David Ausberry (1 Viewer)

[EBF]

One of the things that stands out to me early this year is the number of good sleepers at TE. Guys like Coby Fleener, Julius Thomas, Jordan Cameron, and Zach Sudfeld have been generating some hype for their play in training camp. I'm wondering if Raiders TE David Ausberry is another player with a chance at a breakout season. Some background on Ausberry:

- Former 5 star WR prospect out of high school. Got lost in the shuffle at USC and barely played.

- 7th round draft pick by the Raiders in 2011.

- Elite workout numbers for a TE. 6'3.4" 243 pounds. 4.48 speed, 36" vertical, 10'1" broad jump, 23 bench reps, 7.08 three cone drill.

- 2 catches for 14 yards as a rookie. 7 catches for 92 yards as a second year player.

- Got some attention for this play last season.

Peter King recently named Ausberry the most impressive unknown player he saw in his tour of the NFL training camps. With Brandon Myers gone this year, Ausberry had all but won the starting TE job until injuring his shoulder last weekend. He was targeted twice on Oakland's first possession last game and seemed to be in line for a prominent role on the offense.

The injury will keep Ausberry out for the remainder of the preseason and it could allow one of the other Oakland TEs to seize the starting job in his absence, but if he can get healthy soon he has a chance to be another discount TE with a big upside. Oakland lacks talent at WR and might be forced to lean on the TE again like last year, when Brandon Myers finished as TE6. If Ausberry comes anywhere near those numbers then he will be a big steal at his current price.

 

[JFS171]

Like the call - had my eye on him for a while as well as a deep TE sleeper in the Thomas, Sudfeld, Ladarius Green, Jeff Cumberland grouping as high-upside guys that may be entering some opportunity. Wish he hadn't been hurt, as Flynn was looking his way often early on in the New Orleans game, and Ausberry looked fairly impressive to me.

I doubt there's going to be a ton standing in his way if he can get healthy and stay healthy, and a good receiving TE may be critical for this offense to move the ball at all...

 

[gbill2004]

Does anyone know the status of his injury? Apparently it was a shoulder injury.

 

[gbill2004]

Does anyone know the status of his injury? Apparently it was a shoulder injury.

 

[EBF]

Does anyone know the status of his injury? Apparently it was a shoulder injury.

I couldn't find anything concrete. Only that it would keep him out of the rest of the preseason.

From a redraft standpoint, the clock is ticking and every missed game will decrease his chances of getting his spot back and making an immediate impact.

From a dynasty standpoint, he's still pretty young and losing half a season shouldn't be a huge factor in his long term outlook.

 

[gbill2004]

Does anyone know the status of his injury? Apparently it was a shoulder injury.

I couldn't find anything concrete. Only that it would keep him out of the rest of the preseason.

From a redraft standpoint, the clock is ticking and every missed game will decrease his chances of getting his spot back and making an immediate impact.

From a dynasty standpoint, he's still pretty young and losing half a season shouldn't be a huge factor in his long term outlook.

You think missing the preseason could set him back half a season? For all we know he could be ready to go week 1.

 

[EBF]

Does anyone know the status of his injury? Apparently it was a shoulder injury.

I couldn't find anything concrete. Only that it would keep him out of the rest of the preseason.

From a redraft standpoint, the clock is ticking and every missed game will decrease his chances of getting his spot back and making an immediate impact.

From a dynasty standpoint, he's still pretty young and losing half a season shouldn't be a huge factor in his long term outlook.

You think missing the preseason could set him back half a season? For all we know he could be ready to go week 1.

I'm hoping it's something minor and he'll be the week 1 starter. With no concrete information, it's hard to say when he'll be back though.

The other guys on the roster don't look like big threats on paper, so if he can come back within the next month or so I like his chances to regain his spot.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

What is he 27 yo? And he's never played tight end position until the Raiders took a flier on him. Kind of old to be learning new tricks. He can catch a ball and has speed, but his blocking stinks. Don't overlook that aspect because the Oakland offensive line is decimated and may need to use 2 TE sets for protection purposes as a desperation move. Right now, UDFA Jeron Mastrud has a better all around blocking/recieving game than Ausberry. Sixth round rookie Mychal Rivera is a better route runner and flashes talent hauling in catches fluidly.

