Deep League Sleeper: Could The Raiders’ Seth Roberts Emerge As A Viable WR Option?

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

When you think of Oakland Raiders skill position players, who are the first names that come to mind?  Most likely it would be:

1. Amari Cooper (WR)
2. Latavius Murray (RB)
3. Michael Crabtree (WR)
4. DeAndre Washington (RB)

For some the names of Clive Walford (TE) and Andre Holmes (WR) could also be in the mix.  That’s six players before maybe you reach wide receiver Seth Roberts (and that’s a big maybe).  Would it surprise you to learn that he was actually third on the team in receiving yards last season (480), despite being a tertiary option with just 55 targets?

Where Roberts really shined was inside the red zone, making you wonder if his role will grow in that regard.  He had just 4 receptions inside the 20 (on 8 targets), but he turned all of them into TD.  How did the other receivers produce?  Amari Cooper received 5 targets, yielding 1 TD.  Crabtree converted 9 targets into 1 reception and 1 TD.  Walford had 6 targets, which turned into 2 receptions and 2 TD.

Roberts was an undrafted free agent out of West Alabama, a Division II school.  It makes sense that he didn’t garner much attention, though the 6’2” receiver has certainly thrust his name onto the map in an offense with the potential to truly emerge.  He showed that potential in the second preseason game, with 4 receptions for 50 yards.

Of course, fantasy owners haven’t appeared to take notice quite yet.  His current average ADP is 254.5 and in most cases he’s going undrafted.  With the potential to be the go to red zone threat, there’s reason to stash him on your bench and see what happens.  He’s clearly third on the depth chart and all it would take is one injury to fully put him on breakout radars (and with Crabtree’s history, is that really a long shot).

Don’t grab him expecting him to be an every week starter from Opening Day.  Grab him as a stash and follow and see if he continues to rise.  At his price point (aka nil) he has the potential to be a steal, and if it doesn’t work out you move on with no loss.

Sources – ESPN, NFL.com, CBS Sports, Fantasy Pros