Getty Oakland Raiders WR Zay Jones.
In case you missed it, Tyrell Williams will be out for Sunday’s game between the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers. This will be the second game in a row that he’s missed. Oakland has made several moves at wide receiver since the season started. The corps looks significantly different than it did in training camp. J.J Nelson was supposed to be a key part of the offense, but injury kept him out for most of the season and the team eventually cut him loose.
Ryan Grant was another player who was supposed to have an impact on offense. However, he was cut due to sub-par play. This has led to the Raiders adding two wide receivers through trades over the last several weeks. The most recent one was for former Buffalo Bills wide receivers Zay Jones.
Zay Jones Could Start vs. Packers
It would be a really quick turnaround for Jones if he were to get the start versus the Packers, but the Raiders may not have any other options. Trevor Davis is likely to get the nod in the number one slot. Number two is currently up in the air. Rookie Hunter Renfrow has been disappointing thus far and is more equipped for a role in the slot than he is for the number two receiver role. Keelan Doss and Marcell Ateman haven’t shown that they’re worthy of starting spots. This leaves Zay Jones as the best and most likely option to start opposite Davis.
Jones was a high draft pick back in 2017. He didn’t play up to expectations in Buffalo, but sometimes a change of scenery can do wonders for a player’s career. Just ask Amari Cooper. Jones has started the majority of games he’s played in and he’s never had a quarterback that’s as good as Derek Carr throwing to him. He could be the team’s secret weapon heading into this game.
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Raiders Wide Receiver Depth Chart for Week 7
*denotes expected starters
WR1: Trevor Davis*, Hunter Renfrow, Marcell Ateman
WR2: Zay Jones*, Keelan Doss, Dwayne Harris
Oakland’s wide receiver corps has taken a serious beating since training camp. Before the Antonio Brown debacle, the Raiders were supposed to have one of the best wide receiver corps in the NFL. Brown is one of the best players in the game from a talent standpoint. Tyrell Williams would’ve been an excellent number two and Renfrow could’ve been productive in the slot with the top two guys getting all the attention.
Instead, Brown had a meltdown that led to his release. Williams and Nelson have been banged up and the latter is now gone. This fact has turned the Raiders into a run-first team and tight end Darren Waller is their top receiver. While there’s nothing wrong with that and the team is currently 3-2, they need to get more from their wide receivers if they are going to be real playoffs threats. Seeing how Jones develops will be very interesting. If he can start living up to his potential, the Oakland offense could blow up.
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