The whole Oakland TE situation is a mess to avoid. Seriously. Ausberry isn't tied to the new regime and even if he's listed at the top of the depth chart, the situation is extremely fluid. I'd wait until this clears before investing even a later round flier pick.

 

[EBF]

What is he 27 yo? And he's never played tight end position until the Raiders took a flier on him. Kind of old to be learning new tricks. He can catch a ball and has speed, but his blocking stinks. Don't overlook that aspect because the Oakland offensive line is decimated and may need to use 2 TE sets for protection purposes as a desperation move. Right now, UDFA Jeron Mastrud has a better all around blocking/recieving game than Ausberry. Sixth round rookie Mychal Rivera is a better route runner and flashes talent hauling in catches fluidly.

The whole Oakland TE situation is a mess to avoid. Seriously. Ausberry isn't tied to the new regime and even if he's listed at the top of the depth chart, the situation is extremely fluid. I'd wait until this clears before investing even a later round flier pick.

He's only 25. Turns 26 next month. The position change helps explain the slow learning curve. He's a third year player, so we're not talking an eternity here. Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron are third year players. Neither of those guys had to deal with completely changing position either.

I'm no expert on the Raider TE situation. All I know is that the coach indicated Ausberry would have been the starter if not for the injury. This is consistent with what they've shown in the preseason. He was out there with the first unit last week and was targeted right away in the first series. So whatever is going on there, it looks like he was pulling away from the pack a little bit.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

What is he 27 yo? And he's never played tight end position until the Raiders took a flier on him. Kind of old to be learning new tricks. He can catch a ball and has speed, but his blocking stinks. Don't overlook that aspect because the Oakland offensive line is decimated and may need to use 2 TE sets for protection purposes as a desperation move. Right now, UDFA Jeron Mastrud has a better all around blocking/recieving game than Ausberry. Sixth round rookie Mychal Rivera is a better route runner and flashes talent hauling in catches fluidly.

The whole Oakland TE situation is a mess to avoid. Seriously. Ausberry isn't tied to the new regime and even if he's listed at the top of the depth chart, the situation is extremely fluid. I'd wait until this clears before investing even a later round flier pick.

He's only 25. Turns 26 next month. The position change helps explain the slow learning curve. He's a third year player, so we're not talking an eternity here. Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron are third year players. Neither of those guys had to deal with completely changing position either.

I'm no expert on the Raider TE situation. All I know is that the coach indicated Ausberry would have been the starter if not for the injury. This is consistent with what they've shown in the preseason. He was out there with the first unit last week and was targeted right away in the first series. So whatever is going on there, it looks like he was pulling away from the pack a little bit.

I don't claim to be the expert on the Raider TE situation either. But whatever he was doing to be "pulling away from the pack" is now old news, given his shoulder injury. It just opened up the competition more. In fact, I remember not long ago coach Allen was saying that he was hoping a tight end would emerge from the pack, but that no one had.

 

[EBF]

I don't claim to be the expert on the Raider TE situation either. But whatever he was doing to be "pulling away from the pack" is now old news, given his shoulder injury. It just opened up the competition more. In fact, I remember not long ago coach Allen was saying that he was hoping a tight end would emerge from the pack, but that no one had.

Here is the quote from the article I linked. It's just a couple days old:

Through most of camp, the Raiders maintained a tight end had yet to distinguish himself as the number one guy. Today, Greg Olson revealed David Ausberry had won the job until he went down with a shoulder injury in the team's second preseason game last Friday. Now the choice for the job is undecided by becoming a bit more clear.

"Yeah, you know, we were starting to clear that up," said Olson. "We felt like David Ausberry certainly was having a good football camp and now... with Richard Gordon in there and Jeron Mastrud, they're in the battle for the number one spot. We like the emergence of our young tight ends. It was good to get Nick Kasa back but we like the young tight ends right now and how they've come along. But really we'll take a good hard look at Richard Gordon and Jeron Mastrud this week."

One of the more interesting things about this is it could mean Ausberry is out an extended period of time. He can't be placed on partial season IR or the PUP list so he would either be put on the shelf for the season or take up a roster spot while he recovers from his shoulder injury.

