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JALEN RICHARD - RB Oakland - Run don't walk !! (1 Viewer)

In all my dynasty leagues he's treated as a rookie, so no waiver wire until the season starts.
Now if your going to take a mid/later round rookie flyer he might be worth it.

 
A good friend of mine is at Raider camp. Sharp football sense. He texted me raving about this kid.

I immediately went out and grabbed him off the wire in all leagues.  Total cost = zero.

 
Sounds like, at best, potential dynasty grab. Best case scenario for him is worst case scenario for fantasy: we get a three headed monster RB committee in OAK with Murray, Washington, and him.

 
Same skill set as D Washington but a little less thick. Either of these backs could overtake Latavius but I'd still lean toward Washington.  In any case he's well worth the price if you have roster space. Pick him up now, not tomorrow. 

 
I was high on DeAndre Washington post draft and pre camp, but I haven't heard a peep about him since training camp began, while I read blurbs like the following about Richard almost daily...

Jalen Richard continues to show his skillset as a runner and receiver out of the backfield. The undrafted rookie has probably the best hands of any of the running backs. Early in practice he got open on Shilique Calhoun and caught a quick slant from Matt McGloin for a good gain.



 
According to his pro day he is not just small but he is slow and has bad 3 cone and shuttle times. 

College performance is not very impressive either.

2012 10 games 87 rushing attempts 426 yards 4.9 ypc 11    targets 8 receptions 39 yards 72.7% catch rate    3.5 yards per target    4.9 yards per reception 5 TD
2013 11 games 85 rushing attempts 326 yards 3.8 ypc 31 targets    21 receptions 168 yards 67.7% catch rate 5.4 yards per target 8 yards per reception    1 TD
2014 7 games 40 rushing attempts 236 yards 5.9 ypc 38 targets    24 receptions 184 yards    63.2% catch rate 4.8 yards per target    7.7 yards per reception    2 TD
2015 13 games 185 rushing attempts 1098 yards 5.9 ypc 34 targets 30 receptions 284 yards    88.2% catch rate 8.3 yards per target    9.5 yards per reception 16 TD

Total 41 games 397 rushing attempts 2086 yards    5.3 ypc    114 targets 83 receptions 72.8% catch rate 675 yards 5.9 yards per target 8.1 yards per reception 24 TD

Per game 9.7 rushing attempts 51 yards 2.8 targets 2 receptions 16.5 yards 

Washington is a better player based on measurements and college production.

 
According to his pro day he is not just small but he is slow and has bad 3 cone and shuttle times. 

College performance is not very impressive either.

2012 10 games 87 rushing attempts 426 yards 4.9 ypc 11    targets 8 receptions 39 yards 72.7% catch rate    3.5 yards per target    4.9 yards per reception 5 TD
2013 11 games 85 rushing attempts 326 yards 3.8 ypc 31 targets    21 receptions 168 yards 67.7% catch rate 5.4 yards per target 8 yards per reception    1 TD
2014 7 games 40 rushing attempts 236 yards 5.9 ypc 38 targets    24 receptions 184 yards    63.2% catch rate 4.8 yards per target    7.7 yards per reception    2 TD
2015 13 games 185 rushing attempts 1098 yards 5.9 ypc 34 targets 30 receptions 284 yards    88.2% catch rate 8.3 yards per target    9.5 yards per reception 16 TD

Total 41 games 397 rushing attempts 2086 yards    5.3 ypc    114 targets 83 receptions 72.8% catch rate 675 yards 5.9 yards per target 8.1 yards per reception 24 TD

Per game 9.7 rushing attempts 51 yards 2.8 targets 2 receptions 16.5 yards 

Washington is a better player based on measurements and college production.
Southern Miss was a train wreck between 2012 and 2014, which included a 23 game losing streak and an overall 4-32 record. It would be difficult for virtually any RB to look good in that situation. I'm impressed with his 2015 stats, and I don't think he looks slow in the highlight videos. Pretty easy call to clear a roster spot for this guy in dynasty right now (Seth DeValve, wait!).

 
I put him on a taxi squad, and am going to leave him there, until at least next June.  I believe it's very possible that he spends the season on the PS, and makes a push next year.  That's assuming no major injuries to Latavius or DeAndre, and that Richard is not the next Priest Holmes.  

