He was one of three players to receive an MVP vote after turning in the best season of his career, but even at 36 years old, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer can put up another monstrous season in 2016. He has one of the most -- if not the most -- high-powered offenses at his fingertips, but the difference will be the Cardinals will be better than they were last season. If that’s even imaginable.
Carson Palmer
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 4,252.1, 28.8 TDs, 16.1 INT
Over or under: I’m going to go over on both yards and touchdowns. With how much firepower the Cardinals are returning this season, it’s almost laughable not to expect Palmer to surpass this year’s projections. Arizona is returning every player who caught a pass from Palmer last season, and every player who scored an offensive touchdown. That type of continuity is unheard of in the NFL. Palmer has said this offseason that the offense is about one or two steps ahead of last year -- when it set six franchise records. Another year together in the scheme means more layers added to it, and with running backs David Johnson and Chris Johnson, and tight end Jermaine Gresham having an entire offseason to learn the scheme, there isn’t really a ceiling for what Palmer can do this season. But the key -- like the difference between Arizona winning a Super Bowl and bowing out in the wild-card round -- is Palmer staying healthy. If he plays 16 games again, he will fly by this year’s fantasy expectations.
Who else could see time: Should Palmer get hurt, next up is Drew Stanton, a capable but not exceptional backup quarterback. He can throw the deep ball well and manage the offense, but his biggest liability is whether he can guide an offense for the long term.