Make of that what you will. I think the quote from the OC and the fact that Ausberry was running with the starters last week suggests he was the guy here. Now that he's down the other two veterans will get a chance to show something. It doesn't seem like Rivera and Kasa are going to be huge factors just yet.

Here are some quotes from Raiders fans. Take them with a big grain of salt, but they're encouraging.

Greg Olsen even said he is going to get the ball into the hands and play makers and let them make plays. Every single time D. Ausberry touched the ball this per-season he looked like a beast.... he did, go back and watch what he did to people. That highlight against Miami was no fluke, this guy has " It "..

Ausberry makes people miss with his athletics and can also over power people with raw strength... EVERY single time he got the ball into his hands he did it...

Sort of good news for me. I don't mean this in a way that his injury is good news, I don't wish injury on anyone..ever... I mean it that we saw what he can do with the offense, seems like its an opportunity to see the other TE's to step up and we can see what they can do.Jeron Mastrud looks to be the 2nd guy and the Mychael Rivera(rookie) the next guy up.

For a team in search of a solid starter at TE this is devastating. I considered him a front runner who could fill that role and would provide some dynamic play at that position. Hope he is ready for the regular season and that this injury does not set him too far behind.

The injury is a big wild card for me. With no concrete information, it's hard to say what impact it will have on his prospects. Putting that aside, I think there's enough here to warrant a roster spot. This guy is a phenomenal athlete for a TE and there are some signs that he was beginning to put it together on the field. He's probably on waivers in a lot of dynasty leagues. Well worth a shot. I've got him in several leagues and I'll be stashing him until he gets back. This team has no weapons in the passing game. Anyone with a pulse who can catch the ball will have a chance to become a top target here.

 

[EBF]

Saw this in the preseason notes thread:

The Raiders are "holding out hope" TE David Ausberry (shoulder) will be ready for Week 1.
CSN Bay Area confirms Ausberry was leading the battle to start before going down with a shoulder injury in the second preseason game. Ausberry has some deep sleeper appeal because the Raiders will be in catch-up mode a ton this year.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Good news, as it means he likely won't miss many games.

 

[gbill2004]

Any recent news on this guy?

 

[jsharlan]

Haven't heard anything, but Ive been picking this guy up over the summer for the league minimum in several leagues. True definition of a sleeper.

 

[EBF]

Haven't heard anything, but Ive been picking this guy up over the summer for the league minimum in several leagues. True definition of a sleeper.

Absolutely. Was able to get him in 6 of 7 leagues. Very happy about that. It's not often that a player with this combination of potential and opportunity flies completely under the radar. He might be one of the most underrated players in dynasty and redraft at the moment. It's a bit of a leap of faith because he hasn't accomplished much of anything at the NFL level yet, but the talent + opportunity combination is there for him to take a huge leap forward this year. Brandon Myers went from being a complete nobody to a top 10 TE in one season on this team. I think Ausberry has a chance to match that feat, provided that he can get healthy and that Pryor can play well enough to complete some passes.

Oakland has nothing of note at WR and they'll be playing from behind more often than not. All of the ingredients are there. This guy should be rostered in every dynasty league and should be a preemptive waiver pickup in redraft leagues. Everyone knows about Jordan Cameron, Julius Thomas, and Zach Sudfeld, but Ausberry is still a big secret.

 

[EBF]

Well, that was all for naught.

That "potentially serious" shoulder injury just ended his season. Oakland put him on IR today.

99% of folks won't give a hoot about this, but I really thought he was poised to join the Julius Thomas/Jordan Cameron party this year.

Too bad.

 

[jsharlan]

and my sleeper went to sleep.

 

[socrates]

Well, that was all for naught.

That "potentially serious" shoulder injury just ended his season. Oakland put him on IR today.

99% of folks won't give a hoot about this, but I really thought he was poised to join the Julius Thomas/Jordan Cameron party this year.

Too bad.

Yeah, I saw this as well. I had Ausberry on my TE watch list, along with Luke Stocker, who was also IR'd. I still have a couple guys to watch in Rob Housler and Dion Sims . . .

 

[jsharlan]

I traded Housler when he was hurt for Dwayne Allen, who then went to IR. Woe is me.

 

[maf005]

Any idea if Ausberry or Rivera will start?

 

[socrates]

Any idea if Ausberry or Rivera will start?

