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QB Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals

HT: 6-5, WT: 230, Born: 12-27-1979, College: Southern California, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 1

2009 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 29th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: C Benson (73), B Berrian (74), Carson Palmer (75), K Winslow (76), C Cooley (77)
Position: M Schaub (68-QB10), J Cutler (69-QB11), Carson Palmer (75 - QB12), B Roethlisberger (87-QB13), M Cassel (91-QB14)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

 Click here to go to the Carson Palmer spotlight, our staff's most detailed analysis.

Best Case

Palmer returns with a vengeance this season. All reports from the summer are true and he's healthier than ever. Although T.J. Houshmandzadeh is no longer with the team, the Bengals added veteran Laveranues Coles during the offseason to make up for the receiving gap. Coles is a solid veteran who knows how to break apart opposing defenses. This frees up Chad Ochocinco to do what he does best: make big plays. With the addition of a big OT in No. 6 overall rookie pick Andre Smith, Palmer gets some much needed protection.

Worst Case

If Palmer is healthy, he'll be on the field. If he's on the field, he'll be throwing. Yet setting the league on fire with attempts and incompletions isn't going to win you any fantasy games. In a 'how bad could it get?' scenario, Palmer could try his best, but fail to make a bad team good by himself. The Bengals running game flames out and defenses stack five and six DBs against Palmer. He finishes the season as a fringe Top 20 QB, and is a total let down given the price you'll pay for him.

Outlook

Palmer has all the potential to be the comeback kid this year. Ochocinco seems to be minding his Ps and Qs, and a crafty veteran like Coles can only add to the mix. The big rookie OT helps protect Palmer, and he shakes off the rust early and hits his stride by Game 1. Look for Palmer to return to his Top 10 form and prove to be a solid addition to any fantasy roster.

Relevant Articles

Why he is undervalued

Anthony Borbely - Palmer missed most of last season with an elbow injury, but in the three seasons prior to that, he averaged over 4,000 passing yards and had 86 TD passes in that span. In most seasons, numbers like that will put a QB near the Top 5. Palmer is still only 29 years old and if healthy, he is a legitimate mid level QB1. While other owners are spending high picks on their 4,000-yard QBs, you can load up at other positions early, and then grab Palmer later in the draft.

Sigmund Bloom - The problems of a porous offensive line and meager running game weren't solved, but isn't it worth the risk that Palmer can find a way to produce through it as the 12th QB off the board? He'll still have two excellent veteran starting wideouts and the team added the most dominant SEC left tackle in a long time. All of his matchups against Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be behind him by week 10, so he's a surprisingly strong fantasy playoff QB.

Colin Dowling - See if this makes any sense: Carson Palmer is an All-Pro quarterback who has averaged 28 touchdown tosses and just less than 4,000 passing yards in each of his last three full seasons. Carson Palmer is being drafted as a BACKUP (QB13) right now. Palmer has been throwing just fine lately and has a new tackle to protect him. For those who say, "yeah, but he's injured!" think about this: you can get Palmer more than two rounds after Matt Schaub, a player who has never been able to stay healthy.

Will Grant - Palmer has moved up the charts a bit as reports from the pre-season have him playing at full strength. However, people are still nervous about taking him as their No. 1 QB. Don't be! Palmer is playing at full speed and hungry to put last year behind him. Yes TJ has moved on, but Laveranues Coles is a solid replacement and will keep defenses from double teaming Chad Ochocinco. The running game is more consistent, even if it's a RBBC with Benson and Leonard. An improved offensive line will give him more time to throw and Palmer should be able to finish in the Top 10 this year for sure.

Jeff Haseley - Palmer finished in the Top 10 in each of the last three years if you don't count last year's stats where he missed most of the season with an elbow injury. I expect him to return to form this year, despite losing TJ Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks. If he shows promise in training camp and preseason, there is little reason to think he won't be the same Carson Palmer of years past. He has something to prove too, which means he'll be striving to show others that he still has it. He can be a sneaky pick as your QB1 that can be selected in the 7th or 8th round.

Bob Magaw - Prior to a harrowing 2008 season besieged by OL problems, Palmer finished 9th, 4th and 4th in 2007-2006-2005 (gifted 2009 high 1st rounder Andre Smith should help stabilize the OL). Ocho Loco should return to form after an uncharacteristically poor campaign tarnished more by shoulder injury than trade demand antics. T.J. Houshmandzadeh left, but ex-NYJ WR Laveranues Coles fills the void. Rookie TE Chase Coffman is EASILY the best receiving TE in Palmer's tenure. RB Cedric Benson was born again hard in 2008. The infusion of talented rookie defenders Rey Maualuga (LB) and Michael Johnson (DE) should fortify a long-beleaguered stop unit.

