Fantasy Football 2022: How Improved Receivers Increase Derek Carr’s Value
Carr threw for 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season
The Las Vegas Raiders surrounded Derek Carr with a couple new toys to throw to this season.
With star wide receiver Davante Adams and complementary piece Keelan Cole joining a solid group of pass-catchers, that should provide a substantial boost to the veteran quarterback’s fantasy football value.
Carr, who is entering his ninth season with the Raiders, didn’t put up sterling statistics last year when he threw for 4,804 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with 14 interceptions. Those numbers should increase this year, especially with one of the top wide receivers in the NFL joining the Raiders’ offense.
Adams is a matchup nightmare that has routinely torched opposing defenses. He made 123 receptions for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns last year in his final season with the Green Bay Packers. Only one receiver on the Raiders last year grabbed more than 60 passes and no one caught double-digit touchdowns. Carr surely isn’t Aaron Rodgers, but he’ll benefit immensely with an option like Adams now to throw to.
Cole gives Carr a downfield threat as the sixth-year receiver averaged 16 yards per reception a season ago with the New York Jets. The big-play ability will give Carr the chance to quickly rack up fantasy points, which is obviously an added plus.
Maybe what will aid Carr even more is the continued development of slot receiver Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow put together a breakout campaign last season, emerging as the Raiders’ top receiver by hauling in 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns.
The chemistry between Carr and Renfrow should continue to grow this year, helping both to blossom. It’s also good news for the Raiders that Josh McDaniels is the team’s head coach, and he knows a thing or two about getting the best out of slot receivers from his time with the New England Patriots. If McDaniels can sprinkle some of his fairy dust on Renfrow, he could have similar production to that of Julian Edelman or Wes Welker.
Those are already nice pieces in the offense for Carr, and we haven’t even got to tight end Darren Waller yet. Waller is one of the premier pass-catching tight ends in the league, and if he can stay healthy — he played in 11 of 17 games last year — he could regain some of his form that saw him catch at least 90 passes in both 2019 and 2020.
Even with the improved pass-catching corps, Carr is still being viewed as a middle of the road fantasy quarterback by ESPN. The four-letter network has the gunslinger ranked 14th out of 25 quarterbacks.
That may allow for Carr to be a great value pick in a later round. It’s not out of the question for Carr to throw for over 30 touchdowns for the second time in his career, and he certainly could be a great addition to a fantasy team due to the new and improved Raiders offense.
