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After topping 4,000 passing yards with the Oakland Raiders in 2012, Carson Palmer was traded to the Arizona Cardinals and set a career-high with 4,274 yards last year. He will be back at the helm of Bruce Arians’ offense, and Palmer is line for another productive season this year.
Positives
Palmer finished 2013 strongly, with 2,361 passing yards (295.1 per game) over the final eight games and multiple passing touchdowns five times in that span. A lackluster game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16 (178 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions) came at a bad time for fantasy owners that had something at stake, but it’s likely those that had him benched Palmer in a tough matchup.
Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd are one of the top wide receiver duos in the league, and offseason additions at tight end (John Carlson and rookie Troy Niklas) as well as wide receiver (Ted Ginn) will give Palmer a loaded array of passing game weapons.
Palmer’s completion percentage last year (63.3 percent) was his highest in any of the last six seasons.
Negatives
Palmer threw 22 interceptions (tied for second-most in the league) last year, including multiple interceptions in seven games. He had three rushing touchdowns in 2009 and one touchdown on the ground in both 2011 and 2012, but those days are over along with any limited enhancement to his fantasy value that Palmer offered with his legs.
Palmer will turn 35 toward the end of the coming season, and it’s worth wondering when his decline will fully come. Six games against the tough defenses in the NFC West will take away some of Palmer’s reliability as a potential weekly fantasy starter.
Final Verdict
Palmer is a solid option as a QB2 again this year, but advancing age does bring lingering downside if he takes 41 sacks (eighth-most in the league last year) again. But compared to similarly-ranked quarterbacks like Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Alex Smith and Josh McCown, I’ll take Palmer’s upside potential every time.
Bye Week: Week 4
Projected Round: 11th Round
Auction Value: $4 (Fantasy Pros.com)
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
