Getty Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr.
With one game in the books, the Oakland Raiders offense looks completely rejuvenated after a rough 2018. Not only has the offensive line receive an influx of talent, the skill position players are much more impressive, also. There’s probably no player on the roster that benefits more from this quarterback Derek Carr. The veteran quarterback had a lot of noise sent in his direction about how he wasn’t the team’s leader of the future, but he seems like he’s about to prove the naysayers wrong.
Carr was almost perfect in the week one win over the Denver Broncos. In terms of fantasy football production, it wasn’t that great, but he was facing off against a really strong Denver pass defense. According to ESPN Fantasy Football, Carr put of 15.6 points in week one, which would rank him as the 21st most productive quarterback that week. However, that shouldn’t discount how good he was. Pro Football Focus named Carr as the best quarterback from week one. With a weaker pass defense on the horizon, he could blow up in week two.
Derek Carr Fantasy Outlook: Matchup vs. Chiefs
To get an idea of how many points Carr could put up against the Kansas City Chiefs, one just needs to see how Gardner Minshew played against them. The Jacksonville Jaguar rookie looked like a seasoned veteran against their lackluster pass defense. He didn’t even start the game and put up the 15th best fantasy line of all NFL quarterbacks. If a rookie sixth-round pick can put up those numbers, Carr should have a field day.
The Chiefs rely on their ridiculously loaded offense to win games. Almost no defense has a chance against Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Their defense is another story. They gave up the fifth-most yards per game out of any team in 2018 and based on their week one performance, that probably isn’t going to change. The Raiders were shut down in their second matchup against Kansas City in 2018 but put up 33 in the first matchup in Oakland. Carr had a big game that week.
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Should You Start or Sit Derek Carr in Week 2?
This question really depends on which quarterbacks you have on your roster. Mahomes or Tom Brady should probably get the start over Carr because of their matchups. Cam Newton might be another starter over Carr. However, he could have a bigger game than all of them. He put 285 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Chiefs in Oakland last season. Carr’s roster is significantly better now. He has the tools to light up the scoreboard.
What also works in Carr’s favor is that the Raider defense is going to have a really hard time slowing down Mahomes. It’s not a knock on their defense, it’s just a testament to how unstoppable Mahomes is. This game could turn into a shootout really quick. Even if the game gets out of hand early, Carr will have plenty of opportunities for some garbage time TDs. You should heavily consider starting Carr if your QB1 has a tough matchup.
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