Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos: 3 Players to Watch in Week 17
By Alex Perl
DeAndre Washington
The fourth-year veteran had quite the volume this past week vs the Chargers. With 23 carries for 85 yards this past week, the Raiders pounded the ball often with Washington. Despite being a backup it looks as though once again the Raiders will be without injured starting running back Josh Jacobs.
With Jacobs already dealing with a fractured right shoulder which has caused him to miss two of the past three games, his Instagram story showed Christmas night he had a totally different surgery. With his leg wrapped in bandages in the videos, which turned out to be due to an infection, it seems even more likely Washington assumes the starting role for Week 17.
With only a 3.7 ypc (yards per carry) game against the Chargers, Washington did not have the most impressive game. With a Broncos defense that allows over 100 yards per game, Washington has a chance to rectify his previous performance in the finale. Granted this is if Jacobs is not given the green light, as his status is still up in the air.
This is will be a true test for Washington and Oakland, If Washington does assume the role of starter, he will be given the ball early and often and will need to provide quality yardage for the Raiders to pull off a win here.