Alright, let’s dive into my little quarterback experiment – Derek Carr versus Daniel Jones. It all started when my fantasy team was looking rough, real rough.
First things first: I needed a quarterback. My starter went down with some kind of weird injury involving a mascot and a rogue hotdog (don’t ask), so I was scouring the waiver wire like a hawk. That’s where Carr and Jones popped up. Both available, both kinda…meh. But hey, gotta work with what you got, right?
I started by watching some game film. Okay, A LOT of game film. Cut-ups, highlights, lowlights – the whole shebang. Carr, I saw, had the arm. He could sling it. But also, sometimes he’d sling it right to the other team. Jones…well, Jones seemed like he could run a little, but throwing was…inconsistent, to be kind.
Next, the stats: I dove deep into the numbers. Completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns, interceptions – the whole nine yards. Carr usually had better numbers, but Jones had those random games where he’d go off for a rushing touchdown or two, which is fantasy gold.
Then, the gut check: I asked myself, which guy do I trust more not to completely implode? Carr had the experience, the track record (however spotty). Jones felt like more of a gamble. But high risk, high reward, right?
So, I did something kinda crazy: I decided to platoon them. Seriously. Carr started against teams with good defenses but suspect secondaries. Jones started against teams with weak run defenses, hoping for those rushing touchdowns. It was a mess. A glorious, strategic mess.
- Week 1: Carr vs. Denver (Tough D, shaky DBs). Result: Solid, but not spectacular. 250 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Decent.
- Week 2: Jones vs. Arizona (Terrible run D). Result: Disaster. Fumbled twice, threw a pick. Benched him at halftime.
- Week 3: Carr vs. LA Chargers (Always a shootout). Result: Boom! 350 yards, 3 TDs. He won me the week.
- Week 4: Jones vs. Washington (Inconsistent D). Result: Actually pretty good! 200 yards passing, 1 TD, 60 yards rushing, 1 rushing TD. Redemption!
The conclusion? It was exhausting. Constantly monitoring matchups, injury reports, and weather forecasts took a toll. But, surprisingly, it kinda worked. I squeezed out a few wins I probably shouldn’t have. In the end, I leaned more towards Carr. His floor was higher, even if his ceiling wasn’t as crazy. Jones was too unpredictable for my liking.
Was it worth it? Probably not. I should have just traded for a decent quarterback. But hey, I learned something. And that’s what matters, right? Right?
