How much can new Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams change quarterback Derek Carr’s fantasy outlook this upcoming season?
Derek Carr has been a solid quarterback for most of his career but was never really great in fantasy. A lack of consistency within the team and himself has played a heavy role. But now that he’s working with his former college teammate, Davante Adams, Carr could become an excellent sleeper pick in fantasy. And there is very little reason to doubt the potential.
The Fresno State days for Davante Adams and Derek Carr
Carr and Adams were teammates at Fresno State for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. During that span (26 games), Adams accumulated 3,031 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns. He was also ranked second in receiving yards and first in receiving touchdowns in the NCAA during his 2013 campaign. In that same 26-game span, Carr passed for 9,187 yards and threw 87 touchdowns. In 2013, he led the NCAA in passing yards and touchdowns. Carr also won the MWC Offensive Player of the Year and the Sammy Baugh Trophy (most outstanding passer) in that same year.
Even after their college days, the two have always kept a strong connection and expressed a desire to play together someday. They would also take time in their offseason to hang out and work on routes, so their chemistry should still be pretty strong.
Carr’s career in fantasy
Even though Carr has reached new highs in passing yards for the last five seasons, he’s still lacking in passing touchdowns. Over those same five years, Carr has only passed for over 25 touchdowns once, and that was in 2020. His career high for passing touchdowns was set back in 2015 with 32. He’s also responsible for double-digit interceptions and fumbles in three of the last five seasons. Many of these problems occur in the red zone, which has been a problem for the Raiders in general. Those numbers have kept him from being a reliable starter in fantasy, but after the acquisition of Davante Adams, that problem may be a thing of the past.
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What to expect…
So far in his eight-year career, Adams has accumulated 8,121 receiving yards and 73 touchdowns. Granted, Adams did spend the vast majority of his career with Aaron Rodgers. Carr isn’t Rodgers, but he’s still a good quarterback that Adams wants to play with. Because of their already strong relationship, Carr and Adams should have little trouble adjusting to each other. One of Adams’ many strengths lies in his ability to get open in the red zone. Defenses will have a lot on their plates with Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow on the field, and someone will be open. It would honestly be pretty disappointing if Carr didn’t exceed his previous career-high of 32 touchdowns in a season.
As for fantasy, Carr should be an enticing late-round sleeper pick. Last year, Carr finished 14th among quarterbacks but was 21st in ADP in that position as well. His expectations are likely to rise, but not immediately. If you don’t prioritize top-tier quarterbacks in the early rounds, then Carr could be a great pickup to round out your fantasy squad, with plenty of thanks to Adams.
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*Top Photo: Daniel Bates/The Spun