The great thing about fantasy football is that a player does not necessarily need to be on a good NFL team in order to be exceptionally valuable to you. The fact that the rest of the squad stinks can be a huge benefit to your guy... 

Alas, though, sometimes the opposite is true: Their ineptitude sinks the statistics of an otherwise exemplary player.

I’ll go on record as saying it right now: By the time he finishes his career, Zach Miller’s name will be mentioned as one of the best tight ends of his generation.  The only caveat to this statement is that, in order for it to happen, he’ll have to be wearing a uniform other than the Silver and Black in order to achieve this (more on this later).

Miller is that rare blend of strength and intelligence which, when combined with his prodigious pass-catching abilities, makes him a truly special prospect.  He can get down the field, he has the athleticism to shake slower linebackers on shorter routes and can clear lanes for the running game with his blocking.  He owns the records for most receptions and most touchdowns by a tight end at Arizona State.  Those records, by the way, used to belong a pretty good NFL tight end by the name of Todd Heap.

His NFL career thus far has been strong in terms of performance.  He has accrued 100 catches over his first two years, 1,222 yards and four touchdowns.  He had the second-most receptions on the Raiders in his rookie year and became their leading receiver last season.  Miller has placed in the top 15 tight ends in the league in each of the past two seasons.

So, can we expect his third season to bring even more success?

Unless things change dramatically in Oakland, the answer is no.

It’s not that I believe the Oakland Raiders will never be good again.  Stranger things have happened in football and they could one day be the talk of the league.  Heck, they may even be referred to as the NFL’s model franchise if all of the bizarre machinations of owner Al Davis somehow bear fruit.  I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen, but the man swings for the fences constantly.  Eventually, he has to be right some time.  He certainly was when the Raiders picked Miller in 2007.

Still, even with his gifts, Miller will only go just so far as a Raider.  A tight end’s productivity is tied to that of his quarterback and, as long Oakland insists that Jamarcus Russell is their quarterback of the future, he will continue to drag Miller down as the tight end attempts to rise to the surface.

To be fair to Russell, he has not had the ideal scenario to allow him to grow as a leader and develop his talents.  The Raiders keep changing their offensive tactics and he has struggled with the transitions.  It also hasn’t helped him that the coaching personnel has been in a constant state of flux.  He also has not had anyone in his receiving corp besides Miller that could be considered an actual weapon.

However, even with all those excuses, the question about Russell is not whether or not he was worthy of being chosen first overall in 2007 (he clearly wasn’t), rather: Will he even become a legitimate NFL quarterback?

Miller would benefit tremendously if the Raiders would simply hand the reins over to Jeff Garcia, the emergency plan they signed this spring to play quarterback in case Russell completely implodes.  The grizzled veteran may not have the arm strength of most quarterbacks, but he is pinpoint accurate on short throws and savvy enough to read disguised coverage.  With him under center, Miller could get free past the line of scrimmage and routinely turn five yard receptions into first downs instead of running his routes and wondering whether or not the ball will be catchable when it arrives like he does with Russell.

Unfortunately, teams don’t like to admit they made a mistake about a player they drafted first overall.  Russell will continue to be thrown into the fire and will just as regularly come out scorched. 

Miller should be drafted as a low-end fantasy TE1 in PPR leagues (as he’ll still be the Raiders’ top receiver) or as a good TE2 in others.  However, he is absolutely worth stashing in dynasty formats because, if he is ever able to escape from Oakland, he’ll become one extremely valuable commodity.

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