The Oakland Raiders and fantasy owners believed quarterback Derek Carr would take a step forward in his second year and, with it, become a viable starting option in most league formats. While it's true that Carr has greatly improved in his sophomore campaign, the jury was still out on whether or not he is a dependable fantasy quarterback. After all, in Oakland's only game against a top-ten defense (Denver), the Raiders managed a measly 10 total points.
So while Carr is in the midst of proving he can be a franchise quarterback - 65.5 completion percentage, 1,793 passing yards and 15 touchdowns so far this year - no one expected him to heat up against the New York Jets No. 3 ranked defense.
That prediction may have been slightly off.
"Three other quarterbacks entered the Sunday night Broncos-Packers tilt with four touchdown passes," ESPN Fantasy Insider Eric Karbell wrote. "One was [Tom] Brady on Thursday. Another was the Cardinals' Carson Palmer in Cleveland on Sunday. Neither were shockers. The Raiders Derek Carr, however, wasn't supposed to light up the Darrelle Revis-led New York Jets for 29 fantasy points, but it's well past the time to reexamine Carr and his exciting offense. Carr has topped 20 fantasy points four times already. That matches the number of times Brees and [Eli] Manning have combined. I won't call Carr quite a top-10 fantasy QB yet, but he's trending nicely."
To go along with his four tuddies, Carr also completed 23-of-36 pass attempts (63.9 percent) for 333 yards. Prior to Week 8, the Jets had allowed just one 300-yard passer all season. The New York defense had also not allowed any QB to top two touchdowns, including Tom Brady and Andrew Luck. Of course, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick leaving the game early with a hand injury didn't help the Jets. But fantasy owners have to give credit where credit is due.
The Raiders will next play the Pittsburgh Steelers who rank 26th in passing defense (269.5 yards allowed per game). If Carr can continue his upward trajectory against an easier matchup, it will be further proof that he's beginning to round into his own as both a quarterback and a viable fantasy option.
