Derek Carr (QB, OAK) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 2-QB Leagues

OWNED IN: 26% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr bounced back in a big way this week, going 21-for-28 passing for 244 yards and three touchdowns against Indianapolis last week. Carr gets a quick turnaround in Week 9 on Thursday Night Football and also takes on the San Francisco 49ers, a team that is allowing the eighth most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. That number is even worse when you consider that San Francisco has already faced Josh Rosen twice this season. And they gave up 20.28 points to Rosen on Sunday. Rosen’s previous high was 12.5 points. San Francisco is just a bad team and without Marshawn Lynch, the Raiders may be forced to throw more often than normal in this game. Carr is in a great spot on Thursday Night and available in nearly three-quarters of all Yahoo leagues.

After this week the matchups are hit-or-miss for Carr. He takes on the Chargers, Cardinals, and Ravens between Week 10-12. The Chargers are slightly above average for quarterbacks, while the Cardinals and Ravens are two of the three best defenses against quarterbacks in the league. Arizona is third and Baltimore is second. After that trio of matchups, things get good. Carr takes on Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati between Weeks 13-15. Those are all bottom-six defenses against opposing quarterbacks. In standard leagues, Carr can be added for this week, potentially used against the Chargers depending on the situation, then dropped, then re-added for that three-game stretch.