NFL fantasy football analyst positive about Raiders defense

The Las Vegas Raiders defense has had its fair share of struggles this season.

Injuries and inconsistency have been themes throughout the year, resulting in some tough stretches of play. While leaders are trying to emerge, it is difficult to keep things going when momentum is against the Raiders.

That said, the ship seems to be turning around, even after defensive end Maxx Crosby’s season-ending injury.

The Raiders are starting to make splash plays on defense. They have held their opponent to less than 20 points in three of their last four games, and have generated six turnovers in that span after only producing five up to that point.

With the New Orleans Saints ruling quarterback Derek Carr and running back Alvin Kamara out for their matchup against the Raiders, the defense is being set up nicely for another good day.

With fantasy football championships also being decided this week, NFL fantasy analyst Mike Florio suggested that the Raiders defense may be worthwhile.

“Spencer Rattler has played the majority of snaps in four games this year. In those four games, the opposing defense has scored 17, 20, 12 and 17 fantasy points,” said Florio. “Said defense has finished top three in every one of those weeks.”

”If you watched the Saints play on Monday Night Football, you know to stream against them. The Raiders have not been that effective for fantasy, but they have three or more sacks in three of their last four games. The upside makes them worth taking a shot on this week.”

While fantasy football and the real thing are not necessarily the same, it sounds like the Raiders are primed for a nice day defensively. While the Saints will want to respond after being shut out by the Green Bay Packers in their last game, they simply do not have the talent to make that a guarantee.

If the Raiders can pull a second straight win for the first time this season, the defensive performance will likely have something to do with it.