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Journeymen football players often have not fared well in the twilight years of their career—especially at quarterback. Many prognosticators have tabbed quarterback Carson Palmer as a bottom of the pack quarterback in terms of fantasy sports. This could very well be true. I wouldn’t go that far to rank him with the likes of Jake Locker and Matt Flynn.

Palmer’s career has a chance to be revived somewhat in the desert of Glendale, Arizona. Lets not forget just a few short seasons ago he was everyone’s favorite fantasy backup quarterback. That’s an exaggeration but he was a guy that if you grabbed yourself a sure-fire starting quarterback (Brees, Brady, etc) you had no problem putting him in for a bye week cover or if an injury presented itself.

As a Bengal his career had many plights at the end of it, including a bitter argument with the front office on wanting a trade demand. They let Palmer reside in California before finally trading him away to the Oakland Raiders. His time in Oakland was basically another gap stop as his year and a half fared about as well as every quarterback in Oakland’s has since Rich Gannon.

Now though, Palmer is in Arizona where he gets to be surrounded by a team that on the surface has the talent to produce. They’ve just been missing that key ingredient since Kurt Warner left, and that is a quarterback. The Max Hall’s, Matt Leinart’s, John Skelton’s, Kevin Kolb’s, and Derek Anderson’s of the world are not going to get it done.

When Anquan Boldin left Arizona for Baltimore many were stunned that the Cardinals didn’t want to pay him enough. Future trangressions since he left all speak for themselves on how the Cardinals front office handles key ingredients. They seemed to have lost their will to attain a quarterback after Kurt Warner left.
Maybe they thought bringing in a veteran such as Derek Anderson would be good enough with Larry Fitzgerald at wide receiver. Who knows. In the end the quarterback experiments have turned out to be by far the worst in football over the last three seasons.

Carson steps in with the lowest of expectations possible. Arizona is in a division that many believe will be a runaway between the 49ers and Seahawks with the possibility of the Rams being a threat as well. Arizona does not even cross the minds of consideration in the division.

Arizona’s defense has hung in there for three years with their poor offensive situations. Almost every win the Cardinals pulled out was because of their defense. Add to the equation a veteran quarterback and an offensive line that should be average or better, and the Cardinals can make some noise in this division.

Lets put it this way, there is not another team that is expected to finish last in their division that has a higher ceiling in the NFL.

Deep down Carson Palmer knows this is a chance for him to make a huge statement to resurrect his career, and say officially “I told you so” to the Bengals organization. Carson’s arm has stayed strong even as a Raider. He threw over 4000 yards with 22 touchdowns last season, and had thirteen the year prior in only nine games.

Carson has had a solid camp thus far, and I expect him to carry things over into preseason action. The feed the hunger campaign is about to start in Arizona, and this one involves the starving of pass receptions to Larry Fitzgerald last season. For a player of his caliber to have only four touchdowns and 800 yards, speaks volumes to how poor the Cardinals quarterback situation truly was last season.

Palmer will get the ball to Fitzgerald. The emergence of second year receiver Michael Floyd and veteran Andre Roberts should give Carson Palmer the best set of receivers he has had since Chad Johnson,TJ Housh, and Chris Henry.

Keep in mind Palmer is just 33 years old. A few years younger than both Brady and Manning, and a full year younger than Drew Brees. He may seem too old but he has a few solid years left in the tank if the Cardinals can protect him. I’m not buying into the all out full hype of Russ Wilson and Colin Kaepernick’s first year success. This Arizona team can make some divisional noise as well.

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Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson-

I for one have been a big non supporter of Wilson. But over the last three games he has risen above game manager status. The Seahawks still aren’t basing their offense around a passing attack, but when they do let him throw he is making good decisions. The Bears defense had plays available for the Vikings last week, but Christian Ponder just couldn’t deliver accurate footballs. Wilson will outdo his fantasy ranking this week by at least ten spots, and put up fantasy worthy numbers.

