Derek Carr start or sit: Week 5 fantasy football advice

As the New Orleans Saints look to steer their season back on track with a matchup against the New England Patriots, the fantasy upside of Derek Carr will be key to monitor. The veteran signal-caller had a rough outing in last week’s loss, as a shoulder injury clearly impacted his efficiency in the pocket.

How appealing is Carr as a starting option against a Bill Belichick defense in Week 5? We break down the upsides and drawbacks of starting Carr in your fantasy lineups.

Fantasy Football analysis: Saints QB Derek Carr

Through his first four games with the Saints, Carr has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 763 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions. He’s averaging just 8.2 fantasy points per game this season, which marks a career-low for the 10-year veteran.

Start or sit in Week 5?

Sit, as the matchup, as well as his health, don’t work in his favor. Carr likely returned too quickly from his shoulder injury last week, and it showed in one of his weaker performances of the season. He completed 62.2 percent of his passes for just 127 yards, finishing with 3.2 fantasy points. Since his double-digit scoring performance in Week 1, his fantasy production has declined to single digits in each of the last three games. He’ll also face a Patriots defense that is allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (11.5).

Carr is a sit within smaller leagues of fewer than 10 teams, as you can likely find an ample replacement. In larger leagues with as many as 14 teams, consider him a risky QB2 option.

Player(s) you would start ahead of Derek Carr

Sam Howell is a name to consider, as he’s been more consistent than Carr to date, while he faces a porous defense in the Chicago Bears. The latter is allowing 21.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, which is the second-most in the NFL. Howell is averaging 14.2 fantasy points per game and is coming off a 19.6 fantasy point performance against a talented Eagles defense in Week 4.