Marshawn Lynch, Damien Williams, More Fantasy Reaction from Raiders vs. Dolphins

There were some surprising individual performances in the Oakland Raiders' 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, and many of them could create a shift in fantasy leagues around the country.

One of the biggest challenges over the course of the season is figuring out which big games are real and which are flukes. Johnny Holton had a 44-yard touchdown catch, although you can't trust him to do that every week. On the other hand, there are some players who proved worthy of fantasy consideration and can help you in the second half of the season.

Here are the biggest names to emerge from the Sunday night battle.

Jared Cook, TE, Raiders

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It's been hard to find reliable tight ends this season, with only a handful worth keeping in your lineup each week. The rest of the league is mostly hoping your player finds the end zone to make him worth the start.

However, Jared Cook appears to have put himself among the top names at the position with another great game against the Dolphins.

Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal noted the hot start from the veteran:

This continued as Cook finished with a game-high eight catches for 126 yards.

Jason B. Hirschhorn of Sports on Earth provided his thoughts on the tight end:

Cook was huge in the playoffs last year for the Green Bay Packers, totaling 18 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns in three games. It took some time for him to get acclimated to his new surroundings in Oakland, but he had 10 catches for 164 yards over the last two games and set a new season high in this one.

Oakland has a bye next week but has great matchups after that, and Cook could be a star at the position going forward.

Kenyan Drake/Damien Williams, RB, Dolphins

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No one knew what to expect from the Dolphins backfield following the team's trade of Jay Ajayi, with Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams likely to both be involved.

Both came through with big plays, although Williams had the better fantasy day with six catches for 47 yards and a score, plus 14 rushing yards on seven carries.

This touchdown certainly caught the attention of the coaching staff:

Drake was heavily involved as well, finishing with nine carries for 69 yards, including a 42-yard run. He also had six catches for 35 yards and a two-point conversion, although he did lose a fumble in the first half.

It doesn't appear as though either player will be a true featured back going forward, but both could be useful in fantasy. Drake is likely the better runner between the tackles and will be more useful in games where the team has a lead. Williams will be more useful in passing situations and could have better showings where the Dolphins trail much of the game.

Of course, with 15 touches to 13 touches in favor of Drake, little was cleared up in Week 9.

They certainly should be added in all leagues if still available, with Williams possibly better in points-per-reception leagues. He has been a quality pass-catcher throughout his career, and this ability gives him the upside of an RB2, while Drake might be at best an RB3.

Although next week's matchup against the Carolina Panthers won't make it easy for either back to get yards, Williams is likely the best bet of the two thanks to his ability to make plays in space.

Jay Cutler, QB, Dolphins

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It's easy to make fun of Jay Cutler, but he was near his best against the Raiders.

After missing last week's game because of broken ribs, he came out red-hot in Week 9, as described by Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

"

Jay Cutler’s first incomplete pass comes with 0:37 left in the first half 16/17 148 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, no sacks.

— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) November 6, 2017"

He finished 34-of-42 for 311 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 121.3 quarterback rating.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald questioned the Raiders' defensive strategy:

Oakland finished with just one sack, but the reality is the team had little chance to get to Cutler based on the play-calling. The veteran routinely got the ball out quickly on short passes and allowed his receivers to do work.

This led to big numbers that might not continue, but it is enough to keep him in streaming consideration during these heavy bye weeks.

It also could provide a boost to Jarvis Landry going forward thanks to his ability to catch short passes and turn them into long gains.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Raiders

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It's been a slow start to the season for Marshawn Lynch, but he did look a little like his old self on this 22-yard touchdown run:

Per ESPN Stats & Info, it was Beast Mode's longest run of the season. He followed it up with a second score in the fourth quarter to end his night with 14 carries for 57 yards and two touchdowns.

One of his biggest problems to date is that he simply hasn't gotten the touches he received in his career with Seattle. After rushing the ball 18 times in Week 1, he only averaged nine carries per game in the next six contests.

This was before missing last game because of suspension.

DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard were still involved in this game, but Lynch led the way for Oakland and ended up with his best showing of the year.

Although it will be tough to produce legitimate fantasy points without more rushing attempts, Sunday's effort certainly provides hope for more big days ahead.