With Murray's contract up after this year, the 2017 Raider RB is impossible to predict.   In the same manner that any RB with a chance to get carries in Dallas last year was worthy of a roster spot, I think that the long term lead back in Oakland will be a valuable commodity. 

Now, the other backs the team has are not lead back material:  Marcel Reece, Taiwan Jones, George Atkinson.  IF you guess that Latavius will not get a big deal from Oakland, a decent bet, the only possibilities for 2017 lead back duties on the team are the two midgets, Washington and Richard.  

The realities of the 53 man roster make me think he will have a hard time making the team out of camp.  Reece is a solid, beloved vet, and plays FB and RB.  Jones is a vet as well, and a ST standout.  Neither are irreplaceable, but offer things that are tough to dismiss for a 3rd string tailback.  It's doubtful that Richard is a demon covering kicks, or will win the PR job, so I don't see a roster spot.  He'll get cut, for sure IMO.  

Will they re-sign him to the PS?  That's not a certainty, but that's the first step in hoping he pans out.  I think his best chance for success, barring injuy, is a year on the PS (if they keep him on there, that's a good sign), and an open competition in camp next year.  Still a longshot, and god forbid the Raiders draft a RB in the 1st 3 rounds next year.  

But he was free, off the waiver wire.  In smaller leagues, I think it's worth hanging onto him through camp.  Maybe he breaks through, maybe someone gets hurt.  In larger leagues, I think it's worth seeing if he makes the PS.  If he does, it's a long play.  

By the way, Washington and Richard are going to look like Master Blaster behind that offensive line.  

 
Yeah, but which one is the better NFL RB?  Because despite all the measureables and college footage, that's all that matters. 
I don't know which one is the better RB.

Based on the information I do have I would say Washington. I have never watched Richard play.though.

Based on the responses, it does not sound like any one else has seen him either.

Draft Breakdown has no games for Richard posted.

There are a couple highlight reels of him, I don't see much there though. He does seem like he enjoys living in his headphones. The highlights show that about as much as they show him playing.

 
I would have to say Ito Smith as a sophomore played better than Richard as a senior. Not sure if anyone was thinking about Ito Smith for 2017 if he declares.

 
His ceiling for 2016 is probably merely making the PS, but I expect the Raiders to let Murray walk. Intriguing long range play for 2017.

 
It wouldn't be the first time a player got ignored because being at a bad school/system for their skill set. Perhaps he does all the little things you look for in a pro RB. Waldman said he was a good blocker and his highlight real shows he looks very natural catching the ball out of the backfield. I understand why people would be rushing to pick him up in deep leagues. Oakland has a good offense, a great line and mediocre competition in the backfield potentially. There are somethings to like here.

 
I don't know which one is the better RB.
If you would have stopped right there, I would have gained tremendous respect for you. 

Instead you feel obligated to dig in your heels despite admitting you don't know any better.  You even admit you've never seen Richard play but you still stand behind your position that Washington is better. 

Why?  Is it that difficult to admit that this guy's skill set and mentality might transfer over better to the NFL than Washington's?  It's not like this would be the first time it ever happened. 

You might be right. But right now Richard has shown that he may have a place in the league - against NFL players, not against a clock or against college kids in a college game under entirely different circumstances. 

 
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Biabreakable is one of the best fantasy players I've ever had the good fortune of competing against. I agree he shouldn't compare backs when he can really only analyze one of them but he knows his #### and way more then most around these parts.

 
If you would have stopped right there, I would have gained tremendous respect for you. 

Instead you feel obligated to dig in your heels despite admitting you don't know any better.  You even admit you've never seen Richard play but you still stand behind your position that Washington is better. 

Why?  Is it that difficult to admit that this guy's skill set and mentality might transfer over better to the NFL than Washington's?  It's not like this would be the first time it ever happened. 

You might be right. But right now Richard has shown that he may have a place in the league - against NFL players, not against a clock or against college kids in a college game under entirely different circumstances. 
Have you watched this guy?

If so talk about that.

