Week 14 Fantasy Mailbag Q&A: Carson Palmer’s Loss Is Bengals Gain
Q: What’s the deal on Carson Palmer? Is there any hope he’ll put up respectable numbers in the next couple of weeks? - George K.
A: To answer this question, complicated as it might be, you have to understand several things. Dating back to the last offseason, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis preached that this offense will be undergo several changes; a physical team that will emphasize a powerful rushing mentality. In 2007, when Palmer threw for a career high 4,131 yards, the Bengals passed the football on 59% of 1008 offensive snaps. True to Lewis’ word, the Bengals have passed on 49.7% of their 793 offensive snaps. Additionally, with the team’s focus on rushing the football, the offensive line’s biggest strength is power blocking. Their pass protection is weaker, which causes Palmer to hurry his throws, forcing inaccurate passes on routes that haven’t developed yet. Finally, the loss of T.J. Houshmandzadeh has hurt the passing offense, primarily because his routes and awareness of what the defense was trying to do benefited Palmer as an outlet receiver; very similar to how Wes Welker is used in New England.
It’s not that Palmer is struggling because he’s lacking talent or confidence. Cincinnati simply has such a focus on the rushing offense that the passing offense has turned into a compliment rather than the main philosophy we all knew from the Bengals from 2004-2007. Two of the Bengals next four opponents have passing defenses ranked in the top ten. Don’t expect Palmer to have a passing day that we’ve been customary to seeing in previous seasons of his career.
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Q: The Redskins had an explosion in passing offense last week. Was that a one-game mirage, or could they put up more big numbers over the next few games? - James M.
A: It’s not a one game mirage. The Redskins play-calling has definitely improved the last five weeks since Zorn was stripped of play-calling and Sherman Lewis took over. There are so many contributing factors though, so it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is. The addition of Levi Jones has given Jason Campbell reliable protection for his back. The young WRs, specifically Fred Davis and Devin Thomas, are playing at a higher level. Sherman Lewis has been dialing up more 3-step drop passes, which gets the balls in the WRs hands faster. Portis has been out for 4 straight games now and the backups have shown some explosiveness missing from Washington’s run game for 2 years. The offensive line certainly deserves some credit for that. I’m not ready to say the Redskins will put up 30 in Oakland, but at least there is now a chance.
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Q: I played Fred Jackson last week and regretted it, is he a good play this week, or is Lynch going to steal the points again? - Adam H.
A: Fred Jackson picked up 76 yards on 11 touches as the change-of-pace back to Marshawn Lynch in a Week 12 win over Kansas City in 2008. The Chiefs haven’t gotten better defensively, and now, Lynch is playing second fiddle to Jackson. Marshawn might sneak in a touchdown like he did against the Jets, but Jackson is in line for a 20-touch day, and should at the very least put up respectable yardage totals.
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Q: Kenny Britt has been hot. Any reason to think that will not continue over the next few weeks? Roger W.
A: Not at all. Kenny Britt has been Vince Young’s favorite target since he re-entered the starting line-up. Those two obviously established a rhythm in training camp when both were working with the second team. Britt is the perfect type of receiver for VY- big target that can make plays down the field as well as catch balls that are a little off the mark.
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