Las Vegas Raiders: Predicting the All-AFC West offense in 2021
By Alex Perl
Las Vegas Raiders: Predicting the All-AFC West offense in 2021
Wide Receivers and Tight End
WR: Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
When discussing the explosiveness of Tyreek Hill, you can only shudder as a Raiders fan. In fact, the Raiders are hoping that their own rocket in a bottle in wide receiver Henry Ruggs can develop into the kind of player Hill is.
Hill matched his career-high in receptions last year with 87, to go along with over 1,200 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. The speedster has been a problem for not only the Raiders, but the league for more than a few seasons now, and you can expect this trend to continue as Pat Mahomes will continue to look the way of the three-time All-Pro.
WR: Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen had a rough 2020 in terms of health as he spent a significant portion of the season injured. Despite missing some time and playing through quite a few game-time decisions, Allen still recorded 100 receptions and nearly 1,000 yards.
The veteran receiver should see a huge improvement upon these numbers if he stays healthy, and seems to have developed quite a rapport with second-year quarterback Justin Herbert. Allen could be the top-performing wide receiver in the division this year if healthy, and while that is a big if, the talented receiver always has the potential to have a spectacular season.
TE: Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
This one can come down to a coin flip with Waller and Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. In fact, the debate for who is the best tight end in football can consist of these two special talents. In only his second full season with the Raiders, Waller exploded to the tune of a franchise-record 107 receptions to go along with nearly 1,200 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.
The converted wide receiver should even improve upon these numbers, as the Raiders are fronting a somewhat youthful receiving core this year. Expect Derek Carr to lean heavily on his talented tight end, who should be the leader among this group and have very high chances to surpass his special 2020 season.