Colin Kapernick-

After Kapernick’s back to back strong performances and key wins over the Bears and Saints his confidence will be boosted even more after this Sunday. The Rams came out the gates of this season as a formidable defense. Since the first month though they’ve been one of the leagues bottom ten defenses. With the way the 49ers defense is suddenly creating turnovers (Alex Smith’s wondering where that came from), Kapernick should get two to three drives of favorable field position. The shotgun quarterback plunge will likely be called a few times. Just one Kapernick rushing touchdown is significant enough to consider him as a fantasy starter this week.

Chad Henne-

Buffalo’s season is on the edge of one of those head turning time to fire type of games. Last week against the Colts the play calling was awful. Shotgun after shotgun throws with absolutely no balance of a rushing attack, against the Colts who rank near the bottom of the league in rush defense. It made no sense, and now Chad Henne steps in with confidence and familiarity. He has faced this Buffalo team numerous times as a Dolphin, and wants to keep playing well to go into 2013 with a chance to win the starting job.

Running Backs

Jacquizz Rodgers-

The Falcons challenged their team and offensive line to get the ground game going early against Tampa Bay a week ago. It worked and they did it by giving more carries to Rodgers. Rodgers showed the shiftiness and elusiveness to be a better overall threat than Michael Turner. Expect Rodgers to continue to see his carries elevated.

Beanie Wells-

This could be a very low scoring ugly game between the Cardinals and Jets. I do believe though that both teams will find success running the football. Both teams are reeling from extended losses. At this point of the year when losses pile up, tackling starts to become worse. Playoff expectations are long gone for both of these teams. Wells has the fresh legs and we should see that pay dividends Sunday.

Wide Receivers

Reuben Randle

Sorry Hakeem Nicks owners but the injury bug may hit Nicks once again. Cris Collinsworth stated on NBC Sunday Night football that Nicks took quite awhile to warm up before he was able to run routes at game day speed last week. There is obviously limitations to Nicks capabilities right now, but he is managing to perform on Sundays. If the Giants can get a couple more quality wins, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Nicks sit out to try and regain his health at 100 percent. Before that would happen the Giants would seek to develop Randle more on pass plays to be prepared. He got in the action Sunday with a nice back of the end zone touchdown catch, and should see his on the field playing time rise.

TY Hilton-

Hilton is becoming a main factor in the Colts offense, and becoming a regular weekly big play threat. Last week against Buffalo he did it with a special teams touchdown and a short touchdown catch. Unlike other special teams elite players, Hilton is a natural receiver first. His upside to finish the rest of the season on a high note is worthy of fulfilling the third wide receiver starting spot, or flex on a weekly basis.

Miles Austin-

Austin has had a semi-quiet season since the first month and one game against the Giants. On Thanksgiving he was held without a catch. Timing is everything when facing division opponents two times a season. Austin and Romo are the longest tenured dynamic combination in their division from a quarterback to wide receiver standpoint. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten should get extra attention by the Eagles, and that’ll open it up for a big game from Austin.

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A Thursday night game is in the books where little was rewarded for fantasy owners with 49ers or Seahawks players. With six other teams on bye weeks it’s going to be crucial maximizing your roster depth and inserting the proper starters.

Quarterbacks

Matt Hasselbeck-
Hasselbeck still has value even at the end of his career. For years Tennessee was a running team with Chris Johnson, but now they have a trio of receivers that can uplift the offense while Johnson struggles. Kenny Britt, Nate Washington, and Kendall Wright are as solid as a triple threat of receivers in the NFL. Add Jared Cook to that mix, and Hasselbeck has enough weapons at his disposal to have a big fantasy game against the Bills.

Sam Bradford-
Even with Danny Amendola sidelined, Sam Bradford has kept turning the corner. Next up for Bradford is going to be finding a way to manufacture more points. He is making big plays every game with an accurate deep ball and great accuracy overall. They face a Packers team that made a statement last week against the Texans. That was one game, overall this season they have been susceptible. Bradford will have a solid game in terms of fantasy.

Sit: John Skelton, Jay Cutler, and Andrew Luck

Running Backs

LeGarrette Blount-
Tampa Bay’s running game has not lived up to the off-season transition with draft pick Doug Martin. Look for the Buccaneers to maybe give Blount a few extra carries in the split backfield. Keeping Drew Brees off the field is always a tough task. In order to do that the Buccaneers have to extend drives against a poor Saints defense.

