Las Vegas, Team Mood and Players We're In or Out On

As we race toward August, Footballguys.com will look at one team per day with our extremely in-depth Team Reports and our quick-hitting Team Mood and Players We're In and Out On, where we check out the overall mood of each team's offense and let you know the players we are in on (because they are great values at the cost it takes to acquire them) and who we're out on (because they are too expensive and won't have a good return on that investment).

Here are all of the Team Mood and Players We're In and Out On articles:
Arizona | Atlanta | Baltimore | Buffalo | Carolina | Chicago | Cincinnati | Cleveland | Dallas | Denver | Detroit | Green Bay | Houston | Indianapolis | Jacksonville | Kansas City | Las Vegas | LA Chargers | LA Rams | Miami | Minnesota | New England | New Orleans | NY Giants | NY Jets | Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | San Francisco | Seattle | Tampa Bay | Tennessee | Washington

Quick Hits

Want a brief overview? Here it is:

• Mood - Good
• We're In On at Cost - QB Derek Carr
• We're Out On at Cost - RB Josh Jacobs and TE Darren Waller

Want a longer breakdown of how it's going in Las Vegas? Read on.

Las Vegas, Team Mood

• Good - 10
• Neutral - 7
• Bad - 0

Staffers in a Good Mood

• Kevin Coleman: Josh McDaniels is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL and could unlock Derek Carr.
• Jeff Haseley: Las Vegas is in a prime position to be one of the better teams in the AFC thanks to the signing of Josh McDaniels and Davante Adams. The offense is ready to rock.
• Sam Wagman: Adding Davante Adams and bringing in a solid offensive mind in Josh McDaniels are what you need to compete in what might be the toughest division in the NFL.
• Craig Lakins: The Raiders made a couple of big moves this offseason in an effort to keep pace in the AFC, West and now Derek Carr has the best supporting cast of his career.
• Alfredo Brown: Additions of Davante Adams, Josh McDaniels, and Zamir White should lead to more scoring.
• Zareh Kantzabedian: Derek Carr has historically finished as a back-end QB1/high-end QB2 but now gets Davante Adams, who should solidify Carr’s status as a weekly QB1.
• Christian Williams: This is the best assortment of weapons Derek Carr has ever had at his disposal and arguably the best offensive coach in his career.
• Chad Parsons: Adding Adams to an already-good offense lifts the overall tide.
• Dave Kluge: A playoff team heads into this season with a new WR1, a healthy Darren Waller, and an exciting new head coach.
• Victoria Geary: The addition of Davante Adams may be the tipping point this offense needs to go further than one-and-done in the playoffs.

Staffers in a Neutral Mood

• Jason Wood: Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels haven't shown much without Tom Brady, and while Davante Adams is huge, the defense is still among the league's worst.
• Ben Cummins: There is warranted excitement around the additions of Davante Adams and Josh McDaniels yet the offensive line ranks as the fourth worst unit according to Pro Football Focus.
• Andy Hicks: I am not convinced that Josh McDaniels is the best hire at head coach. Davante Adams and Darren Waller will be 30 this year. How much do they have left?
• Justin Howe: Davante Adams brings consistency, but the Raiders didn't add much dynamism, and big questions remain along the offensive line. I expect similar output in 2022.
• Ryan Weisse: I like everything about this offense. Carr is a good quarterback, and the pass-catchers are great. I'm just concerned they won't throw enough to keep everyone relevant.
• Jeff Bell: The passing yardage was there to support three top receiver options but touchdowns must increase.
• Jordan McNamara: There is a lot of change, but I'm not sold on Josh McDaniels as a head coach, given his prior history.

Staffers in a Bad Mood

• None

Players We're In On at Cost

• Derek Carr - 9
• Hunter Renfrow - 4
• Davante Adams - 2
• Kenyan Drake - 1
• Darren Waller - 1

