I honestly didn’t think I’d be writing another article trying to sell Derek Carr as a fantasy football asset, but here I am. Continuously disrespected by the casual fan, Derek Carr is a player you should be targeting everywhere in dynasty leagues.
Despite being ‘connected’ to every disgruntled, or impending free agent quarterback, the Raiders haven’t wavered in their infatuation with Carr. Even backup quarterback Marcus Mariota realizes that he isn’t going to be getting a crack at the starting job (sans injury) anytime soon. This provides consistency you want in a quarterback asset, whether they start on your team or not.
Marcus Mariota was honest in saying that he keeps tabs on the landscape of the QB position around the league and it's his goal to be a starter again in the NFL.
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) August 8, 2021
You may think that Tweet means nothing, but there’s already reports of the team looking to extend Carr, keeping him with the Raiders long-term. And honestly, extending Carr is the right move.
Despite being perceived as an average player, Carr is quite above-average in a multitude of quarterback metrics. He’s a top-5 deep ball passer, and finished top-10 in passing grade, adjusted completion percentage, and big-time throw percentage last year. He’s had elite completion percentage above expectation numbers, and is 6th on most interception-free games among active quarterbacks.
Highest % of INT-Free Games (Career)
[Active QBs w/ Min. 32 Starts]Lamar Jackson 66.7%
Aaron Rodgers 63.6%
Dak Prescott 60.9%
Pat Mahomes 58.7%
Deshaun Watson 58.5%
Derek Carr 56.6%
Tom Brady 55.1%
Carson Wentz 55.1%
Alex Smith 52.7%
Matt Ryan 52.3%
Kirk Cousins 50.1%— John Kazar (@KazarNFL) December 31, 2020
Essentially, where ever you are on Carr, it’s probably too low.
Until recently, the Raiders front office has done a poor job surrounding Carr with talent. Sure, they got lucky with Darren Waller, but they let Amari Cooper go unexplicably. And while Hunter Renfrow is a good and reliable slot receiver, the rest of the group has underwhelmed.
Right now, Derek Carr is the QB28 in Sleeper‘s recent ADP. Considering he’s never finished outside of QB20, Carr is being criminally underrated. And as the Raiders love to run the ball, Carr has become more efficient and reliable as a fantasy football quarterback.
Now, no one is implying that Carr will become a top-5 quarterback. But given his value and safe floor, he’s easily becoming a value in dynasty – especially in SuperFlex leagues. Carr will be the quarterback of the Raiders for years to come. If any of the other pass-catchers can become reliable targets, Carr’s potential and value go through the roof.
Don’t forget how poor the Raiders defense has been, finishing in the bottom-half of the league nearly every year since Carr has been the quarterback. Even though that side of the ball should improve, it won’t be overnight. The Raiders will be in more pass-heavy gamescripts than not, and this only benefits Carr and increases his ceiling.
At the moment Carr is being taken in mid-15th round in 12-team fantasy football leagues (average of both 1QB formats, as well as SuperFlex). That’s value you won’t find anywhere at the quarterback position (outside of potentially Zach Wilson, or Kirk Cousins at their ADP).
Derek Carr is the player I own the most in all of my dynasty leagues. His value, floor, consistency, and potential make it an easy decision and provides stability in the position. Having a player like Carr as a consistent QB2 you can rely on in 1QB, or SuperFlex leagues is an underrated asset, and it’s why I’ll continue to target him going forward.
