Bob Levey-Getty Images
After a lot of talk surrounding their interest in him, the Oakland Raiders are reportedly set to acquire quarterback Matt Schaub from the Houston Texans for a late-round pick in this year’s draft. Schaub will obviously now become the starter in Oakland, with Terrelle Pryor moving down the depth chart, and the team can now address other needs early in May’s draft while perhaps waiting to select a quarterback.
Schaub has three 4,000-yard passing seasons during his career, so can he re-establish himself as a viable option for fantasy football owners with the Raiders?
Schaub eventually lost his starting job to Case Keenum after he threw nine interceptions in the first five games of last season, and he then started the final two games of the season when Keenum was sidelined by a thumb injury. It was a matter of when, not if, Houston would find a way to unload Schaub and a change of scenery may do him a lot of good.
Schaub will not have a No. 1 wide receiver on the level of Andre Johnson with his new team, but the Raiders do have some depth at the position with free agent signing James Jones joining Denarius Moore, Rod Streater and Andre Holmes. Add in the pass-catching prowess of fullback Marcel Reece (84 receptions over the last two seasons), and Oakland could have a highly functional pass offense next season.
Schaub’s season-high for pass attempts is 583 (36.4 per game) in 2009, and not surprisingly his season-highs in passing yards (4,770), touchdowns (29) and completions (396) also came that season. He will surely be throwing the ball a lot with the Raiders, particularly with six games against superior teams elsewhere in AFC West on the schedule, so a career-high in attempts should come fairly easily next season if Schaub starts all 16 games.
Schaub’s fantasy value for 2014 will largely be a function of volume and possible garbage time production, and that is enough to make him worth drafting as a QB2 in 12 and 14-team leagues as long as he remains on track to start Week 1.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
