Surprising appearance downplayed

Raiders coach Josh McDaniel suggested Jacobs played in Thursday's preseason opener because it's difficult for running backs to simulate game action in practice, NFL.com reports. "I always think it's good for backs to carry the ball in the preseason," McDaniels said. "There's a lot of things that happen when you're getting tackled and hit that you can't simulate in practice."

It reeks of coach-speak, but that doesn't mean Jacobs' appearance in the Hall of Fame Game is cause for total panic. For one thing, the Raiders didn't rest all their starters the way the Jaguars did, instead selectively sitting players based on age and/or status. And while Jacobs may be one of the Raiders' most prominent players from a fantasy standpoint, he doesn't compare all that favorably to other starting RBs around the league. He does compare favorably to the other guys on the Vegas depth chart, however, and he showed it Thursday night with seven touches for 44 yards. Rookie fourth-round pick Zamir White also made his case for a role with 11 carries for 52 yards, getting all his work after Jacobs was done for the night. Austin Walter and Ameer Abdullah also had their moments, but they're probably more in the mix for passing-down work, as is Brandon Bolden (who was rested). Last and perhaps least, Kenyan Drake had a rough Thursday night, managing only nine yards on five carries and working behind both Jacobs and White. McDaniels may not intend to use Jacobs as a workhorse, but the fourth-year pro remains a favorite to take most of the carries and a portion of the RB targets.