For those fantasy football owners who took a late round flier on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, pat yourselves on the back. Palmer, 35, suffered a second ACL tear last year and the Cardinals were widely expected to take a step back this season, hurting his fantasy value. Instead, Arizona (10-2) is one of the most complete teams in the league and Palmer sits third at the position in standard fantasy points (221). Well played.
But as we approach the fantasy playoffs, every lineup decision becomes crucial. There is no room for error at this juncture, which is why some are questioning whether or not they should play Palmer against a solid Minnesota Vikings defense in Week 14.
Here's why you should keep Palmer in your lineup. For starters, you likely don't have a better option than him sitting on your bench. If you do, you're well stocked at the position and a congratulations is in order. But if you needed any extra convincing, ESPN NFL Insider KC Joyner expects the veteran QB to have a big game against Minnesota.
"The reality of the situation is this should actually be considered fairly high on the Week 14 favorable matchup list because the Vikings have not been adept at stopping deep passes of late," Joyner wrote.
"Since Week 7, Minnesota ranks 30th in the league in stretch vertical yards per attempt allowed (19.5 on aerials thrown 20 or more yards downfield). That is not the type of weakness a defense wants to have against a Bruce Arians-led offense that rates tied for third in stretch vertical pass attempts this season (66) and second in stretch vertical yards (983)."
On the season, Palmer ranks second in the NFL behind only Ben Roethlisberger in yards per pass attempt (8.84), a clear indication of his tendency to go deep. The Vikings, meanwhile, just got absolutely torched by Russell Wilson to the tune of 274 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Palmer is averaging an impressive 18.4 fantasy points per week and proved that he doesn't need Chris Johnson or Andre Ellington to help him out this past week. Don't get cute. Start your studs, including Palmer.