Shonn Greene-
The Jets will keep pounding the ball with Greene and hope for the best. He has always been a streaky running back that carries over big games for stretches. Ride that trend with Greene. The Jets were over using Sanchez earlier in the season. Rex Ryan knows how to defend Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, and he won’t mind punting the football if the running game isn’t working early on.

Alfred Morris-
All the attention that RG3 has drawn has boosted Morris’s play exponentially. He’ll likely be a back that regresses next season, but for this year he will finish as a top eight back overall. The Giants defense has always been one that’s better at applying pressure than stopping the run. They did a great job against Frank Gore, but the 49ers did not have a mobile quarterback the Giants had to contend with.

Sit: Michael Bush, Steven Jackson, and Jonathan Stewart

Wide Receivers

Jacoby Jones-
Jones is a bit buried on the Ravens depth chart but gets his fair share of involvement in the Ravens offense. There is nothing like a player facing off against his old team. Jones will be baiting Harbaugh for an extra ten to twelve snaps on the field. With the Ravens offense having to score every week, the football will be tossed around to all Ravens receivers. Jones will get in the end zone against his old team.

DeNarius Moore-
Since Moore’s return the offense has been revitalized through the air. Carson Palmer seems to finally be settling in, remember he was thrown into the Raiders mix and named starter instantly upon coming back from his holdout from Cincinnati. Look for Palmer to continue heating up and hitting Moore this week against the Jaguars.

Brandon Lafell-
Sooner or later Cam Newton is going to snap out of his funk. Coming off a bye week against the Cowboys who are yet again getting scrutinized lies the perfect opportunity. Expect Newton to have a big day through the air and to find LaFell more than Steve Smith.

Sit: Justin Blackmon, Miles Austin, and Emmanuel Sanders

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Injuries, injuries, and more injuries are adding up on your fantasy rosters. If you’re an owner that has 70 to 80 percent of your top eight players still healthy from your original draft, you’ve fared well. For the majority of owners though injuries are piling up. Here are some players to look at off the waiver wire of week six.

Quarterbacks

Matt Hasselbeck-
The veteran Hasselbeck seems to be settling in after a couple of poor outings from a turnover standpoint. Lets not forget the Titans brought in Hasselbeck for solid money right after the lockout ended. There were plenty of teams that wanted to sign Hasselbeck but he chose Tennessee even with Locker in the fold. If he can limit his interceptions, Hasselbeck can be a decent fantasy performer if you’re in dire need for a quarterback.

Sam Bradford-
All the hype about the young quarterbacks drafted the last two years has put Bradford out of the loop. He is on a Rams team that has never been an offensive juggernaut. Bradford though has put together a few solid games this year, and seems to be past the injury woes that have plagued him. He tore apart the Dolphins who came into the weekend as one of the best defensive teams especially at home.

Josh Freeman-
Anticipating Freeman performing better was not in doubt with the matchups Freeman and the Buccaneers had in store after their bye week. Yet it was good to see Freeman airing the football out to his big play receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams. The running game has yet to be a factor, but you have to imagine they’ll get it figured out sooner than later.

Carson Palmer-
Palmer has always been one of the streakier quarterbacks in the NFL. I said to gamble on him to start this weekend and he had an above average performance besides his pick six. Palmer is finding Denarius Moore now and a possession receiver target in Derek Hagan.

Running Backs

Felix Jones-
Soon the extent of DeMarco Murray’s foot injury will be released, but it’s said not to be season ending. So if Murray is out even a couple of games, Jones will be a viable fantasy producer. He has done it before in spot start duties, and is a suitable replacement for Murray production wise. Jones stepped in nicely in a secondary role in the first half to Murray, and would have been on the list even if Murray had not went down.

Philip Tanner-
Tanner is the one that Ray Lewis was trying to tackle while he tore his triceps. Tanner factored in the second half with nine carries with Murray out. Felix Jones will be the main guy but Tanner will fill Jones’s old role. While Jones is the home run threat, Tanner will be the pound back for the tough yards.

