Derek Carr ($5,600; oblique) has missed the last three games and the Saints have struggled mightily without their quarterback, losing all three of these games by an average of 21.7 PPG. However, it appears that Carr is nearing a return. Saints’ HC Dennis Allen told the media on Monday that Carr is expected back at practice this week. He is optimistic that Carr will play Sunday vs. the Panthers.
This is a dream matchup with Carolina being the lowest-graded defense on PFF and also allowing the most yards per pass this season (7.8). If Carr is under center, both Olave ($6,100) and Kamara ($7,800) will be terrific options.
With Carr healthy for the first five weeks of the season, Olave handled a 21.5% target share and averaged 11.2 FPTS per game, including a season-best 20.6 FPTS outing vs. the Eagles. The wideout did this damage with Rashid Shaheed (knee) active in all these games and with Shaheed now done for the season, Olave’s target should grow to new heights, especially with Bub Means (ankle) also likely to miss some time. If active, Carr should feed Olave this Sunday and the receiver will be a top-12 option at his position in this incredible spot vs. the Panthers.
Having a more efficient pass game with Carr at the helm should also help Kamara. The back has been solid with Carr sidelined, but before the quarterback went down, Kamara was leading all running backs with 24.4 FPTS per game, which is a huge upgrade from the 14.7 FPTS per game he has provided with Carr out. With the quarterback active, Kamara has averaged 0.36 more yards per carry and he has caught 92% of his targets, which is significantly better than the 68% catch rate Kamara has posted without Carr. Overall, Kamara is generating 0.54 FPTS per snap with Carr, compared to 0.33 sans Carr.
Carolina has surrendered a league-high 15 touchdowns to running backs this season and Kamara could explode in this superb matchup if Carr returns, making Kamara a top-five running back option for Week 9 if Carr is active.
With the veteran trending towards playing, New Orleans is a seven-point favorite over the Panthers on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
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