late round sleeper, then I would go Rod Streater. With Denarius Moore, on clipboard duty and Jacoby Ford playing scared, Palmer has shown a great affinity to the huge target, Mr. Streater.

A Raider I would not draft this season would be Carson Palmer. His erratic play this preseason has me worried. Jeckle and Hyde is a great choice for a Sunday matinee, but not a good choice on your fantasy team. I’m not a Carson hater, I’m honestly cheering for the man, but when it comes to fantasy football, when in doubt, don’t draft a turd.

Greg Simon

JBB Staff Writer

@simonizr

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