Oakland Raiders: Predicting targets for stacked WR group

Jordy Nelson

Let’s assume for the moment that Derek Carr and the rest of the Raiders’ quarterbacks are going to get back to airing it out, and we have about 575 passes to divide among these hungry receivers.

When Jordy Nelson is healthy, he commands the football.

In his best years with the Packers, Nelson was targeted at 151 and 152 times (2014, 2016).

In those two seasons, Nelson was among the league’s leaders in touchdown catches (27 touchdowns between those two years) and was also one of the league’s top vertical threats.

Though he’s now 32 years old, Nelson still has the ability when healthy to be a dynamic weapon, which is why I think he’s going to lead the Raiders in targets.

Prediction 150 targets

If the Raiders are able to get Nelson 150 targets, it will mean a couple of things.

First and foremost, it will mean he remained healthy throughout the year.

Second, it will mean that he’s still able to be a dominant weapon in the vertical passing game as well as in the red zone.

If Nelson is able to catch anywhere between 85-95 passes this season, it means the Raiders’ passing game will be dynamic.