I think it is too early to tell. Ausberry reportedly looked impressive last year before injuring his shoulder, and was projected as the starter. Rivera stepped in admirably, and Raiders HC Dennis Allen says he views Rivera as a "foundation piece" on offense. IMO, however, David Ausberry presents the higher FF ceiling. He is bigger and faster. so if I were to roster an OAK TE, it would be David Ausberry.

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

Raiders TE David Ausberry has been participating in offseason workouts.

Ausberry spent all of 2013 on injured reserve. He hasn't had any setbacks with his shoulder injury and should compete with Mychal Rivera for a starting job. A converted receiver, Ausberry has 4.48 speed and will be worth monitoring.

Source: ESPN.com

 

[EBF]

Any idea if Ausberry or Rivera will start?

I think it is too early to tell. Ausberry reportedly looked impressive last year before injuring his shoulder, and was projected as the starter. Rivera stepped in admirably, and Raiders HC Dennis Allen says he views Rivera as a "foundation piece" on offense. IMO, however, David Ausberry presents the higher FF ceiling. He is bigger and faster. so if I were to roster an OAK TE, it would be David Ausberry.

Pretty much this. Should be a training camp battle. Might give Rivera the edge just by virtue of playing so much last season, but Ausberry probably has a higher ceiling. I've got Ausberry rostered in all but one of my leagues and I recommend stashing him if you have plenty of space. Especially in a TE-premium league where a breakout from the position would have more value.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

Vic Tafur@VicTafur · 4m

TE David Ausberry, who may or may not be No. 1 on the depth chart, looked good and made a lot of catches. Out last year with shoulder injury

 

[EBF]

More:

http://www.silverandblackpride.com/2014/5/27/5755746/oakland-raiders-have-high-hopes-for-david-ausberry

For the second off-season in a row, the Raiders are looking for big things from tight end, David Ausberry. He was the projected starting tight end last off-season until he went down with a shoulder injury in the preseason and was placed on injured reserve for the season.

At last year's OTA's, Ausberry had bulked up quite a bit. The former receiver always had the receiving skills for the position but he finally had the physique to go along with it.

He took the field today for organized practice for the first time since suffering that injury last August and picked up right where he left off. He was making some nice catches, showing burst, and plenty of bulk to hold up at the positon.

"It's been good to have David back out here," said Dennis Allen. "He was a guy that we had high hopes for last year and unfortunately got hurt in that first preseason game. He's a guy that again he's got talent, he's got ability especially as a receiving threat so he's a nice piece to the puzzle and hopefully he'll continue to develop and hopefully he'll stay healthy and we'll be able to use him this year."

Allen would not confirm whether Ausberry was working with the first team offense but he was the primary tight end catching several passes from Matt Schaub. From the looks of it, the starting tight end job is again Ausberry's to lose.

 

[EBF]

More. These guys appear to be somewhat knowledgeable beat writers/reporters. Not just random dudes.

Scott Bair ‏@BairCSN 2h

While DA said their is no depth chart yet, #Raiders TE David Ausberry got a lot of work with players expected to start in 2014.

Jerry McDonald ‏@Jerrymcd 2h

Raiders policies restrict reporting in terms of who is playing with first team, etc. Let's just say David Ausberry is in mix for first team.

 

[Faust]

10 Raiders OTA observationsBy Paul Gutierrez | ESPN.com

Excerpt:

David Ausberry, who might have been running with the first-team offense were there No. 1’s, looks like a physical specimen at tight end a year after being lost for the season in the second exhibition game with a shoulder injury. "He was a guy that we had some high hopes for last year," Allen said. "He’s a guy that, again, he’s got talent and he’s got ability, especially as a receiving threat. He’s a nice piece to the puzzle and hopefully he’ll continue to develop and hopefully he’ll stay healthy and we’ll be able to use him this year."

 

[cstu]

He's got a lot of talent but at age 27 with 9 career catches and Matt Schaub his QB it's tough to get excited about him. Should be rostered though.

 

[Bojang0301]

He's got a lot of talent but at age 27 with 9 career catches and Matt Schaub his QB it's tough to get excited about him. Should be rostered though.

You do realize that Owen Daniels had some good years right?

 

[cstu]

He's got a lot of talent but at age 27 with 9 career catches and Matt Schaub his QB it's tough to get excited about him. Should be rostered though.

