Derek Carr start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

Derek Carr is coming off an impressive fantasy football campaign in 2021. He completed 428 passes on 626 attempts for 4,804 yards and 23 touchdowns, and averaged 15.1 fantasy points. The Las Vegas Raiders have upgraded at the WR position by going out and trading for five-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams this offseason to play alongside Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller.

Fantasy Football analysis: Raiders QB Derek Carr

Carr is entering his eighth season as the Raiders’ starting quarterback. He has yet to throw for anything under 3,200 yards through the air in any season he’s played, and has 20+ touchdowns every year except 2018.

If you were able to snag Carr in any fantasy draft, it’s fair to say that you may have gotten a steal. He’s the current QB13 in fantasy football, playing in an offense that had the sixth-most passing attempts (37.9) per game last year.

Start or sit in Week 1?

While it should be another strong year for Carr, he faces the Los Angeles Chargers defense which have stymied his rhythm in the past. In their previous meeting, he had his least accurate performance with only 20 completions on 36 targets for 186 yards. The 31-year-old should still be viable QB2 for that matchup, which likely will be brimmed with passing attempts on both sides.