Who Should I Start? Derek Carr or Gardner Minshew

Friday, February 23, 2:00 PM

The New Orleans Saints restructured quarterback Derek Carr's contract on Friday for salary cap purposes, a move that was expected to give the team around $23 million in cap relief for the 2024 season, according to sources. Carr is due $30 million in base salary this year, so converting a portion of that into a signing bonus provides immediate savings. The 32-year-old veteran signal-caller is under contract with the Saints through 2026. In his first year in the Big Easy, he threw for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions while amazingly not missing a single game despite suffering multiple concussions, cracked ribs and a shoulder sprain. Carr is as tough as they come and can give fantasy managers low-end QB1 lines on occasion, but he's best drafted as a fantasy backup.

Monday, March 11, 4:54 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders are signing veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew to a two-year deal, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The 27-year-old was a sixth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 and has made 37 starts for three organizations. Between his time with the Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, and Indianapolis Colts, Minshew has thrown for 9,937 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. In Las Vegas, he might have a chance to compete for the starting job, or he might get to start at the beginning of the season while the team eases a potential 2024 rookie into action. Minshew is not on the single-QB radar in fantasy football, but he should be monitored by two-QB and Superflex league fantasy managers.