Montario Hardesty-
One of the backs talked about the most on handcuffing in your fantasy drafts was Trent Richardson. He has shown to be fragile and went down Sunday against the Bengals. The running game for the Browns will not disappear with Richardson sidelined. Hardesty has solid value to carry the load for the Browns and rookie Brandon Weeden.

LeGarrette Blount-
Blount lost his job to rookie Doug Martin and appeared to be an after thought from a fantasy standpoint. Don’t discount him just yet. If the Buccaneers can get things rolling, they could have a favorable dual threat backfield. Blount has displayed his power and is going to be a fourth quarter back teams do not want to tackle. Blount can be the Brandon Jacobs to Ahmad Bradshaw when he was with the Giants.

Daryl Richardson
For a moment it looked like Richardson was going to have a career game against the Dolphins. Miami had not allowed a run over ten yards on the season, but Richardson burst for a forty yard run off the bat in the first quarter. After that run though Richardson was held in check. He only received eleven carries, but is the future of the Rams backfield.

Wide Receivers

Josh Gordon-
Last week he was on the weekly wonders report, but after a duplicating performance I have added Gordon to the waiver wire report. Both of Gordon’s big touchdown plays came on blown deep safety help. Gordon has the speed to continue to pose problems for defensive secondaries.

Brandon Gibson-
Gibson faded weeks three thru five after a couple of solid outings with touchdowns to start the season. With Danny Amendola out someone needs to fill in for all the catches Amendola was receiving. Gibson seems to be the guy that wants that role, and made some nice grabs against the Dolphins. St. Louis does not score too many points, but Gibson can make up for that with PPR points.

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Pittsburgh proved last night that trends are always worth paying attention to. They lost against the spread as an away favorite for the seventh consecutive time.

Zack Cimini has some players for the rest of week six’s action that should garner interest with their trendy matchups.

Quarterbacks

Brandon Weeden
The young , oh wait, the 28-year-old quarterback has had his fair share of on the field rookie mistakes already this season. Yet he is showing strong poise and a skill set to why the Cleveland Browns drafted him and practically named him their starter off the bat. Trent Richardson is coming along brilliantly, and that should invoke confidence in Weeden. He was off to a strong start against the Giants until his costly interception late in the second quarter.

Andrew Luck
The Jets played inspired football and came close to pulling off a win as a home underdog on Monday night football. Former AFC East division rivals in the old format square off this weekend between the Colts and Jets. Look for the Colts to carry over their momentum from their come from behind win against Green Bay.

Carson Palmer
One thing the bye week is good for is retooling what is not working. Carson Palmer arm is not shot, but you would think that with how poor the Raiders passing game has been. Maybe they’ll mix different receivers in the lineup to see if someone else can produce, or have specific plays drawn up to spread the offense around. Atlanta is prone to giving up yards through the air, and Palmer is due for his once a month solid game.

Running Backs

Ronnie Brown
A dark horse sort of radar alert player this week in fantasy football is Brown. He looks refreshed and had sort of a welcome back performance against the Saints last Sunday night. If he can continue to perform well he should easily surpass Jackie Battle on the depth chart. Battle has been a significant part of the Chargers playbook thus far, but doesn’t have the all around skills Brown brings to the table. He catches the football out of the backfield, and should get around eight to ten carries Monday Night.

Brandon Bolden
The amount of carries the Patriots are feeding their backs is not a fluke. They are pounding the football with their hurry up offense attack and tiring out defenses. The Seahawks have been nearly impossible to run the football on and will be tough to accomplish at Seattle. With Stevan Ridley’s late fumble against the Broncos, the Patriots may shift a few more carries Bolden’s way.

Vick Ballard
With Donald Brown out a few weeks, this will be Ballard’s chance to still away the starting job. Brown has not lived up to the first round draft pick status that he was a few years ago, and the Colts are likely planning on upgrading in the offseason. Ballard gets a favorable matchup against the Jets who have been one of the worst teams at stopping the run.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Scott Chandler-
There is no question Ryan Fitzpatrick looks for Chandler just about as much as he does Stevie Johnson. Arizona was exposed a few weeks back for their secondary at home against Miami. This week it’ll be Fitzpatrick that does so as well. Chandler should have one of his best games as an NFL player in terms of amount of catches, and at least one trip in the end zone.

