Another season, another new veteran quarterback in Oakland. First it was Carson Palmer, then came Matt Flynn. Now it's Matt Schaub, who has been acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick (or as Around the League writer Chris Wesseling puts is, "a six pick for a pick six."
Fantasy free agency tracker
Darren McFadden is staying put, but plenty of free agents are on the move. Keep up with them in our Fantasy Tracker. More ...
Schaub was once a viable fantasy football starter, but he's been more of a backup or matchup-based starter in recent seasons. In fact, he became more valuable for owners looking to stream defensive units in 2013. That's due in large part to the fact that Schaub was throwing pick sixes on almost a regular basis, at least before he was pulled in favor of the little-known Case Keenum.
Now in Oakland, the immobile Schaub will play behind a suspect offensive line and downgraded talent around him. Darren McFadden has the tools to make an impact in the stat sheets, but you can't perform if you can't stay on the field. He's also not on the same level as Arian Foster. While James Jones is a nice upgrade for the Raiders at wide receiver, he's no Andre Johnson. Not even close.
On a positive note, Schaub is an upgrade in the passing game over Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin. That's good news for Jones, Denarius Moore, Rod Streater and the top Oakland pass-catchers ... just not good enough to make them regular fantasy starters. Schaub could also end up being a viable matchup-based option next season, and he could become the new king of garbage-time fantasy production.
When all is said and done, though, the Virginia product isn't going to be worth more than a late-round look ... if he's even drafted at all.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
