Tyrell Williams can’t overcome Derek Carr’s bad play

If you think Derek Carr will have another bad game this week vs. the Tennessee Titans, don’t count on starting Tyrell Williams at wide receiver in fantasy.

Turns out, the Oakland Raiders just may not be that good of a football team. With a chance at challenging the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West crown last week, Derek Carr and the Silver and Black played horrendously in their blowout loss at Arrowhead. To make matters worse, they were coming off a horrendous road loss to the New York Jets at MetLife. That helps nobody.

While Carr’s struggles at Arrowhead continue, The Fantasy Footballers have realized one very important thing regarding the Raiders in fantasy: If you don’t believe Carr is going to have a good game, then it is not in your best interest to start wide receiver Tyrell Williams at either WR2 or in the flex.

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In short, when Carr plays poorly, it is because he’s not willing to throw the ball downfield. That is bad news for Williams as a receiving target, who has shown throughout his NFL career in the AFC West that he can make plays in a vertical passing game. But Carr isn’t down with going vertical, then you’re better off keeping Williams parked on your bench.

This week, the Raiders will host the Tennessee Titans in a gotta-have-it game for both sides. Oakland cannot afford another loss if the Raiders want to stay alive in the AFC playoff race. Tennessee’s last three games are brutal with two against the division rival Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints. The Titans need to win this one if they want to stay alive in the AFC, too.

So what does this mean for the Raiders? Can you trust Carr and to some extent Williams in this game? Probably not, and that’s because the Titans are a defense-first team strong at all three levels. Look for Carr to dink and dunk, hand the ball off to Josh Jacobs and maybe throw the ball to Darren Waller instead of looking to move the sticks vertically with Williams.

Oakland’s lack of a true No. 1 receiving target looks to be the Raiders’ undoing offensively. If Carr has a long December, then there’s reason to believe that this year will better be the last he’s with the Raiders. The Silver and Black are close to being a good football team, they’re just not there year in 2019. Look for them to bust out big time in 2020 when they make the move to Las Vegas.