All WR projections   •  Current WR rankings   •   All OAK projections   •  OAK team report   •  OAK Stats

WR Drew Carter, Oakland Raiders

HT: 6-3, WT: 200, Born: 9-5-1981, College: Ohio State, Drafted: Round 5

2008 Projections

Best Case

Carter's numbers improved each year in his time with the Panthers, and he could contribute as the Raiders third receiver in multi-receiver sets. He was overshadowed by Steve Smith in Carolina and faced a lot of competition for playing time. With injury prone Javon Walker and Ronald Curry above Carter on the team's depth chart, there's a decent chance Carter will see a handful of starts or at a minimum some extra playing time. He could stay on track for improving his yearly totals, but he'll need more targets and time on the field for that to happen.

Worst Case

Carter could also be an after thought and rarely see the ball. Oakland had a strong running game last season and with the addition of Darren McFadden the rushing attack should continue improve. While Carter's numbers continued to increase as a Panther, he never really emerged as an every down player. He did not earn much additional playing time and also played inconsistently. If QB JaMarcus Russell struggles, the team's receiving totals likely would suffer (as would Carter's). Another potential outcome is that Johnnie Lee Higgins continues to improve and passes Carter on the depth chart.

Outlook

Carter is not totally unproven, but he hasn't exactly set the world on fire either. A change of scenery might do him good. He won't beat out Javon Walker and Ronald Curry for a starting job, leaving him as the WR3. Of third receivers to own for fantasy purposes, there are probably several better options to consider over Carter. He makes for an intriguing late round pick for Survivor style leagues, but in most standard sized, standard scoring leagues he probably will start the season on the waiver wire.

Relevant Articles

2008 Schedule

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Carter caught three passes for 19 yards. He had two catches on the opening drive of the game including the ten yard touchdown. His only other catch was for a nine yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He made a great play on the ball and got both feet down. Carter had three touchdowns all of last year so he is off to a great start.

Week 2 - Carter was targeted six times and caught three passes for 50 yards. Carter's first look came late in the second quarter. He did not see any red zone looks.

Week 3 - Carter was targeted just one time and caught the pass for a 17 yard gain.

Week 4 - Carter was thrown to six times but he caught just two passes for 16 yards. Carr looked for him on third down a couple of times but both passes were incomplete. Twice Carolina went for it on fourth down and both passes were thrown for Carter. He caught one for a first down and the other was way overthrown. At the end of the game, Carter made a diving catch in the end zone but a holding penalty brought the play back.

Week 5 - Carter was the target of two passes that were thrown into double coverage in the first half.

Week 6 - Carter caught two of the three passes thrown to him, the longest being 15 yards.

Week 8 - Carter had just one pass thrown to him. He caught the pass for nine yards. He picked up a first down on a fourth down play.

Week 9 - Carter had three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Carter was wide open in the left corner of the end zone on his 18 yard touchdown reception. Carter was targeted six times in the game.

Week 10 - Drew Carter was thrown to six times, catching three passes for 28 yards. Carter picked up a couple of first downs including one down to the Atlanta 17 yard line. Prior to his catch down to the Atlanta 17, Testaverde had tried to hit him deep down the right side for a potential score.

Week 11 - Drew Carter had a huge game catching five passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He had a catch of seven yards that was called back due to a penalty. Carter was Testaverde's deep threat in this game. He caught passes of 26, 43 and 49 yards. Late in the game, Carter caught a five yard touchdown pass that put Carolina within 11 points.

Week 12 - Drew Carter caught three passes for 41 yards. Carter also had a 35 yard reception brought back due to a penalty. He was the deep threat in this game. His longest catch went for 24 yards. The play was reviewed and upheld. It got the ball down to the New Orleans seven yard line but the drive stalled and Carolina had to settle for a field goal.

Week 13 - Drew Carter caught two balls for 15 yards. Carter's second catch came on a third down play and picked up a first down at the San Francisco 28 yard line. Carolina would continue the drive and score a touchdown to go up by 17 points. The one target Carter didn't catch was on a deep pass that Testaverde under threw and was picked off by Clements at the two yard line.

Week 14 - Carter was targeted 11 times but only caught four passes for 26 yards. His longest catch was just eight yards. Carter had a red zone catch for eight yards that was wiped out when Carolina accepted a Jacksonville penalty. On the same drive, Testaverde tried to hit him from the Jacksonville 14 yard line but the pass was incomplete.

Week 15 - Carter caught three passes for 22 yards. All three of his catches went for first downs. Carter was targeted in the end zone early in the game but the pass was incomplete. That pass was his only red zone chance.

Week 16 - Carter could not gain separation from the Cowboys secondary quick enough to let his rookie quarterback get deep or successfully get him the ball on a frequent basis.

Week 17 - Carter was targeted five times and finished with two receptions for 59 yards. Included in that was a 46 yard reception that Carter came down with at the one yard line and set up a Carolina touchdown.