Week 2 – Carson Palmer vs. New York Giants
Carson Palmer had a nice game against the Chargers in Week 1, finishing with 304 yards and two touchdowns. He fumbled the ball once, but he didn’t throw any interceptions and he ran the ball four times for 29 yards as the Cardinals squeezed out a close victory with two fourth quarter touchdown passes.
Palmer faces a Giants team that allowed nearly 350 yards through the air last week and a pair of touchdowns to Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions. The Giants have what looks like an improved defense on paper, but didn’t show it in Week 1. Palmer is a solid filler option and a nice backup QB to have on your fantasy roster, but his upside is limited and he’ll remain in that QB2 territory of our rankings.
Fantasy Upside
While many of us had hopes for a revival in Arizona, it required some waiting. Palmer was much better in the second half of last season than the first. He struggled in the offensive system early, throwing nearly twice as many interceptions as touchdowns in the first eight games. He obviously needs to improve that ratio (24-22) this year. Of some interest, Palmer has a career record of 15-14 in September and 19-16 in November. The good news? Arizona has five 2014 games in November, a month in which Palmer has historically peaked. He has completed 64.7 percent of his passes in November, and has thrown 63 touchdowns compared to 40 interceptions.
Fantasy Downside
But he tends to fall off in December. And that's a problem for fantasy owners. Three of the Cardinals' four games are against NFC West foes will come this December. Over his career, Palmer has gone 17-19 in December with his highest monthly completion percentage: 67.7.
Bottom Line
Whatever the case, Palmer remains a solid fantasy QB2 with the weapons (Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Ellington) to excel on any given Sunday. He's a good late-round QB target currently going in the 13th round of drafts.
