Follow @cimini

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.

While the 2013 draft was defined by the non-glamour positions, there were still some impactful offensive rookies taken by teams around the league.

Whether you are a fantasy football nut looking for value, or simply a fan of young talent, here is a look at the top potential rookies in 2013.

Quarterback – EJ Manuel

The Buffalo Bills surprised a lot of teams when they took EJ Manuel in the first round, but what that means is that he is most likely to get a chance to start sooner rather than later. Kevin Kolb is a veteran who will be battling him in the preseason, but Manuel will most likely get a shot in 2013. This was a weak quarterback draft class, especially when compared to the 2012 rookies. Manuel won’t make a fantasy
football impact, and he might only start a few games this season, but he will provide the most production.

Running Back – Montee Ball

With the Von Miller suspension coming down, the Denver Broncos are now a bit shorthanded on defense to start the season. To help protect the defense, expect Ball to even get more touches as the Broncos’ featured running back. Peyton Manning is as good as they get throwing the football, but even he needs protection to offset everything. Ball is a dependable back, so expect him to be the best rookie in 2013.

Wide Receiver – Tavon Austin

No wide receiver is going to get the amount of opportunities that Austin will from the very beginning in St. Louis. The turf makes it a perfect setting for the ultra quick pass catcher out of West Virginia. He might not be just the best rookie wide receiver, but the best offensive rookie period.

Tight End – Tyler Eifert

The Cincinnati Bengals have a loaded offense, so one might think that Eifert could be lost in the shuffle. However, his size and hands makes him a perfect red zone target when the going gets tough. Expect him to have a big season despite maybe not getting as many touches as one would like.

Tweet Questions @Cimini

Fantasy playoffs are nearing. Now is not the time to be content with your team. Keep making those extra necessary moves to give your team the expected edge.
Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick

Though Fitzpatrick has struggled that’s when he typically begins to bounce back, when he is at a low point. If it were not for that, Fitzpatrick would never have lasted this long as a starter. His time may be dwindling due to inconsistency, but at this point of the season Buffalo has no one else to turn too. Fitz may have a few solid games left in this season to boost your fantasy playoffs if you enter with a low caliber quarterback.
Chad Henne

Sometimes the front office needs to realize they made the wrong decision in a high draft pick. The Jaguars offense has been completely different with Henne under center to what Blaine Gabbert has offered. For those that watched Henne fill in for Gabbert a few weeks back against the Raiders are probably doing double takes, as Henne was beyond awful in that game. His spark has turned a passing game up a few notches and involved their top ten pick Justin Blackmon, who was non-existent much of the season.
Ryan Tannehill

While all the rookie talk has been focused on RG3 and Andrew Luck, Tannehill is diligently playing effective games himself. He showed great composure to put the team on his back against the Seahawks, as the Seahawks defense did a great job at stopping the run. Tannehill undoubtedly has the least talented receiver corp, but is still putting up great statistics. You have to wonder if not having a big player such as Chad Johnson has benefitted Tannehill. From a mental standpoint he has not had to worry on who needs to get the ball. He just delivers solid throws to whoever is the open guy.

Running Backs
Beanie Wells

Wells is the back that pops on and off the injury report enough to think he was a distant NFL player from years ago. He stepped in Sunday and scored two touchdowns for the Cardinals. The team has been free falling, but had some momentum with the running game with LaRod Stephens-Howling. Quarterback play has been a different story. Wells is available in over half of leagues and should not be overlooked for playoff depth.
James Starks

We’ve seen this beat before from the Packers. Starks stepped in during their Super Bowl run to do a sufficient job. That’s what the Packers need and will test Starks again. He had a good game against the Lions a few weeks ago, and this week against the Giants game plan was over before it could even begin.
Bryce Brown

Chances are most owners protected their investment in LeSean McCoy and bid heavily on Brown. If somehow you were in a league that Brown slipped through the cracks with the holidays on most minds, you’ll get another fortunate shot at Brown. His display on Monday Night Football speaks for itself for the interim injury of McCoy.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Justin Blackmon

Blackmon was listed as a sleeper in the summer time, and developed into the epitome of one as he rode the waiver wire after getting dumped early this season. His talent has always been there but the consistency to get him the ball lacked. The Jaguars have an air attack offense that has not been threatened by the ground game. Blackmon will be a top pickup this week.
Mohamed Sanu

The big target from Rutgers is starting to get involved in the offense finally. As teams become more and more geared at stopping the automatic red zone touchdowns of AJ Green, the Bengals have devised pass plays for Sanu to suit the counter to Green’s attention. It has worked. Though Sanu only had five catches Sunday, he had nine targets.
Emmanuel Sanders

Big Ben is expected to come back within the next week or two. When he does the passing game should bounce right back. With injuries all around the team, Sanders is going to become a factor to step in and produce. He did okay with Charlie Batch Sunday, which should give you enough of a green light to go after Sanders on the waiver wire.
Dustin Keller

The Jets have not been pretty to watch offensively but as long as Mark Sanchez is under center you have to bank on history. History shows that he loves to target Keller. There may be a lot of key changes in the off-season in New York, but until than this tandem should produce semi-effectively.

