Getty Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Tyrell Williams has missed practice all week and now head coach Jon Gruden has officially ruled him out for the game against the Green Bay Packers. The Oakland Raiders weren’t expecting him back just yet and it looks like he still needs time to recover from plantar fasciitis. Williams’ absence should hurt, but there’s potentially an even bigger blow on the injury front.
Gruden revealed that starting right tackle Trent Brown is doubtful heading into Sunday’s game. According to the coach, Brown strained his calf during Monday’s practice and it looks like it hasn’t gotten much better. He did make an appearance at Friday’s practice, which should indicate that he’s on the right track, but it’s very possible he’ll miss Sunday’s game. Brown will make the trip to Green Bay with the team just in case he recovers before game time.
Gruden said that David Sharpe will replace Brown if he’s unable to go. Sharpe was a fourth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2017 NFL Draft and played in 15 games, starting two. Brown has been one of the offense’s biggest contributors. He’s been a key part of an offensive line that’s kept quarterback Derek Carr pretty clean throughout the season. If he does sit out Sunday’s game, look for the Raiders to really rely on the run game.
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Tyrell Williams Fantasy: Potential Waiver Wire Replacements for Raiders WR
Tyrell Williams has scored a touchdown in every game he’s played this season. If he was one of your starting fantasy football wide receivers, you are probably missing that production. It’s unclear when he might return, so it would be smart to consider adding a replacement for him. The Raiders have a couple of intriguing options on their roster. The team recently traded for Zay Jones from Buffalo. He definitely wasn’t a big fantasy threat then, but he does have some upside now.
The Packers’ pass defense is middle of the pack. Good, not great. However, their run defense is poor. According to the AP’s Josh Dubow, Green Bay is allowing a league-worst 5.92 yards per carry with eight or more defenders in the box.
#Raiders averaging league best 6 yards per carry vs 8+ men in box. Packers allowing league worst 5.92 ypc with 8+ in box
Expect the Raiders to run the ball early and often. This fact may lessen any impact Jones will have in his first game with the silver and black. Trevor Davis may be a more interesting option. The former Packer should be looking to have a big game versus his old team. He’s a threat to score in a variety of ways. He could score on either a kick or punt return and has already scored a long rushing touchdown while with the Raiders. He’s a boom or bust candidate this week.
There are also some non-Raiders who could be temporary replacements for Williams. According to Jonathan Adams at Heavy, Golden Tate of the New Giants and Auden Tate of the Cincinnati Bengals are the two best waiver wire options at wide receiver this week. Golden Tate is less likely to be available, but Auden Tate should see a lot of targets with A.J. Green and John Ross out.
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Raiders Injury Report: Starting WR out, Trent Brown Doubtful