Oakland Raiders: 4 players who must be better in Week 2

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders grabs his ankle after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders grabs his ankle after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 25: AmariCooper No. 89 of the Oakland Raiders walks off the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 19-10. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 25: AmariCooper No. 89 of the Oakland Raiders walks off the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 19-10. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Amari Cooper

If the Raiders are going to do anything on offense this season, Amari Cooper needs to play a heck of a lot better than he did on Monday night. Cooper was pretty much non-existent for the Silver and Black in Week 1, catching one pass for nine yards on three targets.

Sure, Cooper was open a couple of times downfield, but for some reason, Carr did not want to throw more than five yards on Monday night. Still, he needs to be the biggest part of this offense in 2018, because as we saw against the Rams, this offense can downright stall if they are not taking shots downfield.

Cooper has had games where he absolutely disappears, so we have seen this before. The Rams had some of the best cornerbacks in the league matched up on him Monday night, but that should be no excuse, as he is supposed to be an elite receiver. Denver has talent at the cornerback position as well, so the Raiders better figure out a way to get the ball in Cooper’s hands Sunday.

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