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Here are some players to look at picking up as week nine finishes out. It’s time to make those last crucial moves to position yourself for a playoff run.

Quarterbacks

Brandon Weeden

It definitely was not a great game by Weeden, but he has been sort of a game manager thus far in his rookie season. Sooner or later the Browns are going to want to see what they have in Weeden. The few designed big plays the Browns have ran, Weeden has thrown decent balls and completed some big plays. If they expand his throws just a bit more, Weeden could be a sneaky lower tier fantasy quarterback.

Jay Cutler

Some owners that had Cutler pulled the quick trigger on him as he has not dazzled like owners would have liked. This Bears team still likes to win based on how their defense is playing. Sunday got a bit out of hand and Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall did not disappoint.

Carson Palmer

You’re never going to like the touchdown to interception ratio from Palmer but he is going to air it out weekly. He’ll likely lead the league over the next month as Darren McFadden’s injury gets analyzed and his return to the field is determined on a weekly basis.

Running Backs

Ronnie Brown

Brown has become a threat out of the backfield and has bypassed Jackie Battle in a more prominent complimentary role to Ryan Matthews. San Diego’s offense has been up and down all season, but they’ve always been a streaky team. Credit Brown for over coming injuries and handling his role properly.

Vick Ballard

The Colts running game may never crack the top twenty five this season, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be any fantasy value. Ballard has become important to Andrew Luck and the Colts offense. There’s always the chance that Donald Brown’s injury remains nagging and Ballard keeps a major role.

Joique Bell

Detroit shifted from lighting it up with Matthew Stafford to going to a power ground attack with Bell and LeShoure. It was probably a good move as the past few weeks Stafford took some serious licks. As the Lions want to try to make a playoff run they’ll need to rely more on the ground attack and protect Stafford’s health.

Isaac Redman

One week it’s Jonathan Dwyer and the next it’s Redman. Both guys had their shots earlier in the season and couldn’t grasp the backfield lead role. Now both have shined while the Steelers battle through backfield injuries. How long will it last before the backfield is intact with everybody again?

Wide Receivers

Danario Alexander

San Diego has been dying to get a main target to throw to consistently. Alexander will get every opportunity that Eddie Royal and Robert Meachem have been unable to fulfill. Philip Rivers is a streaky quarterback. If he can regain his form, having a threat such as Alexander could be pivotal.

TY Hilton

It’s taking awhile but the rookie has started to show major signs in large part to the increased confidence of Andrew Luck. He shattered Cam Newton’s rookie yardage record by a mere yard, but had big play after big play to sustain drives on third down. One of his favorite targets to go to in the spread offense was Hilton’s way. Expect Hilton to continue to shine as Luck does.

Donald Jones

Fitzpatrick does not have many receivers to throw to, but Jones is one of them. He is making the most of his opportunity and starting to become one of the top targets for Fitzpatrick. One thing about Buffalo is that they are going to continue to throw the football the way their defense has played all season long.

Ryan Broyles

Broyles and Titus Young are still battling it out to see who becomes Stafford’s new second option with Nate Burelson out for the season. Young had the big week last week and Broyles had a decent game Sunday in a toned down game from Stafford. Both may end up being decent options weekly along side Megatron.

Tweet Questions @Cimini

We are at the halfway point of the regular season. The next four to five weeks are going to make or break your fantasy season. As you try to make that push from the middle of the pack to get one of the last playoff spots, it’s going to take the utmost perfect lineup changes and proper fantasy starter submissions. Here is a look at post week eight’s fantasy waiver wire pickups.

Quarterbacks

Josh Freeman-
It is visibly noticeable now that Freeman appears settled in with the new talent surrounding him offensively. After a shaky first month, he has developed and made Vincent Jackson into one of the top fantasy wide receivers in football. Doug Martin finally came around in a big way against the Minnesota Vikings, as the offense continues to move forward each and every week. Freeman is still available in about 40 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Blaine Gabbert
His week was a one week wonder as well as he has not done anything to be remotely considered a fantasy football quarterback this season. Based on his preseason and how he performed against Oakland before getting hurt though, you could say he is starting to turn the corner again. As noted in the weekly wonders article it use to take a young quarterback a full year to get use to the NFL speed and play. Gabbert may be approaching that period. Keep an eye on how he keeps producing in the coming weeks.

