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Is Derek Carr playing on "Thursday Night Football" or is he out? Is Carr injured or healthy for Week 7 TNF? John Johnson analyzes the latest injury news.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is one part of a huge list of injured players on his team, and that's terrible news for the team. He didn't play in Week 6 due to his injury, and rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler started in his place.
The result was a disaster, as the Saints were blown out, 51-27, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This team desperately needs their starting quarterback, especially after losing both of their top-two wide receivers, Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) to injuries.
So, will Derek Carr play football tonight on Thursday night? Let's take a look and find out.
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Derek Carr Fantasy Football Injury Update
Carr is almost certainly not playing tonight. He's listed as "doubtful" on the injury report, and while we won't know whether he'll be active or not until the final list of inactive players is released at the latest 90 minutes before kickoff, "doubtful" players rarely take the field.
As Sean Payton and Drew Brees return to New Orleans
The #Saints will be without QB Derek Carr ,WR Chris Olave, WR Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill #Broncos #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/mQgcXyC9oE
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) October 17, 2024
If he does play, he'll likely be significantly hindered by the injury. The oblique muscles are incredibly important for powering the twist of the torso, which allows quarterbacks to get so much velocity on their throws. He could also risk re-injuring the affected areas, which is a bad idea.
Derek Carr Fantasy Football Injury Impact
New Orleans is in a bad situation. They're missing so many players to injury that they'll look like some weird mish-mash of starters and backups when they take the field Thursday night. Carr could have softened the blow of the loss of their top-2 receivers, but Rattler will have a tough time without them.
Spencer Rattler doesn't throw it like a fifth-rounder. pic.twitter.com/nmmuKmtxEC
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 13, 2024
The talent is there for Rattler, but he has been a turnover-prone player throughout his college career, and having to play with backup receivers probably won't make that problem go away. Denver boasts an excellent defense, though the loss of top cornerback and All-Pro Patrick Surtain II will hurt.
Even if Carr played, it's likely the Saints pass-catchers wouldn't be worth starting. For now, though, it would be risky to start any of them. The first-year gunslinger could make some big plays, though. Stashing WRs Mason Tipton or Bub Means in the short term isn't the worst idea.
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