Jordy Nelson

Let's be clear - when you go from Aaron Rodgers to Derek Carr, there's going to be a massive efficiency decline. One positive from the move to the Raiders is that it appears they'll be using him in the slot, similarly to the way that the Cardinals use Larry Fitzgerald. Nelson isn't as physically imposing as Fitzgerald, and he's also got to compete with Amari Cooper and Martavis Bryant for targets. While Nelson will be usable as a safe WR4 play most weeks, he doesn't offer you much upside.

Jordy Nelson signs 2-year deal with Raiders

Former Packers and Raiders wide receiver James Jones has announced that his former teammate Jordy Nelson will sign a two-year deal with the Oakland Raiders worth $15 million with $13 million guaranteed.

Fantasy Impact

Here's the news we kind of knew was coming after Derek Carr went to pick up Nelson at the airport and spending all day with the team. After hearing about the Michael Crabtree release, it was certain. Nelson's play dipped down the stretch in 2017, and while some say it's due to Aaron Rodgers going down with an injury, there's likely more to it. Even going back to 2016, when Nelson was returning from his torn ACL, his yards per reception dipped to 13.0 after being at least 15.2 yards per reception every year since becoming a starter. That number dipped again in 2017 to just 9.1 yards per reception. Nelson was once known as an incredible route runner who could get open deep, but that's not the player the Raiders are getting. At 33 years old, Nelson's age has caught up with him. He's going to be the No. 2 receiver behind Amari Cooper and not one that we'd recommend drafting in fantasy football. His chemistry with Aaron Rodgers was something special that won't be duplicated.