Running Backs

Jonathan Dwyer-
Another consecutive repeat entrance from Dwyer. All the injuries to the Steelers back field has allowed for Dwyer to be the main back two weeks in a row where he has shined for 100 yard performances. After struggling tremendously to get the ground game going the first five games, Pittsburgh will now be able to factor in Dwyer once Mendenhall and Redman are healthy. His carry amount load will dwindle but the Steelers will not ignore the past two weeks.

Donald Brown
Brown is not going to be a fantasy stud each week and finish as a top fifteen back. What he can do though is provide sneaky fantasy points each week. The Colts look like they’ve decided to limit his role as a feature back, but that doesn’t mean his productivity will decline. He can produce results with twelve to fifteen carries a game while maintaining his role as a solid pass catching running back. A quality back to have stashed on your roster especially if you are in a PPR league.

Ronnie Hillman
The Broncos really like this young rookie, and they finally unveiled what Hillman can do with a double digit carry load. Albeit his performance was against the poor defense of the Saints but it still yielded strong results and positive signs. The Broncos have not shied away from being a heavy run team this season. With Knowshown Moreno still shelved on the sidlines, Hillman is going to continue to get opportunities to rush the football to spell McGahee. That may rise as the weeks carry on so the Broncos have a healthy 30 year old McGahee come playoff time.

Wide Receivers

Titus Young
Megatron was negated Sunday so Matt Stafford had to look elsewhere to make big plays. Titus Young who was questionable to play gutted it out and had a huge performance with nine catches and two touchdowns. He was on the waiver wire list last week and is still available in a wide range of leagues.

Joshua Morgan
The longer and longer Pierre Garcon sits out the more the depth of the Redskins begins to rise in the fantasy football picture. Leonard Hankerson has been to inconsistent and Santana Moss is good for a solid game once a month. Morgan seems to be the guy RG3 is leaning more and more as the weeks stretch on.

Brandon LaFell
Even amidst Cam Newton’s second year struggles, LaFell has started the year off as a solid flex and borderline number three/four fantasy wide receiver. He is on pace to finish the year near 850 yards receiving with six touchdowns, and that’s with how poor Newton has played. If Newton can snap out of his funk and throw a few more 300 yard games, LaFell could be a sleeper strong finisher to the fantasy season.

Tweet Questions to @Cimini

Quarterbacks

Russ Wilson
Wilson has now thrown for over 200 yards in three of his last four games, after not being able to do it the first four games. He just isn’t ready to be a quarterback of fantasy relevancy. He has a total of ten touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. If he is not producing double digit touchdowns he is surely going to offset his numbers with interceptions.

Blaine Gabbert
Gabbert and the Jaguars have played two solid games in a row. One against the Raiders Gabbert could not finish due to injury or they may have won at Oakland by double digits. Gabbert may be one of those old fashioned young quarterbacks that needs a year or two under center before true growth happens. He has had flashes and this game is another. Wait for a string of quality games before picking Gabbert up.

Running Backs

Donald Brown

Brown’s return from injury did not mean he would get the near full load of carries like he did prior. Indianapolis spread the carries out just about even with Vick Ballard and Brown. Brown has shown he can not handle a majority of the load. Maybe this will boost his yards per carry and effectiveness in a Felix Jones type of way.

Ronnie Brown
Some games defenses are just able to master a plan against an opposing quarterback. That’s exactly what the Browns did Sunday against Philip Rivers. Rivers is the type of quarterback that likes to take risks anyways, but must have had the Broncos game still in the back of his head. Instead of gunning the football in tight spots he settle for check down throws to Ronnie Brown. Fifteen fantasy points for Ronnie Brown as a pass catching running back will not happen again this season.

Wide Receivers

Cecil Shorts

It’s clear that Shorts has developed into the Jaguars number one receiver, but for how long? As the season stretches past the mid point you have to believe Justin Blackmon will come on eventually. Give Shorts credit though as he fought his way up the roster past Laurent Robinson and has been fairly consistent even when Gabbert was struggling.

Jason Witten
During Tony Romo’s interception fest first half, someone telephoned down to him to stop throwing the ball so much to Dez Bryant when you have sure handed Jason Witten. Romo may have got the advice late but he made sure Jason Witten had about four games worth of catches. Eighteen catches is unheard of from even a wide receiver. Witten has fought off a few injuries this season and likely will re-shift to the first option for Romo to safeguard his throws. But 18 catches is definitely a one week wonder stat.