The Oakland Raiders are hoping to have Charles Woodson healthy for Week 2 after the safety injured his shoulder against the Bengals. Woodson was able to practice along with Derek Carr, who injured his hand but is expected to start along with Amari Cooper and Latavius Murray against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
The Raiders have already lost Nate Allen to a knee injury and losing Woodson would be a big blow for the secondary. Pro Football Talk reports that Woodson is "pushing to play" and that he was a limited participant in practice on Thursday. Woodson being limited doesn't rule him out and according to the San Jose Mercury News, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said that the team is taking things "day-by-day" regarding Woodson's status.
Woodson dislocated his shoulder last week and coach Jack Del Rio said that Woodson is "very competitive" and wants to be on the field for Week 2. Woodson has been able to start 33 games for the Raiders without missing time and he is hoping to be on the field this week with Allen already putting the Raiders down one starter. The Raiders signed Taylor Mays this week as insurance for the safeties and he could see some snaps with Allen out, while Keenan Lambert also could play.
Derek Carr is coming into the Week 2 matchup against the Ravens ready to start after dealing with a hand injury in Week 1. According to CSN Bay Area, Carr said that his hand is still getting back to 100 percent, but that it is "getting there" and should be fine for Sunday. Carr was able to practice in full on Thursday and that is a good sign for having him start on Sunday. Del Rio said Carr was in "good shape" after tests came back negative on the hand and after reports came out that the team reached out to Christen Ponder, the Raiders opted to sit tight.
Matt McGloin came in to play for Carr and he could have been an option to start if Carr could not go on Sunday. Del Rio sounded confident in his press conference about Carr and as long as he is healthy, he will play on Sunday. Carr started off with 61 yards on seven competitions before coming out and the Raiders are looking for him to get into a rhythm on Sunday. Carr had 21 touchdowns last season as a rookie and the team thinks he can continue to develop into a strong QB in the NFL.
Amari Cooper comes in after having a solid debut for the Raiders with five catches for 41 yards and he will be looking to get things going against the Ravens. Cooper likely will be matched up with Jimmy Smith, but he showed some flashes last week and should be able to get some separation for Carr. Murray got the start for the Raiders against the Bengals and had 11 rushes for 44 yards and he also added seven catches for 36 yards. Murray is a strong PPR option and he will continue to be the starter for Carr for fantasy football owners.
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