Reasons to be In on Derek Carr

• Jason Wood: Carr is on a short list of middle-round quarterbacks who could easily finish as a QB1 if things click with the new scheme and Adams' arrival.
• Kevin Coleman: Based on his current ADP of QB15, Carr is the perfect quarterback to build a redraft roster around. With the addition of Davante Adams, Carr should finish as a low-end QB1.
• Jeff Haseley: Carr is one of my favorite redraft targets at quarterback. He's in the captain's chair of an offense that is ready to explode.
• Sam Wagman: Carr could take the next step and move into the QB1 tier with the addition of Adams.
• Alfredo Brown: Carr is surrounded by weapons and a very competent play-caller. He has a high floor and ceiling.
• Ryan Weisse: When an offense has too many weapons, the quarterback is often the cheapest and best entry point. If you want a piece of Davante Adams, draft Carr in the 12th.
• Chad Parsons: He has been a good-but-not-great fantasy option in his career but Adams, Renfrow, and Waller form one of the better trios of weapons in the NFL.
• Victoria Geary: He's never been too flashy for fantasy, but has every opportunity to be a QB1 this year, at a QB2 cost.
• Jordan McNamara: The Raiders are probably the worst team in the loaded AFC West and loaded with weapons. The team will have to throw a lot.

Reasons to be In on Hunter Renfrow

• Craig Lakins: Coming off a WR13 finish, he's still the forgotten man due to the addition of Davante Adams. Renfrow can still work the middle of the field and find even more open space to catch dump-offs from QB Derek Carr.
• Christian Williams: While most think Adams will eat into his work, they both can thrive in their respective roles.
• Justin Howe: Even with a hefty dip in target share, he still looks locked into 85-90 receptions, making for a cheap PPR WR2.
• Jeff Bell: This system is designed to allow slots to feast.

Reasons to be In on Davante Adams

• Ben Cummins: Adams is worth an early to mid-second round pick in full PPR.
• Dave Kluge: Adams might not have Aaron Rodgers anymore but is still a wildly talented player. Getting him as the fourth of fifth wide receiver off the board feels like an overcorrection.

Reasons to be In on Kenyan Drake

• Andy Hicks: At a throwaway price, Drake is a great receiving back at the very least. We have seen McDaniels use these guys well.

Reasons to be In on Darren Waller

• Zareh Kantzabedian: Waller’s target share will fall with Davante Adams in town, but good tight ends have historically thrived under Josh McDaniels.

Players We're Out On at Cost

• Darren Waller - 5
• Josh Jacobs - 5
• Hunter Renfrow - 4
• No One - 2
• Davante Adams - 2

Reasons to be Out on Darren Waller

• Jeff Haseley: You could argue Waller may be a bit too high, considering he could see a reduction in production with Davante Adams now in the fold.
• Ben Cummins: Waller costs too much now that he’ll be competing with both Adams and Hunter Renfrow.
• Christian Williams: He excelled when split out wide, and Adams could soak up some of the targets in those areas of the field.
• Justin Howe: Life was great when he was the only game in town, but he's now 30 and should fall third in the pecking order. That doesn't befit a TE1.
• Chad Parsons: Waller has been the de facto WR1 for the team in recent years but sees a new landscape in 2022. Adams tilts the passing game in his direction, and Renfrow came into his own last year.

Reasons to be Out on Josh Jacobs

• Sam Wagman: Jacobs could carry a little risk with McDaniels’ history of committee rushing schemes. There are now multiple other backs in Las Vegas, and while Jacobs is in the final year of his contract, McDaniels could mix some backs in.
• Ben Cummins: Jacobs reportedly will face competition from Kenyan Drake and Zamir White.
• Craig Lakins: The Raiders seem resolved to use a running-back-by-committee approach based on the additions in the running back room.
• Alfredo Brown: The combo of Kenyan Drake, Zamir White, Brandon Bolden, and Ameer Abdullah could mean lower volume for Jacobs.
• Jeff Bell: Likely lacks passing game upside with the history of backs in the system.

Reasons to be Out on Hunter Renfrow

• Jason Wood: He'll still have an important role, but Waller and Adams will gobble up a disproportionate target share, and Renfrow needs a massive volume to have value.
• Zareh Kantzabedian: Renfrow is the odd man out in 2022 and isn't much more than a floor play.
• Dave Kluge: Renfrow only saw production last year when Waller was hurt. Adams and a healthy Waller could make it tough for him to garner meaningful volume.
• Victoria Geary: His WR37 price tag isn't extreme, but I am taking players with an opportunity to be their team's WR1 instead (i.e., Rashod Bateman, Elijah Moore).

Reasons to be Out on No One

• Kevin Coleman: Everyone on this team is currently being valued appropriately
• Jordan McNamara: No one is overvalued.

Reasons to be Out on Davante Adams

• Andy Hicks: Adams has a new team, a new quarterback, and a new coach. How can we assume he will be one of the top three or four receivers?
• Ryan Weisse: I recognize the talent, but the ADP in a new offense without Aaron Rodgers is just too risky.