In DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard, the Oakland Raiders have a pair of backs who could break out this season. Both guys fared well last year, according to our numbers, and you could talk me into either player if you tried hard enough.
Running behind one of the league's top offensive lines, all three Oakland backs who saw significant work a season ago fared a lot better than a league-average runner. As a reminder, the average Rushing NEP per carry was -0.02 while the average Success Rate was 40.28%.
| 2016 Raiders RBs | Carries | Rushing NEP/Carry | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Richard | 84 | 0.13 | 47.61% |
| DeAndre Washington | 86 | 0.04 | 45.34% |
| Latavius Murray | 195 | 0.03 | 40.51% |
Prior to last season, Murray had proven himself to be pretty mediocre, but running behind an improved line helped him big time. Richard, though, took things to an elite level, ranking fifth in Rushing NEP per carry among backs with at least 80 attempts.
Clearly, this is a rushing attack we want to target.
Marshawn Lynch, Oakland's marquee offensive signing this offseason, is atop the team's depth chart, but as our own Matt Blair wrote earlier this summer, there are plenty of red flags with Lynch -- namely his age (31) and decline in production the last time we saw him.
If Lynch struggles or gets injured, Richard and Washington could cannibalize each other's fantasy value. But if either gets a hold on a clear-cut top gig, they could be a league-winning back.