I am at least sharing what I know about the player. Which isn't much. What are you contributing to the discussion?

 
Biabreakable said:
Have you watched this guy?

If so talk about that.

I am at least sharing what I know about the player. Which isn't much. What are you contributing to the discussion?
I haven't seen either Wahington or Richard play in the NFL. 

My contribution is that I don't jump to any conclusions or have any bias, but am willing to point out that outdated information means little and a closed mind means even less. 

 
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According to his pro day he is not just small but he is slow and has bad 3 cone and shuttle times. 

College performance is not very impressive either.

2012 10 games 87 rushing attempts 426 yards 4.9 ypc 11    targets 8 receptions 39 yards 72.7% catch rate    3.5 yards per target    4.9 yards per reception 5 TD
2013 11 games 85 rushing attempts 326 yards 3.8 ypc 31 targets    21 receptions 168 yards 67.7% catch rate 5.4 yards per target 8 yards per reception    1 TD
2014 7 games 40 rushing attempts 236 yards 5.9 ypc 38 targets    24 receptions 184 yards    63.2% catch rate 4.8 yards per target    7.7 yards per reception    2 TD
2015 13 games 185 rushing attempts 1098 yards 5.9 ypc 34 targets 30 receptions 284 yards    88.2% catch rate 8.3 yards per target    9.5 yards per reception 16 TD

Total 41 games 397 rushing attempts 2086 yards    5.3 ypc    114 targets 83 receptions 72.8% catch rate 675 yards 5.9 yards per target 8.1 yards per reception 24 TD

Per game 9.7 rushing attempts 51 yards 2.8 targets 2 receptions 16.5 yards 

Washington is a better player based on measurements and college production.
And draft slot.. You're probably right although I would say better prospect, rather than "player"

A tick under 6 YPC the last two seasons and he can catch the ball.  Some encouraging signs there.  I don't know anything about Richard but, in general, comparing college production can be problematic because of wide variations in situation.

 
I actually think Murray will have a BIG year and get plenty of touches.  Carr/Cooper will keep that offense moving.

 
I actually think Murray will have a BIG year and get plenty of touches.  Carr/Cooper will keep that offense moving.
Murray is have a great TC. Obviously they had doubts going into the off-season or they would have extended him. Because of that situation - same thing with Tyrod, go after those guys who playing for a contract - I think he is a really good RB2 value with upside. Washington is next man up & giving the injury history of the incumbent he's a great add in the back half of redraft drafts.

Pulling for Richard to make the PS but it's tough to project him having opportunity this year. Good dynasty play for 2017 though.

 
I haven't seen either Wahington or Richard play in the NFL. 

My contribution is that I don't jump to any conclusions or have any bias, but am willing to point out that outdated information means little and a closed mind means even less. 
So it is a personal attack has nothing to do with the players and your being hypocritical.

Got it.

 
So it is a personal attack has nothing to do with the players and your being hypocritical.

Got it.
Why would you think it is a personal attack?  Wow. Grow a set.

You are citing numbers that are virtually meaningless right now given that these guys are in the NFL competing directly against each other. Their performance moving forward is all that matters - not how many pounds they weighed in their underwear 6 months ago, not how many times they could bench 225 lbs, not how they looked on 3 plays against Southwestern Missouri State 2 years ago. 

We could list all the players that became meaningful starters, if not studs, that you would have overlooked simply because you have statistics and measureables from months to years ago that you thought had more impact than guys actually getting it done on NFL practice fields against NFL players.  But that would be a futile excersize compounding that large list and we both know it. You'd just go into denial while defending your dated data. 

So I'll stop now since you have decided that your position is so weak that you have elected to defend it with victimhood instead. Have a great day. 

 
I haven't seen either Wahington or Richard play in the NFL. 

My contribution is that I don't jump to any conclusions or have any bias, but am willing to point out that outdated information means little and a closed mind means even less. 
So you didn't contribute and don't realize that to be good at FF, you do have to jump to conclusions. Or are you in some league that drafts after the season?

Bia asking if the guy can block is absolutely relevant. Bia sharing his college stats can never be viewed as a bad contribution to a rookie thread, cmon. 

