Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback is a fantasy football sleeper
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals’ Carson Palmer is not a highly-rated quarterback among fantasy football prognosticators this season
There’s a very good chance that an Arizona Cardinal will be the number-one pick in many fantasy football drafts this year. Running back David Johnson has graced the covers of many fantasy publications this summer, and for good reason. Tallying over 2100 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns last season has earned him such popularity.
However, most fantasy pundits aren’t feeling the same about Carson Palmer. The Cards’ quarterback has gotten little respect from so-called fantasy “experts”. Most have Palmer ranked in the late teens or early twenties among passers, a rating that would leave him undrafted in many leagues.
Why is the Cardinals’ veteran being so disrespected? One could venture several guesses for such a question. But based on what Palmer has accomplished on the field the past couple of years, the fact that he’s being disregarded doesn’t make much sense.
For those readers who are mostly unfamiliar with how fantasy football works, here it is in a nutshell. The won-loss records of the teams that your fantasy players play for mean nothing. The game is based solely on the statistics of who’ve you’ve picked to be on your squad.
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Based on that premise, Palmer was a pretty good fantasy quarterback in 2016. He received criticism for Arizona’s 7-8-1 record but, as was pointed out, only what he achieved statistically matters in fantasy circles.
In 15 starts last season, Palmer tossed 26 touchdown passes and threw for an impressive 4,233 yards. Besides those two numbers, only two NFL quarterbacks threw for 300 yards in a game more than the Cards’ signal-caller. Palmer reached that plateau six times in ’16, bettered only by Drew Brees (10) and Kirk Cousins (7).
Palmer’s numbers were off the charts just two years ago. He had career bests in both touchdown throws (35) and passing yards (4,671) in 2015.
Despite all those gaudy stats, the naysayers will point to the fact that Palmer is 37-years old. The lack of protection he received from his offensive line in 2016 also has forecasters concerned. The Cardinals ranked 29th in pressure rate, allowing their quarterbacks to be hurried on 29.5% of their pass plays.
Many fantasy football players feel pressured to grab a quarterback early on in their draft. It’s tempting to make sure that you get an Aaron Rodgers or a Tom Brady or a Drew Brees to be your starter. But patience is a virtue, even when exercised during fantasy football.
Load up early on with running backs, wide receivers and maybe even a tight end. Let the highly-ranked quarterbacks go to your adversaries. And then, grab Palmer later on in the proceedings to be your starter for 2017.
Chances are, you won’t regret that decision. Despite his being an afterthought in the minds of many fantasy football nerds for ’17, Palmer won’t let you.