Oakland Raiders Week 11 Stock Report

Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said, “there are always positives” during Monday’s press conference.

He didn’t—and probably shouldn’t—discuss the poor game plan put together against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10.

This week’s stock report provides a twist on the normal "stock up, stock down" on players. Players are expected to execute the game plan, but a flawed strategy hinders any chance of success on the field.

The final score (30-14) looks better than the actual details on film. Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph dropped a wide-open touchdown that should’ve put his team up 14-0 to start the game. Oakland took control of this contest for about 15 seconds, and the squib kick returned for a touchdown erased short-lived momentum.

The Raiders competed to stay close, but the Vikings displayed killer instinct in the fourth quarter to emphatically claim victory.

According to Pro Football Focus, three Raiders performances ranked as the worst among players at their position.

What went wrong? Who provided the bright spots in a crushing loss?

Jack Del Rio: Stock Down

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Del Rio admitted to two critical mistakes during Monday’s press conference.

He chose not to delve into the decision to start cornerback D.J. Hayden over David Amerson on the outside, which hurt the defense on the first drive when Hayden drew a pass interference call. The Vikings moved from their own 35-yard line to the Raiders' 33-yard line after accepting the penalty.

Hayden has committed seven penalties to Amerson’s three infractions through nine games. 

Secondly, Del Rio revealed that backup running back Taiwan Jones didn’t factor into Sunday’s game plan. That’s inexcusable considering weak spots on the perimeter of the Vikings' run defense.

Run plays designed to stretch the ball outside pose the biggest threat to attacking containment on the edges.

The Vikings were content with allowing inside runs of four or five yards a pop, but the Raiders' game plan failed to challenge a weakness that could’ve forced Minnesota to bring reinforcements to support the run defense.

As a result, two high safeties sat back and made quarterback Derek Carr’s job difficult.

As the head coach, Del Rio must make better decisions when approving week-to-week game plans. Keep Hayden in the slot and show more commitment to moving the ball efficiently on the ground.

Nate Allen: Stock Down

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We should’ve all seen this coming a mile away. Safety Nate Allen sat out for eight weeks with a knee injury.

Of course, he returned to the field with rust on his tackling technique. He missed two tackles—one allowed Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs to streak downfield for 37 yards, per PFF.

Overall, Allen graded as the worst safety in Week 10. Keep in mind, he basically restarted his season against the Vikings. Prior to the knee injury, he played 11 snaps in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

There’s no cause for concern here, and the secondary didn’t hurt the Raiders on Sunday. Allen will improve as he continues to practice and take live snaps.

Jamize Olawale: Stock Up

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We cannot take anything away from fullback Jamize Olawale’s performance. He racked up 59 yards from scrimmage, supplanting Marcel Reece as a power rusher with receiving skills in the backfield.

Olawale became the No. 2 running back, recording five carries for 24 yards on the ground. Once an afterthought, he’s entered the unscripted mix of tailbacks supplementing the rushing attack behind starter Latavius Murray.

It’s anyone’s guess as to how much Olawale factors into the game plan going forward.

However, the Raiders' choice to leave Roy Helu inactive and keep Jones off the field on offense either says a lot of about Olawale or this group of running backs.

Malcolm Smith: Stock Down

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Linebacker Malcolm Smith’s mediocre tackling performance against the NFL’s top running back hurt the back end of the Raiders' front seven.

He made five stops and whiffed on three tackles against Minnesota. The ratio looks decent, but Oakland needed a solid performance to slow down Adrian Peterson.

Unfortunately, Peterson ran through the run defense and made some nifty moves to evade Smith on a few plays to break the game open in the second half.

Smith also ranked as the overall worst at his position in Week 10.

Mario Edwards Jr.: Stock Up

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Oakland lost starting defensive end Justin Tuck for the season, but second-round pick Mario Edwards continues to impress as a run-stopper and pass-rusher on the defensive line. He recorded one sack, four quarterback hurries and three stops against the Vikings. 

The drop-off between Tuck and Edwards doesn’t present a wide margin. The rookie already ranks third on the team in quarterback hurries. He’s the biggest beneficiary of double-teams on Khalil Mack in a 3-4 alignment.

Edwards’ fit in Oakland raised questions, but he’s flipped that outlook with solid play in the first nine games.

Justin Ellis: Stock Down

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Remember when "Meat and Potatoes" garnered buzz as an impenetrable pair within the Raiders' defensive line? Peterson ate the meal set up to stop him in the middle.

On Sunday, Dan Williams graded out at plus-1.8 against the run. Justin Ellis put up a minus-1.8 against the run, which offers a glimpse into Peterson’s success. He took 12 carries for 58 yards right up the middle, averaging nearly five yards per carry.

The Raiders decided to align Ellis and Williams on the field together as opposed to alternating them as nose tackles. The plan made sense, but Vikings offensive lineman Brandon Fusco won his individual battle in the trenches. Ellis ranked last at his position in Week 10.

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All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.