Bengals' burning fantasy question:Is Carson Palmer still a No. 1 fantasy quarterback?
The Cincinnati Bengals might not garner as much national attention as the Dallas Cowboys, but there's still at least one reason to watch HBO's Hard Knocks this summer.
Bengals' top 5 fantasy players
His name is Carson Palmer.
The veteran quarterback isn't as controversial or outspoken as his teammate, Chad Ochocinco, but his progress in training camp and during preseason work is something that fantasy footballers should be watching with much interest. Palmer, a one-time fantasy superstar, is coming back from an elbow ailment that cost him most of the 2008 season.
Palmer decided not to have surgery to repair his damaged ulnar collateral elbow ligament in 2008, and rather let it heal on its own with rest and rehabilitation. The decision appears to have been a successful one, as he's declared himself 100 percent. He's expected to be fine for camp and should be under center in Week 1.
Since most fantasy leaguers have short memories, let's refresh our memories about Palmer's success before the 2008 season.
One of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league, Palmer threw for an average of 4,001 yards with 86 total touchdown passes from 2005-2007. He was the top-scoring quarterback on NFL.com in 2005, finishing ahead of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Palmer was the fifth most productive signal-caller in 2006 and finished ninth in 2007. The slight fall in that season came in large part to his 20 interceptions.
Overall, Palmer averaged 291 fantasy points in those three seasons. That total would have ranked him seventh among quarterbacks in 2008, ahead of Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo. He would have also recorded a mere nine fewer fantasy points than Manning, who finished with 300.
While Palmer did lose one of his top targets, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, he still has Ochocinco, newly acquired veteran Laveranues Coles and Chris Henry in what should be a productive passing attack. The veteran will also get some help on the offensive line as the Bengals added offensive tackle Andre Smith in the first round of April's draft.
Palmer and the Bengals also have one of the easier schedules based on stats from the 2008 season, playing eight teams that finished in the lower half of the league in pass defense. That list includes six of the seven worst units against the pass -- the Broncos (26th), Lions (27th), Chiefs (28th), Jets (29th), Bears (30th) and Chargers (31st).
Furthermore, Palmer faces AFC North foe Cleveland twice -- he has 12 touchdown passes in his last four starts against the Browns.
Like any player coming off a serious injury, Palmer will come with some risk. But based on his past success and the fact that he's been cleared to return without limitations, there's no reason to believe he can't rebound and make a strong fantasy impact in 2009.
He should still be on the board in the middle rounds of most drafts, so Palmer has the potential to be a terrific bargain for owners.
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