Denver - Oakland Game Notes

To those of you that listened to me all pre-season and picked up Jay Cutler on the cheap in your drafts, you're welcome. He went through the Raiders strong pass defense (the only strength of the Raiders) faster than Tatum Bell went through Rudi Johnson's luggage. Now, I don't know if the Raiders will be as strong against the pass as we had thought, because DeAngelo Hall looks like he has completely lost it, but we will find out in a couple of weeks. Anyway, it was a great first step towards what we predict to be a huge season for Cutler.

Eddie Royal was a centerpiece of the Broncos' offense on Monday night, consistently burning and frustrating the aforementioned Hall, catching 9 balls, running twice, and even attempting a pass. It appears that the Broncos coaching staff already has complete confidence in Royal, and while his numbers may go down some when Brandon Marshall comes back, his talent can't be denied, and it looks like our boy Jay has another weapon to play with. Now he's got Marshall on one side, Royal on the other, Brandon Stokely in the slot, and an emerging Tony Scheffler (72 yard catch-and-run) at TE. Darrell Jackson is now the 4th receiver and not worth owning.

They don't call Shanahan the dark lord of fantasy football for nothing. We were convinced that Selvin Young would be the starting back getting most of the carries, with Andre Hall taking over in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Well, Monday night Young started, but Hall got the most carries (11), and Micheal Pittman was the short-yardage and goal-line back who vultured 2 TDs. The end result is that all three of these guys cancel each other out, as none of them have a role large enough to score consistently high fantasy points. I'm lowering my voice to a whisper for this next secret: remember Ryan Torian. He could be the Eddie Royal of the backfield when he comes back from his broken arm. With no clear #1 established when he comes back, he could take over for 2 or even all 3 of these guys.

Don't let the decent numbers fool you: Jamarcus Russell looked bad in the first half, when the game was still in question. I don't see him worth owning this year, but he may continue to get second half yardage, as it looks like the Raiders are unlikely to be competitive in many games this year.

It does not surprise me that Darren McFadden went out with a shoulder injury. As I have said all pre-season, I just don't think his body shape or running style are conducive to a long, healthy, NFL careeer.