Start Derek Carr vs. Deshaun Watson | Fantasy Football Week 2 QB Start Decision
Week 2 closes up Monday night with a pair of matchups. The New Orleans Saints battle the Carolina Panthers, while the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers clash in the other matchup. Those matchups aren’t necessarily star-studded ones, but they've created a few tight battles on the FantasySP “Who Should I Start? tool that caught my eye.
One of those matchups is a decision between quarterbacks, New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr and Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson. If you roster both guys, which one is the better start? Let’s dive in.
Tough start decision? We have you covered. Find out in depth stats, red zone opportunities, projections, breaking news, and crowdsourcing real fantasy owners faced with the same start/sit decision. Check out our Who Should I Start tool.
Why You Should Start Derek Carr
Carr opened his Saints’ tenure by helping the team to a win over the Tennessee Titans in week 1. Carr attempted 33 total passes, completing 23 for 305 yards. He tossed one touchdown and was picked off once.
The team’s run game was almost nonexistent, as the team finished with just 351 total yards of offense. New Orleans had a number of drives stall in enemy territory, which led to a trio of field goals.
Carr will have pretty much his entire supporting cast on offense at his disposal, as only rookie running back Kendre Miller is in danger of missing the contest. Miller missed the game in week 1. If he misses week 2, the Saints could lean on the passing game heavily again.
The Saints will head to Carolina to take on the Panthers on Monday night. Carolina opened the season with a road loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers allowed just 221 yards of offense, with 115 of those coming through the air. Carolina only faced 18 pass attempts, allowing 15 completions. Carr and the Saints are certainly a different offense than the Falcons, so I wouldn’t put too much stock into the week 1 efforts of the Panthers.
Carr is projected to throw for 230 yards while completing 18 of his 28 passes. He’s also projected for 1.1 touchdowns and 0.8 interceptions.
Why You Should Start Deshaun Watson
Watson helped the Browns to a home win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the opening week. Watson didn’t put up huge numbers, with only 154 passing yards on 16-of-29 passing. He threw a touchdown and an interception.
Watson does add a rushing element for fantasy owners. He gained 45 yards on five carries in week 1, also scoring a touchdown.
Watson will likely be without one of his top wideouts in Amari Cooper, but the rest of the Browns’ offense should be available. Cooper was targeted seven times in week 1, catching three passes for 37 yards.
The Browns will be taking on the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Monday. The Steelers were routed by the San Francisco 49ers in the opener, and allowed 220 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing. Watson is projected for 219 passing yards on 19-of-30 passing. He’s also projected for 1.4 touchdowns, 0.7 interceptions as a passer, while going for 28 yards and 0.2 touchdowns as a rusher.
Our numbers show Watson as an overwhelming favorite over Carr going into week 2, with Watson being started 70% of the time to just 6% for Carr. I’m a little surprised at the big difference after looking at how each quarterback performed in week 1. Carr put up big passing numbers against a team that really struggled to defend the pass a season ago, while Watson was held in check, for the most part, against a defense that was in the top half of the league last year. While it resulted in less points, the Saints' offense was simply better. I think the Saints have a few more weapons surrounding Carr, and that’s before factoring in Cooper’s injury. I would be leaning toward starting Carr with both teams at full strength, but now would much rather prefer Carr seeing the injury report. I could see the Browns relying heavily on running back Nick Chubb to help offset the lack of weapons in the passing game. Even with Watson’s rushing yards added in, I still like Carr to outgain and outscore him. Even if Cooper were to play, it would be in a limited fashion, and the Browns would still rely heavily on the ground game. Watson could outscore Carr with a couple short touchdown passes or runs, but I think the far safer play is Carr and the potential for a big passing yardage game.Final Numbers and the Recommended Start