Matt Waldman - Tom Brady is the most popular rebound QB this year, but the best bargain will be Palmer, who told the media in March that his elbow is 100% and took steps to prove it on the practice field. From 2005-2007 he was ranked No. 1, No. 6, and No. 9 among his fantasy brethren. The team will be cautious with Palmer's elbow during the preseason, but Chad Johnson's return to health, the addition of versatile running mates Laveranues Coles, TE Chase Coffman, and FB Brian Leonard should help the Bengals return to a higher level of productivity in 2009.

Latest News

Bengals | Palmer working on arm strength (Sat Jun 27, 04:22 PM) - Carlos Holmes, of the Dayton Daily News, reports Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer (elbow) is still trying to work on improving his arm strength and plans to throw a lot before and during training camp. 'It's just like when a track guy needs to get faster. You don't do 5,000 squats, you run and run some more. To get your arm in shape you throw and continue to throw. So I will be throwing all summer long as well as in training camp,' Palmer said.

Bengals | Palmer admits arm strength needs some work (Sat Jun 27, 03:46 PM) - Carlos Holmes, of the Dayton Daily News, reports QB Carson Palmer admits his arm strength needs more work before the start of the regular season.

Our View: Palmer said the path to a stronger arm is a fairly simple one. "Throw," Palmer said. "It's just like when a track guy needs to get faster. You don't do 5,000 squats, you run and run some more. To get your arm in shape you throw and continue to throw. So I will be throwing all summer long as well as in training camp." Palmer's current ADP 77 overall (QB12), which makes him a fantastic value in fantasy leagues - if he can regain his form in 2009.
link to story   

Bengals | Palmer says Ochocinco will be go-to receiver (Mon Jun 22, 11:23 AM) - The Associated Press reports Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer reiterated that WR Chad Ochocinco remains his top target within the team's offense. 'He's going to play (the lead role) because he deserves to play there,' Palmer said. 'He's been one of the best receivers in this league for a long time. He's still able to play at that level, and still capable of making big plays and carrying the load offensively at the receiver spot, so he will.'

Our View: It's all rainbows and lollipops with Palmer and Ochocinco, when just a couple of weeks ago it seemed like the QB was sick of his once favorite receiver. Since Ochocinco has returned to Cincinnati things have been "all good" between the pair. Palmer's health is the key to the Bengals offense, and even though T.J. Houshmandzadeh is now in Seattle, the team has Laveranues Coles, Chris Henry, and Andre Caldwell to help pick up the slack.

2009 Schedule

2008 Game Summaries

Week 1 - After having gone 90 pass attempts without being sacked, Carson Palmer began the game by being dropped on his first two. It was an early sign of what was to become an extremely tough outing for the Bengals' signal caller. After these initial setbacks, Palmer was never able to get into any sort of rhythm as the aggressive Ravens front seven had little trouble hurrying Palmer and regularly succeeded in forcing him out of his comfort-zone in the pocket. That, in turn, resulted in plenty of off-balance throws that regularly sailed high or wide of their intended targets. Out of his ten completions, only two (one each to Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh) went for over twenty yards, a reflection of just how quickly Palmer was being forced to get rid of the ball. Palmer's sole interception of the day came ten minutes into the game as he attempted to force a pass into the hands of T.J. Houshmandzadeh through double coverage at the Ravens' ten yard line. One bad bounce later, and Baltimore's Chris McAlister was headed the other way.

Week 2 - Palmer debuted the 2008 season with his lowest rated game ever (35.2 passer rating). He followed that up with a 41.3 rating against the Titans for his second lowest rating ever. Palmer was never able to get into any real rhythm and struggled with his accuracy. With winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour, Palmer was unable to complete any passes more than 13 yards downfield. (Cincinnati's longest pass play was a 36 yard screen pass to DeDe Dorsey) With the Bengals trailing, Palmer threw two fourth quarter interceptions. The second interception was a high, but probably catchable ball thrown to Reggie Kelly. So far Palmer has been unable to get in sync with his flamboyant pair of star wide receivers.

Week 3 - Carson Palmer put in a great effort on the road, completing 69 percent of his passes for 286 yards and a touchdown. He relied heavily on T.J. Houshmandzadeh, looking his way early and often to move the chains and find the rhythm the Bengals offense has lacked early in the season. Palmer was able to engineer two fourth quarter drives, one that put them ahead late in the fourth quarter while the other allowed them to kick a field goal and force overtime.

Week 4 - Palmer was a surprise late scratch and sat out the game against the Browns with an elbow issue.

Week 5 - Palmer's elbow injury has kept him from practicing the last two weeks, and the lack of work showed in the first half. Palmer looked a little rusty, and at times he didn't seem to be on the same page with his receivers. Palmer came to life after halftime, completing 73% of his passes in the final two quarters, and his intensity seemed to spark his team. He hurried his throws at times, especially in the first half, and for the game he had one turnover (on his first pass) and was sacked twice. Palmer got it clicking late with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and the two combined for a pair of second half TDs. Palmer seems frustrated with Chad Johnson, and the two have little chemistry right now. At one point in the second half, Palmer became visibly upset at Johnson for running a wrong route.