You do realize that Owen Daniels had some good years right?

We'll see if Schaub can get back to his old form.

 

[Bojang0301]

He's got a lot of talent but at age 27 with 9 career catches and Matt Schaub his QB it's tough to get excited about him. Should be rostered though.

You do realize that Owen Daniels had some good years right?

We'll see if Schaub can get back to his old form.

I don't want to bank on it but outside of Jake Delhomme (which I blamed on injury) I've never seen a QB just fall off the wagon like Schaub did last year. I suspect it was a bad season and that there will be progression to the mean. That still makes him a bottom half of the league QB but still a competent one.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Either way Schaub almost has to be a better passer than the dreck that Oakland has trotted out there since Carson Palmer left town. He can throw 2 pick sixes a week for all I care, as long as he's also throwing for 225 yards and a TD or two. Someone in Oakland is going to be more relevant in FF than anyone catching the ball has been in a while, and all of them are absolutely dirt cheap. There are far worse ways to spend your final roster spot or two than Raiders' pass catchers IMO (assuming at least a relatively deep league).

 

[EBF]

I don't know if this is actual news or just a rehashing of last week's developments, but...

(Rotoworld)David Ausberry is running as the first-team tight end at OTAs.

Analysis: Ausberry missed all of last year due to a shoulder injury. He enters this year with the edge on pass-catching specialist Mychal Rivera due to superior blocking ability, and also has the advantage in raw speed. Still, we don't expect Ausberry to be an every-down player after Dennis Allen called Rivera a "foundation piece" last month. There's low-end TE2 upside at best here.

He's the early favorite to be the starting TE for a team with almost no weapons in the passing game, but according to Rotoworld there's "low-end TE2 upside at best."

 

[cstu]

I don't know if this is actual news or just a rehashing of last week's developments, but...

(Rotoworld)David Ausberry is running as the first-team tight end at OTAs.

Analysis: Ausberry missed all of last year due to a shoulder injury. He enters this year with the edge on pass-catching specialist Mychal Rivera due to superior blocking ability, and also has the advantage in raw speed. Still, we don't expect Ausberry to be an every-down player after Dennis Allen called Rivera a "foundation piece" last month. There's low-end TE2 upside at best here.

He's the early favorite to be the starting TE for a team with almost no weapons in the passing game, but according to Rotoworld there's "low-end TE2 upside at best."

This is almost the same offense as the one that Brandon Myers caught 79 passes in...although I think James Jones is an upgrade over DHB.

 

[loose circuits]

Vic Tafur ‏@VicTafur 1h
Dennis Allen on the #Raiders tight ends: "Somebody in that room has to step up and say that they’re the guy."

 

[Lott's Fingertip]

I don't know if this is actual news or just a rehashing of last week's developments, but...

(Rotoworld)David Ausberry is running as the first-team tight end at OTAs.

Analysis: Ausberry missed all of last year due to a shoulder injury. He enters this year with the edge on pass-catching specialist Mychal Rivera due to superior blocking ability, and also has the advantage in raw speed. Still, we don't expect Ausberry to be an every-down player after Dennis Allen called Rivera a "foundation piece" last month. There's low-end TE2 upside at best here.

He's the early favorite to be the starting TE for a team with almost no weapons in the passing game, but according to Rotoworld there's "low-end TE2 upside at best."

Yea, it seems this writer just doesn't know much about Ausberry. I hate the term "at best" in relation to fantasy football... a big TE that runs 4.5 has low-end TE2 upside? Silly.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

I don't know if this is actual news or just a rehashing of last week's developments, but...

(Rotoworld)David Ausberry is running as the first-team tight end at OTAs.

Analysis: Ausberry missed all of last year due to a shoulder injury. He enters this year with the edge on pass-catching specialist Mychal Rivera due to superior blocking ability, and also has the advantage in raw speed. Still, we don't expect Ausberry to be an every-down player after Dennis Allen called Rivera a "foundation piece" last month. There's low-end TE2 upside at best here.

He's the early favorite to be the starting TE for a team with almost no weapons in the passing game, but according to Rotoworld there's "low-end TE2 upside at best."

This is almost the same offense as the one that Brandon Myers caught 79 passes in...although I think James Jones is an upgrade over DHB.

