Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: OAK 13, STL 27 (Line: STL by 7)

UPDATE: Latavius Murray did not pass concussion protocols and is already called out for this week.

The mighty Raiders finally got their first win in the rain thanks to a trapped Chiefs team. The 4-7 Rams are only 2-3 at home but just beat the Broncos two weeks ago. No way the Rams are going to overlook anyone and it cannot rain inside the Edward Jones Dome.

Maybe winning cures everything. At least it makes waking up on Monday nice for the first time since August. The win came together as one of those fated sort of games and ironically was thanks to the one player who only touched the ball four times. The remaining schedule is facing far better defenses each week and three of those games come on the road. But even 1-15 is miles better than 0-16.

QUARTERBACK : Derek Carr has been less effective in recent weeks with only six touchdowns over the last six games and he’s still a near lock to remain below 200 pass yards each week. His one win all year and he only completed 18 of 35 for 174 yards and one touchdown. Carr has tended to post low yardage games with no scores when on the road.

RUNNING BACK : Latavius Murray ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns on only four carries last Thursday. In his span of four carries, he posted the best rushing game by a Raider by 32 yards. He is tied with Darren McFadden with two touchdowns yet played in ten fewer games. He came within 26 yards of doubling the rushing total of Maurice Jones-Drew for the entire year. In just four carries. He left concussed and he is still in the protocol but hoped to be back by Sunday. Murray showed very nice speed on his 90-yard touchdown romp for a back who is 6-3/225.

WIDE RECEIVER : James Jones caught the game winner with his first touchdown since week four. This unit has been woefully inadequate all year and just when Andre Holmes seems to be breaking through he spends the last month with an average of 27 yards per week with no touchdowns. Jones is the only reliable player here and even that is just for moderate yardage at best.

TIGHT END : And just when it seemed that Mychal Rivera was starting to matter, he turns in 48 yards total over the last two games. He scored three times over the meetings with the Broncos and Seahawks but has since returned to his mediocrity.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Rams are weak against the pass but the Raiders are even weaker passing and this is being played in St. Louis. Provided Murray plays, he worth a start if only because we don’t know what to expect really and he has obvious upside. But at home the Rams have given up just one rushing score this year and that was to DeMarco Murray who was held to exactly 100 yards. Murray is the only obvious play here aside from James Jones as a lower WR3.

The Rams stagger through the season, alternating between being just another bad team to one that truly surprises – ask the Broncos. The only real progress so far has been the discovery of a new starting running back but almost the exact same situation happened in 2013. The Rams need four wins to reach .500 and that is possible if they can take advantage of the home games and playing in Washington.

QUARTERBACK : Shaun Hill is hardly making any difference with 220 yards and one score versus the Broncos and then 198 yards and one score in San Diego. He’s nothing more than a game manager yet still threw two interceptions and lost a fumble last week.

RUNNING BACK : Tre Mason has taken over as the primary back and he is getting a heavier load than what Zac Stacy was being allowed. That comes from Benny Cunningham’s workload but he’s not been fantasy relevant this year anyway. Mason scored only once but it was at home and he has averaged almost 70 yards per game for the last six weeks. He has almost no role as a receiver though.

WIDE RECEIVER : Kenny Britt continues his inconsistent play with 128 yards and a score in week 11 followed by only 37 yards on two catches in San Diego last week. Britt scored only three times this year and topped 70 yards once. Stedman Bailey was quiet all year but popped up last week with seven catches for 89 yards and a score when he had never gained more than 33 yards this year. Tavon Austin even scored for the first time this year but it was on a run. He is still amazingly unable to gain more than 20 receiving yards in a game.

TIGHT END : The Rams rarely use their tight ends and Lance Kendricks leads the pack with four touchdowns despite rarely having more than one catch in any game. Jared Cook is the receiving tight end but tends to remain below 30 yards every week.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Raiders always allow a passing score but Hill is unlikely to throw more than one and their rushing game is so bad that most opponents just run their way to a win. They have already allowed 13 touchdowns to running backs this year and six different runners have broken 80 yards. Mason is a must start this week but Hill and Britt are just moderate plays with some risk – especially for the inconsistent Britt.

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