Week 9 was a great one from the injury front. We escaped without many players going down. That means we have to focus more on player usage and performance to find pickups. DeAndre Carter operated as the Chargers’ WR2 in Week 9. How much of a priority is Carter for fantasy football managers to add off the waiver wire ahead of Week 10?
DeAndre Carter Was the Chargers’ WR2 in Week 10
It was a bit surprising to see Carter rostered in just 31% of leagues. Despite Justin Herbert’s underwhelming (by his standards) play, this is still a quality Chargers offense. Fantasy managers want pieces of it.
Mike Williams is going to miss at least another 2-3 weeks. Additionally, Keenan Allen does not appear close to returning either. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Williams returns before Allen. That gives us at least another 2-3 weeks of the backups as the starters.
Josh Palmer is the unquestioned WR1 right now. He played a team-high 91% of the snaps, leading all Chargers in routes run (44), targets (9), and receptions (8). But right behind him was Carter with just six fewer snaps, five fewer routes run, and three fewer targets.
MORE: Week 10 Fantasy Waiver Wire Targets
Carter’s five receptions were a season-high. His 53 yards marked his highest total since Week 2 and well past his projection on Underdog Fantasy. He’s just about an every-down player who could find himself in shootouts each of the next five weeks.
The Chargers have the second-highest pass rate in the league at 66%, and Carter is the WR2. This is a player that needs to be on well over 75% of fantasy rosters.
How Aggressively Should Fantasy Managers Pursue Carter Off the Waiver Wire?
The most difficult part of this is figuring out how aggressively to go after Carter. He’s definitely useful. You definitely want him. But he’s not a difference-making player; he’s just a guy you can start as a WR3 for about a month. That has value, but it’s not necessarily something to break the bank to acquire.
This one comes down to need. How badly do you need a plug-n-play wide receiver for the next few weeks? We’re still in the heart of bye weeks. Plenty of fantasy-relevant players are injured.
Based on Carter’s recent performance, he may still fly a bit under the radar. He only scored 10.3 PPR fantasy points in Week 9. As a result, you may be able to get him for less than 10% of your FAAB. However, in the event you desperately need a startable wide receiver, don’t be afraid to go a little more on him.
If you are in a league that still uses the continual rolling list waiver priority system, Carter is probably not the guy to use a top priority on, though.