I don't see much similarity of this offense to that season for Brandon Myers caught 79 balls. That was the failed Greg Knapp ZBS system that led to a lot of dump offs to Myers as the safety valve. This is still the same power blocking system as last year, and the addition of James Jones should help open up space downfield. Myers success was a result of the failure of getting consistent production from the WR's and poor play calling. Time will tell if the Raiders WR's produce this season, but I don't think we are going back to Knapp's dink and dunk force-feed the TE system anytime soon.

 

[Eminence]

Got him for peanuts after he got hurt. He's in a platoon of "maybes" on my team behind Martellus Bennett.

 

[loose circuits]

finley could be heading there, killing his value

 

[Raiderfan32904]

Looking at the most recent TE production, the Raiders had 45 receptions total from their TE's last year. Contrast that to Schaub's last good season in 2012 when he went to the pro bowl, his TE's gave him 124 receptions. Now I don't see that kind of TE production for the Raiders in 2014, but I do see a significant uptick in production at the position. Schaub loves to feed his TE's. I could see a balance of 80-85 catches split between Ausberry, Rivera, and Kasa. It could be a 40-40-5 split, or as Dennis Allen has been hoping for, one of them is the alpha dog and takes the bigger split. Right now, it's way too early to say how that plays out or who is the winner between Rivera or Ausberry. But if you choose the right one, you potentially hit a jackpot for a dirt cheap investment.

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

Second-year TE Mychal Rivera is working behind David Ausberry at Raiders OTAs.

Rivera posted a 38-407-4 receiving line as a rookie, although it was mostly because the Raiders had no one else at tight end. (Ausberry was injured.) The Raiders appear to be projecting Ausberry as a possible every-down tight end, with Rivera only being used situationally due to deficient blocking. Rivera goes 6'3/242 with 4.81 speed. We're not big on Rivera's long-term outlook.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Jun 4 - 8:39 PM

 

[krsone21]

This could kill both Ausberry and/or Rivera's value if Finley were to be picked up by the Raiders.

Jermichael Finley draws interest of Raiders, Steelers

 

[Raiderfan32904]

Rotoworld:

Second-year TE Mychal Rivera is working behind David Ausberry at Raiders OTAs.

Rivera posted a 38-407-4 receiving line as a rookie, although it was mostly because the Raiders had no one else at tight end. (Ausberry was injured.) The Raiders appear to be projecting Ausberry as a possible every-down tight end, with Rivera only being used situationally due to deficient blocking. Rivera goes 6'3/242 with 4.81 speed. We're not big on Rivera's long-term outlook.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Jun 4 - 8:39 PM

Completely disagree with rotoworld's take on Rivera's long-term outlook. He's coming off a productive rookie season and plenty to build off of. Way to early to project Ausberry as anything approaching an every down TE into his third year as a psuedo rookie and he will be 27 years old this September. Rotoworld picks on Rivera's poor blocking but Ausberry is no better in that regard. Whole lot of ill-informed speculation in the blue font.

 

[massraider]

Rotoworld:

Second-year TE Mychal Rivera is working behind David Ausberry at Raiders OTAs.

Rivera posted a 38-407-4 receiving line as a rookie, although it was mostly because the Raiders had no one else at tight end. (Ausberry was injured.) The Raiders appear to be projecting Ausberry as a possible every-down tight end, with Rivera only being used situationally due to deficient blocking. Rivera goes 6'3/242 with 4.81 speed. We're not big on Rivera's long-term outlook.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Jun 4 - 8:39 PM

Completely disagree with rotoworld's take on Rivera's long-term outlook. He's coming off a productive rookie season and plenty to build off of. Way to early to project Ausberry as anything approaching an every down TE into his third year as a psuedo rookie and he will be 27 years old this September. Rotoworld picks on Rivera's poor blocking but Ausberry is no better in that regard. Whole lot of ill-informed speculation in the blue font.

Rivera has shown more as a TE in his rookie year than Ausberry has in 4 college and 3 pro seasons.

 

[maf005]

Rotoworld:

Second-year TE Mychal Rivera is working behind David Ausberry at Raiders OTAs.

