The New Orleans Saints head to Atlanta for an NFC South grudge match on Sunday afternoon. In a duel against fellow veteran Kirk Cousins ($5,800), should fantasy managers feel comfortable starting quarterback Derek Carr ($5,900) in Week 4?
The unstoppable New Orleans offense hit a brick wall during Sunday’s 15-12 loss to the Eagles, mustering up just 219 yards of total offense. It’s created a confusing situation for fantasy managers. Are the Saints the electric offense that put up 91 points in Weeks 1 and 2? Or are they closer to the team that got shut out in the first half against Philadelphia?
Despite the recent hiccup, Carr is still a stealth MVP candidate at +5000. It’s not hard to see why. The signal caller has gotten off to a great start, throwing for 586 yards and six touchdowns to two interceptions. His 115.7 passer rating is third-best among all quarterbacks with three starts.
With a wide receiver tandem like Chris Olave ($6,500) and Rashid Shaheed ($5,500), there’s no reason to expect a steep statistical decline for Carr. However, Sunday’s showdown against an Atlanta secondary giving up the eighth-fewest passing yards in the NFL presents a challenge. As a Saint, Carr put up good numbers vs. the Falcons last season (568 passing yards, 4:1 TD:INT), but the defense improved this offseason. In the backend, free agent pickup Justin Simmons gives the Dirty Birds a terrific one-two punch at safety with Jesse Bates.
Both Carr and the Falcons defense are playing their best ball in years. The veteran QB should be able to put together a solid day this week, as I’m willing to bet the Eagles game was an outlier. Still, it’s not going to be easy in a tense rivalry matchup. Carr is a low ceiling, high floor option this weekend, making him a fringe start candidate for those in twelve team or higher leagues.
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