Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders: 3 players to watch in Week 9

The entire secondary

It is hard to pick a specific player in the secondary because everyone needs to be on alert this week. Detroit has one of the more well-rounded pass-catching groups, and Stafford is spreading the wealth. On the outside, they have a very underrated duo in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, who both have over 30 catches and nine touchdowns combined.

In the slot, there is Danny Amendola, who’s been able to stay healthy, and it has had two straight games of eight receptions. Rounding out the group is rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson, who has been quiet after a great week one, but can’t be forgotten.

The Oakland secondary has been a weakness all season, and that was evident again last Sunday. They don’t have to focus on one elite player like De’Andre Hopkins, but the pressure will be on everyone in coverage since the Lions have capable playmakers all over the field.

One area to focus on heavily during this game is explosive plays. Detroit is third in the league in yards per completion, 5th in passes of 20+ yards, and 6th in 40+ yard passes. On the flip side, Oakland is 30th in plays of 20+ and 40+ yards allowed, so this is not an ideal matchup.

Guys like Daryl Worley, Lamarcus Joyner, Karl Joseph, and Trayvon Mullen need to have big games because always giving up explosive plays puts severe pressure on the offense to play flawlessly.