Week 13 of NFL season offered the chance to hit it big or bust in daily fantasy football. Whether you spend for the top stars or save money with a low-end passer, the quarterback position is critical in cash games. Usually, consistent passers reward their managers with plenty of bang for their buck. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side in the daily fantasy world in Week 13. One giant problem was the frustrating afternoon for Las Vas Vegas Raiders star Derek Carr. In a lackluster 17-15 loss to the Washington Football Team, Carr frustrated my lineups with just 249 passing yards without any touchdowns.
Coming into Sunday’s action, Carr was at the top of my list for a cash quarterback. Coming off a 373-yard outing on Thanksgiving against the Dallas Cowboys, Carr was my guy against the WFT’s passing defense.
For my cash quarterback, I either like to pick a dual-threat option or use someone against a bad pass defense. Washington’s pass defense allowed a league-high 26 touchdowns heading into Sunday’s game. With no weather concerns in Vegas, this game looked to excite fantasy football managers. Instead, Carr and the Raiders frustrated the Vegas crowd and anxious DFS watchers.
While Carr and the Raiders failed to reach their DFS value, other passers matched or exceeded their DFS value. Kyler Murray accounted for four touchdowns in a 33-22 win over the Chicago Bears. Jared Goff nearly hit the 300-yard bonus while throwing three touchdowns in Detroit’s first win of 2021.
To tilt me even more, Gardner Minshew at just $4,000 proved to be a wonderful value with 18.78 DK points. Coming into Sunday, Eagles starter Jalen Hurts was questionable. I was aware of Minshew’s potential fantasy football value in a great matchup against the Jets.
Minshew’s value would have also changed the construction of my lineup. There is a strong likelihood Colts running back Jonathan Taylor would have been in my lineup. Taylor exceeded the 100-yard bonus while scoring two touchdowns. Taylor and Cooper Kupp, both looked good as stud plays. In the End, Kupp tallied 29.90 points while Taylor scored 28.3 points. I could have also spent more for Diontae Johnson or Tampa’s slot monster, Chris Godwin.
I’m against making late changes on Sunday morning or afternoon before the main slate begins. I like avoiding extra stress tweaking and perhaps forgetting which players to use in my fantasy football lineups. While Carr bombed, Minshew proved to be a worthy value for his DFS fantasy football managers.
As for Carr, he looked like a great play. Sometimes, players fail to reach expectations. We all remember Jalen Hurts throwing for 103 yards in a cant-miss spot as the Eagles put up 44 points in a Week 8 win over the Lions.
While some weeks offer the chance to make amends, I am seriously regretting using Derek Carr as my Week 13 fantasy football cash quarterback.
