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Stock Up or Stock Down: Oakland Raiders @ New Orleans Saints

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after completing a two point conversion to take the lead during the fourth quarter of a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Raiders defeated the Saints 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

A weekly series recapping three players on the Oakland Raiders whose stock is on the rise after playing well, and three players whose stock has taken a hit after a poor performance.

After a thrilling 35-34 win over Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints, the Oakland Raiders are riding a wave of momentum into next week’s matchup against Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons.

After an up and down game from multiple players, we look at our version of a stock watch: three plaers who stood out and thre players who had very rough showings in the first game of the regular season.

Let’s start with players whose stock is on the rise.

Jalen Richard

Three carries for 84 yards and one TD. For an undrafted rookie playing in his first NFL game, in his hometown, Southern Miss product Jalen Richard looked every bit a franchise back Sunday afternoon.

From a shoelace catch with a defender draped on his back to keep a drive alive on 3rd-and-8, to his 75-yard touchdown run on his first career carry, Jalen Richard opened some eyes this week.

At 5’8″ 207 pounds, Richard is a compact back who clearly has breakaway speed, with the ability to impact a game on all three downs. Expect Jalen to eat into Latavius’ carries as the season wears on.

Kelechi Osemele

What can I say about the 60 million dollar man? The attitude K.O. brings to a line that already had nasty maulers such as Donald Penn and Gabe Jackson has taken the Raiders run game to an entirely new level.

While not immediately noticeable in the box score — Oakland rushed for a total of 167 yards and three TD’s — when a short yardage run was needed, you only had to look for #70 to see who was leading the way.

Kelechi says he wasn’t signed to “be a nice guy”, and it clearly shows on film. Routinely punishing any player lined up across from him, Osemele even filled in at left tackle in a pinch when Matt McCants went down with an injury, which saw Donald Penn to flip to the right side.

His stock is clearly on the rise.

Derek Carr

Trailing 34-33, two-point conversion attempt to decide the game, and Derek Carr proves that he has ice in his veins as he throws a game-winning fade route to Michael Crabtree.

That play capped off an impressive evening for Carr — one that saw him throw for over 300 yards with a 98.2 passer rating. Despite only throwing for one TD, Raider fans had the pleasure of watching Carr navigate a pocket while keeping his eyes downfield and effectively distributing the ball to his playmakers in space.

After 13 seasons in QB hell, Carr took this team 75 yards down the field for a season opening statement win, showing football fans everywhere why #RaiderNation believes that he is the future of the franchise.

Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) catches a touchdown pass over Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden (25) and defensive back Reggie Nelson (27) during the second quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Next, we’ll look at three players whose stock has taken a hit after the first game of the season.

Keith McGill

Be it in coverage or in run support, Keith McGill definitely looked lost multiple times Sunday afternoon. It was very surprising to see him come off the bench ahead of fan favorite T.J. Carrie, and it was clear all game why that should not have been the case.

McGill is a player I have been critical of since the moment he was drafted, and he has done nothing in four seasons to change my mind on him. He is a liability in coverage, and was by far one of the worst tacklers I’ve ever scouted when he entered the draft.

I expect him to be leapfrogged by either Carrie or second-year CB Dexter McDonald in the near future.

Malcolm Smith

The former Super Bowl MVP was brought in on a 2-year, $7M deal to provide a spark to a beleaguered linebacker corps. While he brings value as a smart player who is well-versed in Ken Norton Jr.’s hybrid defense, Smith showed Sunday why many believe he is only a replacement level player.

While Malcolm wasn’t spectacular, he does a decent job in coverage as well as in his ability to diagnose the run. Despite this, he is undersized at 6’0″ 228 pounds, and it shows as a tackler, where he falls off far too many attempts for any fans liking.

Raider Nation can only hope he is outplayed for his starting job, but judging by the lack of depth behind him, we can expect Smith to start most of this season.

D.J. Hayden

Where to start with our dear friend D.J.? The fan favorite for most hated player on the roster has to easily be fourth year cornerback D.J. Hayden.

After a game which saw him come onto the field in relief before stud slot corner T.J. Carrie, Hayden has been blasted continuously by fans for a game in whiche he gave up multiple TD’s and commited two pass Interference penalties, and one defensive holding.

Time and time again, Hayden allowed big catches to second-year receiver Willie Snead, who torched the Raiders secondary with nine catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. You had to look but two steps behind to see Hayden in a busted coverage.

Many called for his release in the offseason, and he did nothing in the season opener to quell those thoughts.

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