Fantasy Football Week 12 Stud: Derek Carr
Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders offense finally came back down to Earth in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions. Side note, the Lions are playing sneaky good football right now. They knocked off the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders in back-t0-back weeks. Now back to the Raiders’ signal caller. What did we expect? He is David Carr‘s brother after all! All joking aside, Derek is a legitimate starting quarterback in the National Football League. Since his Week 6 bye, the good Carr brother has been playing out of his mind, and I expect him to continue this trend.
From Week 7 to Week 9, Derek Carr played like a top 5 fantasy quarterback. His stats are actually a little surprising. The New York Jets have one of the best defenses in the league. Their Week 8 match-up against Carr and the Raiders’ offense did NOT go as planned. The second year quarterback chucked for 333 yards and four touchdowns. If you had forgotten, Darrelle Revis roams the Jets’ secondary. It was no problem for the Fresno State grad.
In Week 9, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the up and coming Raiders team. Pittsburgh has always been known for its defense. Derek Carr promptly threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Even in his “bad” game in Week 10 against an extremely talented Minnesota Vikings squad, Carr still managed 302 yards and two touchdowns.
So, relax and forget about the stinker in Week 11. Every quarterback has a bad game or two. I can not stress this point enough. Derek Carr is a second year quarterback who played his college years at Fresno State! The dude is still getting adjusted to good competition. His numbers are eye boggling. The Oakland Raiders are actually good for a change. If you have Derek Carr, continue to roll him out each week and expect him to put a big numbers.
Pro Tip: Derek Carr was an extremely low draft pick, perhaps not even drafted. If your league has keepers, he should be one of them. I know, I know, quarterbacks are not usually keepers. Quarterbacks like Derek Carr do not come around very often. It is all about value in fantasy football drafts. Giving up a 15th round pick for a top 5 fantasy quarterback is 100% worth it.