Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: ARI 24, OAK 13 (Line: ARI by 4)

The 4-1 Cardinals are only 1-1 in road games but the 0-5 Raiders are obviously struggling everywhere. Last week suggested that the Raiders were getting better but that had to be a trap game that fell short against the Chargers. The Cardinals are the best defense that the Raiders will have faced and that counts very big against an offense that suddenly seemed to find their passing game..

The solid win over the Redskins helped ease the sting of losing their first game of the year and it now looks like the Cards should be favored in each of the five weeks other than against the Cowboys. With Seattle looking mortal this year, the Cardinals are looking to maintain their advantage in the standings. The return of Carson Palmer was a big help and the next two weeks should provide solid fantasy points.

QUARTERBACK : Though they were evasive during the week, Carson Palmer returned as starter and posted a solid 250 yards and two scores on the Redskins in his first work since the season opener. Drew Stanton beat the 49ers in one his starts so the Cards are still okay without Palmer. But for the fantasy fortunes of those wideouts – Palmer is much preferred. This will be the first road game for Palmer this year.

Worth noting – the Cardinals have yet to throw an interception this year.

RUNNING BACK : The Cardinals are going to run 15 to 18 times every game and use Andre Ellington almost exclusively. But he’s rarely been an advantage other than his big game against the Broncos when he scored twice and rolled up 144 yards. He’s usually good for around 60 or 70 rush yards and a few catches. The plus side to his moderate workload is that it helps him remain healthy.

WIDE RECEIVER : Larry Fitzgerald comes off his first decent game all year when he caught six passes for 98 yards and one score. He’s been stuck at sub-60 yard efforts all year and last scored back in 2013. Michael Floyd only produced four catches for 47 yards but he scored once and his best game of the year was the season opener with Palmer playing when he posted five catches for 119 yards against the Chargers. John Brown scored three times over the first three weeks but has done nearly nothing since. Unless Brown catches a touchdown he’s a non-factor. These next two weeks against soft secondaries should produce bigger stats for the wideouts.

TIGHT END : No fantasy value.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The three previous visitors to Oakland all left with at least two passing scores if not three though wide receivers have not fared that well against the Raiders. Then again, the Raiders only faced NYJ, HOU, NE and MIA before last week when the Chargers almost lost in a trap game and Philip Rivers passed for 313 yards and three scores. The last two teams both had no problem rushing on the Raiders so there is a chance for Ellington to at least have a decent yardage game if not score. Palmer, Floyd, Fitzgerald and Ellington are all worthy of fantasy considerations this week.

So what to think of the suddenly competitive Raiders that almost beat the Chargers? Unless they do it twice, it was just a trap game against a familiar opponent who had not prepared well enough to make the win easy. The Raiders were capped at 14 points per game at most until doubling that versus the Chargers. Unfortunately, this is the only home game until week ten and the Cardinals defense alone should keep the game in check.

QUARTERBACK : Big jump last week when Derek Carr threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns since that doubled his season total. Carr has been marginally average and even less when on the road. Three of his five games contained under 175 pass yards and he’s good for at least one interception in every game. Carr tossed a 77-yard touchdown to Andre Holmes early that helped boost his stats.

RUNNING BACK : Darren McFadden comes off his best game of the year when he ran for 80 yards on 14 carries but his role as a receiver is minimal and he’s scored just once this season. He is not reliable for more than around 70 total yards in a game and less when he is on the road. Maurice Jones-Drew also had his season best effort when he gained 30 yards on four runs. MJD continues to make you wonder if actually did retire in the offseason but no one told the Raiders.

WIDE RECEIVER : The ever-changing wide receiver depth chart for the Raiders normally does not matter but for at least one game, this group finally showed up. James Jones remains the primary and scored for the third time this year when he caught five passes for 56 yards – roughly an average day. Andre Holmes finally overcame a slow start to post scores in each of the last two games and even had a career best 121 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches last week. Holmes is a third-year player who started in Dallas before being released and landing in Oakland in 2013 when he ended with 25 catches on the year. At 6-4 and with decent speed, he’s always been more promise than production but it cannot hurt that he is linked to a young quarterback.

Brice Butler enters his second season and just caught his first NFL touchdown now that he is the current #3 wideout for the Raiders. His three catches for 64 yards versus the Chargers dwarfs anything else he’s ever done but at least he is on the field and starting to become known.

TIGHT END : No fantasy value.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Cardinals are very good against the run and they average 59 rush yards allowed per game and only a 3.1 yard rushing average. It helps playing at home but McFadden should see even lower stats than normal this week. The Cards have allowed at least one passing score to every opponent and very healthy yardage but there is a huge difference between Carr and either Manning or Rivers or even Cousins. Carr was capped at two scores prior to the trap game last week and he’ll be lucky to accomplish that. Holmes will play across from Patrick Peterson and that should prevent him from a three game scoring streak. Jones is the only marginally interesting play this week.

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