Randall Cobb

Comparing performances from a week ago you always look for great matchups. Houston’s defense did just about everything they could to frustrate Mark Sanchez, but they did allow Jeremy Kerley to have a big game. Randall Cobb is just about the same type of player as Kerley, if not better. Look for the Packers to get Cobb on some seam routes and plays to let him utilize his speed in the open field.

Andrew Hawkins

The Browns do get back cornerback Joe Haden this week, and will have his hands full with arguably the best receiver in football in AJ Green. Hawkins won’t have to worry about Haden though, and will get the crop of corners that have been lit up by quarterbacks. Eli Manning torched the Browns secondary with rookie wide receiver Ruben Randle. Dalton will pick apart the Browns secondary. Hawkins should add to his two touchdowns on the year and be get around six catches between eighty and one hundred yards.

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It’s Thursday and time to get that lineup submitted. Here are some players to not drag upward and crack in your starting lineup.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford-
The Detroit Lions sharp decline to a mediocre season in 2012 has started with Stafford. The whole team seems off-beat and might stem from the teams lack of discipline off the field and on the field. It’s never easy winning in the NFL but Detroit seemed to come into 2012 expecting to win football games. They’re not going to be handed to them. This weekend’s matchup against Philadelphia will be a true battle tester. Philadelphia has kept every game close but this may be the one they finally break open.

Sam Bradford-
Miami’s defense is wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks, from their front line to their secondary they’ve had a balanced defense thus far. It’s allowing for Miami to dictate their offense to a ball control style. Jeff Fisher’s Rams defense has been great at home, but on the road they’re not as good. Bradford is missing his favorite target Danny Amendola and will have a tough time finding someone to fill his shoes.

Russ Wilson
There is going to be that game where the wheels fall off on Russ Wilson’s bandwagon. He has been the epitome of a game manager that has thrived off a potent running game and 12th man crowd. A couple of years ago when things were going bad offensively the 12th man didn’t matter. The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants blew out the Seahawks in 2010 on their home turf. New England is in too much of a rhythm offensively to be disturbed by the Seahawks home crowd.

Running Backs

Alfred Morris-
It’s amazing what confidence Mike Shanahan can instill in a young back. His system has worked again and again on drafting backs out of nowhere that end up doing well. Whether RG3 returns or not, Minnesota’s defense makes Morris a likely sit this week. They’ve been stout against the run. You should have proper depth on your bench to make a roster upgrade in your starting lineup for the weekend.

Jackie Battle-
The Chargers way of listing Battle as the starter is all a show. It appeared as if Battle was just on the field in the first quarter and disappeared after that in last weeks contest against the Saints. He does not have the shiftiness to be an every down back. Surprisingly Ronnie Brown’s hard work has seemed to payoff, as he looks to be in the best condition he has been in years. Don’t be surprised if Brown starts to steal more snaps away from Battle. Clearly though this team needs to rely on Ryan Matthews more until he fumbles the football again.

Wide Receivers

Larry Fitzgerald-
Buffalo’s defense may be atrocious, but the game plan Sunday should primarily be on doubling up Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals offensive line can’t hold up for more than a few seconds, meaning Kevin Kolb will be looking for many hot route throws. Larry does better stretching out his routes to get an advantage over the defender. With the Cardinals breaking in a new running back the offensive line woes should continue for poor Kevin Kolb and Fitzgerald.

Darrius Heyward-Bey
Part of the Raiders old style was drafting speed receivers. Based on their current status as one of the leagues worst at throwing the football downfield, that tendency may change. Bey is a home run threat or nothing, and last year Denarius Moore was much of the same. Palmer is forced to have to check the football down time and time again because his receivers just aren’t able to get open and run proper routes.

Jerome Simpson-
It’s amazing how balanced Minnesota’s fantasy talent on offense is actually doing. Christian Ponder has not had any stellar games, but is making the most of his mediocre stats amongst Percy Harvin, Jerome Simpson, and Kyle Rudolph. I expect this game to not be a display of high action as most would expect with RG3 on the field. Expect a lot of punts and for one of the Vikings studs to take a hit in terms of fantasy points, and that will be Simpson.