It was a good debut for Raiders RB DeAndre Washington, whom the Raiders are leaning on to be a nice complimentary back to starter Latavius Murray. Washington finished with eight carries for 43 yards in the first preseason game also was the starting kick returner, taking the opening kickoff back 31 yards.
“I think it was a good start,” Washington said. “Your first NFL game, you’re just trying to get your feet wet a little bit.”
After losing two yards on his first carry and gaining them back on his second, his first flash came a drive later when he broke free for a 25-yard run. The offensive line gave him a big hole that he read correctly and then he was greeted by safety Marqui Christian. With a stutter step and a cut back to the left, he was past him for the big gain.
“Those guys definitely created a lane for me and I was just able to hit it,” Washington said. “All you can ask for, a one-on-one with a safety, and that’s what they bring us in here for, to make the safety miss.”
Washington also had a 32-yard catch and run in the game. The story pointed out few teams nowadays go with just one primary back, so the fact that Murray accumulated 73 percent of the Raiders’ rushing yards last season was a concern. It went on to say Oakland needs its overall running game to be more effective. The Raiders were 28th in rushing yards per game. It appears Washington will have a role in this offense which could cap Murray's fantasy value. This is nothing we haven't seen before from teams in the NFL. Still, Murray is 17th on our RB list with a late fourth-round ADP. He's a solid target at that point for those using the Zero-RB philosophy. Murray owners may want to also grab Washington later in drafts (16th round ADP)
