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Derek Carr generated 200 or more PPR points in fantasy football in all his nine seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. The four-time Pro Bowler joined the New Orleans Saints this offseason hoping for a fresh start.
Carr has struggled early on in terms of fantasy and is causing mild panic in those who drafted him. He has just one game with double-digit fantasy points and that was back in the season opener versus the Tennessee Titans (14.6 points).
Each of the last three starts has ended poorly for Carr owners. The issue is a lingering injury that could impact his fantasy value in Week 5.
Derek Carr Injury Update
The Saints quarterback was limited in practice on Thursday for the second consecutive day. He suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers. However, he was starting in Week 4 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carr threw for 305 yards in his first game back in Week 1, but he's backslid a bit since then and has yet to reach 150 yards in either of his last two games. This means that isn't fully healed from his shoulder injury, which could lead fantasy football owners to look elsewhere at quarterback. The waiver wire might be slim as bye weeks are now entering the picture.
The Friday ahead of the Saints' Week 5 matchup will let us know more but the team limiting Carr is key. The franchise understands that he's the guy and doesn't want to reinjure the shoulder.
Should you own the veteran quarterback, keep him on the roster as there aren't many options out there to replace him. The hope is that he figures it out as some fantasy teams are banking on him to turn around their season.
Latest on Derek Carr injury: As per recent reports, Carr is expected to play against the Patriots. Following his AC joint sprain last week, Saints star is said to be doing better.
What happened to Derek Carr?
He suffered the injury back in Week 3 at Lambeau Field after taking a sack in the third quarter of that game. Jameis Winston came in and finished the game in place of Carr. The injury was thought to have been much more severe but was just an AC joint sprain.
His playing in Week 5 could be a risk for not just him but for two of the Saints' top offensive players. Wide receivers Chris Olave and Michael Thomas need Carr as healthy as possible to help their fantasy numbers.
Olave had just 1.4 points in Week 4 while Thomas had 9.3 points. Overall, the fantasy numbers show that Carr has favored Thomas over Olave.
Being someone who owns Olave in fantasy is tough because Derek Carr is the only hope over backup Jameis Winston. They will be looking just as attentively at the Saints' injury report and go from there.
Carr has two touchdowns and two interceptions through four games along with a 80.1 passer rating. While still early, there's still reason to be concerned for those who have him on the roster. Benching him could be an option for some depending on which other quarterbacks owners have on their fantasy teams.
When will Derek Carr return?
The 32-year-old should be under center in Week 5 against the New England Patriots. Fantasy football owners shouldn't be shocked if he's given a questionable tag as it won't affect his status. His being limited in practice signals that head coach Dennis Allen is resting that shoulder from any further damage.
This matchup will have the signal-caller as a high-end QB2 in most leagues as the Patriots' defense has been hit by injuries. If there was a bounce-back game for Carr, this would be the one.
Fantasy football owners might give Carr one last go this week to become the fantasy quarterback he's been in seasons past. The fantasy season is fast-paced and teams need as many points as possible to get it done.
Currently, he's on the low end as the 26th-best quarterback in PPR. Players like Desmond Ridder and Mac Jones are better options than Carr at this point. This isn't good as those signal-callers have struggled.
Derek Carr should get that aforementioned bounce back in Week 5 and maybe get close to that 300-yard plateau. He has everything to gain but more to lose this should he fall short versus New England. Start him at your risk this week.