No one is mislead by college stats or combine times but they do have a place to share here.  Antonio Andrews ran for more yards than most backs in the NFL. Was he the best last year? Has Reggie Bush become the greatest ever? Mark Ingram? We're all well aware of common history.

You didn't comment with intentions of furthering this thread. The board has been much better than in recent years with so much less snarkiness. I'm jumping on here for the greater good. 

 
I think people have taken this too far.

This is what I think happened- the Raiders have a nice young back and didn't want him to rest on his laurels. They added a rook and made some comments to get his motor going. I see March and April quotes regurgitated to "spell the end' for Latavius and I just think this is overblown.

They're not benching a good rush/receiving threat and decent blocker. None of these rooks are playing a down til they prove they can protect the golden boy. 

We get excited over a UDFA or 5th round pick because of the rare instances they pan out. Murray was a 6th wasn't he? The Raiders aren't catching lightning in a bottle twice. 

When they want to improve upon Murray, they'll sign a name free agent or spend a high draft pick. They added depth.

Even if you disagree, it won't happen til well into the season. It'll take some time for Murray to not do well and/or the young guy to burst onto the scene.

Keep in mind how well these stories do for non-reporters too.

A reporter just said-  Murray with another nice catch out of backfield. No. 1 back cruising through camp, ready for big season.

That is not a running back struggling and about to be replaced.

 
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Not sure if anyone here is implying that Latavius will be supplanted by Jalen Richards.

This is simply a case for an end of the roster dynasty stash, nothing more.

 
I just wanted to say I appreciate the thread and Casting Couch bringing this guy up for discussion. I am interested to learn more about him, and hope someone who has watched all or some of the Southern Miss games in recent years might share their observations/opinions about him.

I did watch Mike Thomas's game cut ups, (4 games) and I watched some of their defensive players, but I haven't watched their RBs. I do see them a bit of them in the cut ups, Ito Smith stands out more than RIchard does in the cuts ups that are focusing on Thomas (who has some good blocks at times) not these guys. In the LA Tech game they mention Richard scoring earlier in the game but that isn't part of the cut up. I only saw one rushing attempt of his in the cuts ups which was not impressive. 

I think anyone invested or interested in being invested in Murray and Washington should want to know about these players competition. I also think any player who gets some positive buzz during training camp is worth a closer look.

If Richard does well in preseason games, then he might show up later on at some point, even if he does not make the Raiders final roster. Maybe a team in need of RB depth picks him up or takes him off the Raiders practice squad, and if that happens, it would be good to know some things about Richard to help inform your decisions, about if you should pick this guy up or what to expect of him if he does get some playing time at some point.

Based on the information I have right now I still see Washington as the better prospect. Washington has weaknesses in his game that Richard may not however. For example if Richard is good in pass protection, that could be an area where he might be better than Washington. Washington has kind of an upright running style that I think needs improvement, it is possible that Richard runs with better pad level than Washington does. I have no way to know this as I have not seen enough of Richard to compare them.

I was reading a fluff piece about Richard the other day where they are talking about a friendship he made with one of the other Raiders players. He talks about seeing himself as an asset as a receiving option. That is what Washington is good at too, and likely better than Richard is. Based on the receiving stats Ito Smith was a more efficient player than Richard as well, which suggests that Smith may be better in pass protection, as part of earning more reception opportunity.

I looked to see if Richard was ranked in the top 300 consensus ranking for 2016 rookie prospects. He wasn't. 24 RB are ranked in the top 300. Not sure how much further Richard is on this list. Those are just the 2016 rookie prospects, there are many very good RB already in the league.

In doing a google search I find there have been many articles written about Richard recently. I cam across this post by Matt Waldman, that hopefully addresses some of the questions we have, such as can RIchard pass block and so on. I have not watched this yet. 

It is hard for me to imagine this player being worth a roster spot in leagues with 300 or less offensive players, but I am open to that possibility if he keeps doing good things in practice and shines in preseason games.

 
If you would have stopped right there, I would have gained tremendous respect for you. 

Instead you feel obligated to dig in your heels despite admitting you don't know any better.  You even admit you've never seen Richard play but you still stand behind your position that Washington is better. 