Rivera posted a 38-407-4 receiving line as a rookie, although it was mostly because the Raiders had no one else at tight end. (Ausberry was injured.) The Raiders appear to be projecting Ausberry as a possible every-down tight end, with Rivera only being used situationally due to deficient blocking. Rivera goes 6'3/242 with 4.81 speed. We're not big on Rivera's long-term outlook.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Jun 4 - 8:39 PM

Completely disagree with rotoworld's take on Rivera's long-term outlook. He's coming off a productive rookie season and plenty to build off of. Way to early to project Ausberry as anything approaching an every down TE into his third year as a psuedo rookie and he will be 27 years old this September. Rotoworld picks on Rivera's poor blocking but Ausberry is no better in that regard. Whole lot of ill-informed speculation in the blue font.

Rivera has shown more as a TE in his rookie year than Ausberry has in 4 college and 3 pro seasons.

Why do you think Rivera is being relegated to backup?

 

[massraider]

Rotoworld:

Second-year TE Mychal Rivera is working behind David Ausberry at Raiders OTAs.

Rivera posted a 38-407-4 receiving line as a rookie, although it was mostly because the Raiders had no one else at tight end. (Ausberry was injured.) The Raiders appear to be projecting Ausberry as a possible every-down tight end, with Rivera only being used situationally due to deficient blocking. Rivera goes 6'3/242 with 4.81 speed. We're not big on Rivera's long-term outlook.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Jun 4 - 8:39 PM

Completely disagree with rotoworld's take on Rivera's long-term outlook. He's coming off a productive rookie season and plenty to build off of. Way to early to project Ausberry as anything approaching an every down TE into his third year as a psuedo rookie and he will be 27 years old this September. Rotoworld picks on Rivera's poor blocking but Ausberry is no better in that regard. Whole lot of ill-informed speculation in the blue font.

Rivera has shown more as a TE in his rookie year than Ausberry has in 4 college and 3 pro seasons.

Why do you think Rivera is being relegated to backup?

Rivera is a move TE, that was the book on him coming out of college, and has held true. He's a Tony Scheffler-type, passing game guy with (apparently) little in the way of traditional TE blocking skills. If he's on the field, it's probably a passing play.

Ausberry a better blocker, tho he's not Bear Pascoe or anything. He is entering his 4th year, so I am not surprised the Raiders are running him out there with the 1's. Rivera, being an H-back type, might never 'start' and still produce more fantasy stats.

Ausberry IS still interesting. He ran a 4.48 at the combine, played WR in college, and has nice size. But he hasn't shown anything as a pass catcher, and he was a WR in college. One would think that would be the easier stuff.

 

[maf005]

Rotoworld:

Second-year TE Mychal Rivera is working behind David Ausberry at Raiders OTAs.

Rivera posted a 38-407-4 receiving line as a rookie, although it was mostly because the Raiders had no one else at tight end. (Ausberry was injured.) The Raiders appear to be projecting Ausberry as a possible every-down tight end, with Rivera only being used situationally due to deficient blocking. Rivera goes 6'3/242 with 4.81 speed. We're not big on Rivera's long-term outlook.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Jun 4 - 8:39 PM

Completely disagree with rotoworld's take on Rivera's long-term outlook. He's coming off a productive rookie season and plenty to build off of. Way to early to project Ausberry as anything approaching an every down TE into his third year as a psuedo rookie and he will be 27 years old this September. Rotoworld picks on Rivera's poor blocking but Ausberry is no better in that regard. Whole lot of ill-informed speculation in the blue font.

Rivera has shown more as a TE in his rookie year than Ausberry has in 4 college and 3 pro seasons.

Why do you think Rivera is being relegated to backup?

Rivera is a move TE, that was the book on him coming out of college, and has held true. He's a Tony Scheffler-type, passing game guy with (apparently) little in the way of traditional TE blocking skills. If he's on the field, it's probably a passing play.

Ausberry a better blocker, tho he's not Bear Pascoe or anything. He is entering his 4th year, so I am not surprised the Raiders are running him out there with the 1's. Rivera, being an H-back type, might never 'start' and still produce more fantasy stats.

Ausberry IS still interesting. He ran a 4.48 at the combine, played WR in college, and has nice size. But he hasn't shown anything as a pass catcher, and he was a WR in college. One would think that would be the easier stuff.