Why?  Is it that difficult to admit that this guy's skill set and mentality might transfer over better to the NFL than Washington's?  It's not like this would be the first time it ever happened. 

You might be right. But right now Richard has shown that he may have a place in the league - against NFL players, not against a clock or against college kids in a college game under entirely different circumstances. 
Wow.  You say you don't care about college production because you only care about which guy will be the better pro.  Well, no $%#&. You think anyone on these boards cares about what these guys did in college for any reason other than how that might predict what they can do in the pros?

At this point, with rookies, ALL you have is what they did in college and a little bit from the combine (if they were invited) and a little bit from OTA's and a day or two of training camps.  That's it.

Here's the thing, you may not know crap about Richards, but you are still taking a position on him in a draft when you pass on him because you don't know anything about him.  The unknown defaults to a negative decision on a guy when you are in an affirmative selection format.  You are going to pick someone, if you pass on him in favor of someone else, your HAVE made a decision on him.  How is that a better thing to do than what you are giving the other poster grief for...which is taking a position based on what little is known about them from college?

Now, I am a Washington owner, so maybe I am biased.  But when I see blurbs about Washington that contain the context of him pushing Murray and getting first team reps and then I see blurbs about an UDFA who is opening eyes without any context that addresses depth charts or playing time or even role with the team, I don't get too excited.  An UDFA exceeding expectations might mean he's simply performing better than they expected from an UDFA.  It doesn't necessarily mean he's the next Arian Foster.  I'd still favor Washington until I hear something solid about Richards passing him on the depth chart.

It sounds to me like the Raiders did quite a bit of value mining in this draft. But that doesn't mean every nugget has equal value.

 
I did watch Mike Thomas's game cut ups, (4 games) and I watched some of their defensive players, but I haven't watched their RBs. I do see them a bit of them in the cut ups, Ito Smith stands out more than RIchard does in the cuts ups that are focusing on Thomas (who has some good blocks at times) not these guys. In the LA Tech game they mention Richard scoring earlier in the game but that isn't part of the cut up. I only saw one rushing attempt of his in the cuts ups which was not impressive.

In doing a google search I find there have been many articles written about Richard recently. I cam across this post by Matt Waldman, that hopefully addresses some of the questions we have, such as can RIchard pass block and so on. I have not watched this yet.
Wow Ito Smith does pop on this, much moreso than Richard (interestingly, sounds like it's pronounced ree-shard instead of rich-erd)

 
I found Matt's comments to be interesting as I had not read that yet at the time I posted the link to it.

He identifies Richard as having strengths in pass protection and running with good pad level. Which are weaknesses I think in Washington's game.

 
Once again, I don't get the attacks on Bia. He's one of the few posters with strong opinions that back it up with a lot of info and intelligent though. It used to be common place around here and the attacks are why it doesn't occur very much at all anymore.

 
Once again, I don't get the attacks on Bia. He's one of the few posters with strong opinions that back it up with a lot of info and intelligent though. It used to be common place around here and the attacks are why it doesn't occur very much at all anymore.
No one is attacking him - other than his resorting to making himself a victim when the discussion goes to why he is using college stats and combine numbers to evaluate players who are in the NFL and performing on the field on a day to day basis  

Geez, it's a board for discussion. If a guy thinks his opinion is beyond discussion then maybe he shouldn't be putting it out there, and definitely not as a statement of "fact" like he does. 

 
I appreciate anyone shining some light on the seriously under the radar players but I don't see it here. Someone mentioned Brandon Oliver and I agree with that except perhaps even slower. I think he'll always be just a in case of emergency break glass type of guy for an NFL team if he even stays on a roster.

 
After Murray's play last season, I wouldn't say he's locked it up. I can see some sort of committee happening in Oakland.
Okay.  I was just adding a little reality to the OP.  The latest report say that Murray is having a good camp (Tweet by Vic Tafur on Aug 6th) and there isn't any mention on the news wire about there even being a battle for the back up job, which solidly looks to be Washington's at the moment (latest report on him is July 22nd so that could have changed).

Richard is a speculative dynasty add and a redraft waiver wire pick-up in the event of a Murray injury (even then, at best, it would be a committee with Washington), nothing more.

 

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