I get that he's completely unproven but he entered the league as a project, and wasn't supposed to start for at least a year. Last season, even with blocking and pass protection concerns, he was named the starter entering the preseason then got hurt and was lost for the year. Early reports this year indicate he's a much improved blocker and still the receiving weapon he was drafted to be. I'm not super in tune with Oakland but to me he clearly seems like the TE to own. Still a longshot to produce TE1 numbers but his speculative value is trending up.

He sorta reminds me of Julius Thomas from a developmental timeline perspective.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

I don't know of any reports this offseason that point to Ausberry being a "much improved blocker". And definitely need to slow the roll on comparisons to Julius Thomas. He's had 9 career catches in 3 years over 28 games. I'd be thrilled to see him develop, but my hope is he can contribute 30 catches this year as a TE2 to Rivera. He's got the talent for more, but I need to see it to believe it.

 

[massraider]

Rotoworld:

Second-year TE Mychal Rivera is working behind David Ausberry at Raiders OTAs.

Rivera posted a 38-407-4 receiving line as a rookie, although it was mostly because the Raiders had no one else at tight end. (Ausberry was injured.) The Raiders appear to be projecting Ausberry as a possible every-down tight end, with Rivera only being used situationally due to deficient blocking. Rivera goes 6'3/242 with 4.81 speed. We're not big on Rivera's long-term outlook.

Source: CSN Bay Area

Jun 4 - 8:39 PM

Completely disagree with rotoworld's take on Rivera's long-term outlook. He's coming off a productive rookie season and plenty to build off of. Way to early to project Ausberry as anything approaching an every down TE into his third year as a psuedo rookie and he will be 27 years old this September. Rotoworld picks on Rivera's poor blocking but Ausberry is no better in that regard. Whole lot of ill-informed speculation in the blue font.

Rivera has shown more as a TE in his rookie year than Ausberry has in 4 college and 3 pro seasons.

Why do you think Rivera is being relegated to backup?

Rivera is a move TE, that was the book on him coming out of college, and has held true. He's a Tony Scheffler-type, passing game guy with (apparently) little in the way of traditional TE blocking skills. If he's on the field, it's probably a passing play.

Ausberry a better blocker, tho he's not Bear Pascoe or anything. He is entering his 4th year, so I am not surprised the Raiders are running him out there with the 1's. Rivera, being an H-back type, might never 'start' and still produce more fantasy stats.

Ausberry IS still interesting. He ran a 4.48 at the combine, played WR in college, and has nice size. But he hasn't shown anything as a pass catcher, and he was a WR in college. One would think that would be the easier stuff.

I get that he's completely unproven but he entered the league as a project, and wasn't supposed to start for at least a year. Last season, even with blocking and pass protection concerns, he was named the starter entering the preseason then got hurt and was lost for the year. Early reports this year indicate he's a much improved blocker and still the receiving weapon he was drafted to be. I'm not super in tune with Oakland but to me he clearly seems like the TE to own. Still a longshot to produce TE1 numbers but his speculative value is trending up.

He sorta reminds me of Julius Thomas from a developmental timeline perspective.

In three NFL seasons, he has done as close to zero as possible. That is after 5 years in college--redshirt year and 4 seasons. He's two years older than Julius Thomas, who played at a rinky dink college.

This is not to suggest that I don't have hopes for Ausberry. But Ausberry played on teams that were throwing 100 passes to Brandon Myers, and he couldn't get any looks.

Rivera came in as late rookie pick, and immediately looked like the game wasn't too big for him. He caught 40+ balls and 4 TDs with McGloin and Pryor. Frankly, I think he's dramatically underrated. Couple comments from OTA's isn't changing my position. When there are games being played, and the cameras are on, Ausberry has shown nothing. Rivera has shown he can play.

 

[Apathetic]

I don't know of any reports this offseason that point to Ausberry being a "much improved blocker". And definitely need to slow the roll on comparisons to Julius Thomas. He's had 9 career catches in 3 years over 28 games. I'd be thrilled to see him develop, but my hope is he can contribute 30 catches this year as a TE2 to Rivera. He's got the talent for more, but I need to see it to believe it.

And Thomas had 1 catch for 5 yards over 2 years and 9 games before last year. It's not a huge stretch to make that comparison.