So, I am off to a 2-0 start, but it has been mainly because my two oppenents had worse weeks than me. My starting QB is Carson Palmer, who I have got an amazing 3 points from, in two weeks. Do the Bengals ever get out of this offensive slide, or do I start my back-up, Trent Edwards (averaging 13.5 in our leauge, over two weeks)? I hate benching my starters, but the Bengals look seriously bad...I don't know what I was thinking, believing that they would snap out of their doldrums from last season...Palmer is going up against the Giants, and Trent faces the Raiders...is it too early to pull the plug on Palmer?

How bout David Garrard?

If I were you I'd trade Palmer as soon as possible to someone who loves name players and thinks he will turn it around.

Can you get.... lets say Aaron Rodgers?

That might work if he were in commercials or had won playoff games or played for Dallas...He's just not that much of a household name and realistically nobody is giving up a box of cracker jacks for him right now and he is a terrible sell-low imo.

Admittedly I was a big fan in the preseason who looks pretty dumb right about now, but I want to see him come up small vs. a bad defense (ie Larry Johnson) before I officially hit the panic button. I got no problem with pulling him for Trent this week given the lopsided matchup discrepancy however.

As BuffO said, there's nothing wrong with starting Edwards this week and letting Palmer try to get his groove back from your bench. I'm doing the same, giving Kevin Walter the nod over Chad Johnson.

Personally I think its gotta get a little better than this in Cincy. These three guys are too talented.

The fact is Carson Palmers problems are more than a 2 game trend.

In his last 10 games played, his quarterback rating is 77.
He's averaging only 6.57 yards per pass attempt.
Last week against the Ravens, Palmer and the Bengals offense mustered only 99 yards passing; against the Titans, they added just 137.

Palmer has below a 50 percent completion rate and has no touchdowns passes and three interceptions in two games.

If you are planning on winning this year in fantasy, I'd move on to someone else.

I just mentioned Rodgers because any team that drafted him did so to use him as a backup(like me!)

I expect him to be a top 6 QB in fantasy points by years end and he will come much cheaper than those that might finish ahead of him.

Yah I listen to the espn podcast daily - Matt Berry hated him and cited the "1 TD or fewer in x of his last y games" stat a dozen times in the preseason. Maybe I should've listened. 26 TD's is pretty good for a lot of QB's. It wasn't that good by his standards. The 20 int's were of course not good and a career high. I thought it was a fluke, maybe I was wrong. The Titans game was played in 40mph win fwiw.

It just boils down to what you're going to get for him. You're not getting Rodgers unless you downgrade another position; I would guess something along the lines of Lynch ---> Maroney or Fitzgerald ----> Coles. I personally would not want to give up that much. If you disagree that's cool.

Thanks for the input gentlemen. I guess I have always been partial to Palmer, because he was my QB when I won my first big money FF title of the modern fantasy era. I am just getting the feeling that (and I shouldn't be surprised I know) that the Bengals are a lost franchise, that seems to go out of their way to make the wrong moves at the wrong times. I don't think Palmer is necessarily the problem. But, something is missing.


Let me ask you this:


Another guy in my leauge has Donovan McNabb and Jay Cutler, but is in dire need of a running back. I am thinking of offering him Palmer, and the running back of his choice for one of his two QB's. My question, of these running backs, anyone you would absolutely not trade for McNabb or Cutler:


Marshawn Lynch
Thomas Jones
Michael Turner
Ray Rice
Chris Johnson (Titans)
Fred Jackson

Thanks for your input!

Definitely wouldn't give up Lynch here, and wouldn't want to let Turner go either. Assuming you start one QB, you should be able to get something done with Chris Johnson or TJ. If the guy really plays hardball, I may consider Turner for Cutler, that doesn't seem out of the question. McNabb wouldn't be worth it imho.

Dude won't budge...he doesn't want Turner, but would take Lynch and either Turner, Thomas Jones or Chris Johnson for McNabb. I told him thanks, but no thanks...I guess, for now, I will stick with what I have.

Don't want to sound like a whiner, but playing in leauges with people like this are what makes FF suck sometimes. This guy will only be able to start one of his two QB's, and I am offering him, at least, a legit NFL starter (Palmer) as a backup, along with a starting running back, which he desperately needs, for one of his starting QBs. If I were him (and I realize I am biased) I would trade either McNabb or Cutler (McNabb seems to be the less desirable guy, I would be happy with him, cuz he looks healthy finally) for Palmer and Michael Turner or Thomas Jones, in a heartbeat...maybe he will see how stupid he is being in a week or two...of course, there is always the chance Palmer and the Bengals wake up by then...until then, it is Trent Edwards all the way!

Tex - I'd start Palmer vs. the Browns at home next week regardless of what him & Trent do today and if he stinks it up that game, hit the eject button.

This would be the question. Don't cave here and give up Lynch without getting fair value: play some hardball of your own, and show (even if its just a bluff) that you're not afraid to go at it with Edwards and Palmer. Edwards has great matchups this week and next, so he should keep the ship afloat.

After a couple of weeks of seeing McNabb's points waste away on his bench while he can't generate points from his RBs, the guy will hopefully see its in his best interest to get something done.

imo Orange, Edwards gets the start next week in a really good matchup of his own. Palmer needs to play his way back into the lineup. But yeah, if Palmer can't get it done against Cleveland buftex, then you'll know for sure you've got to make some kind of deal.

So umm, like I was sayin, go w/ Palmer @NYG.

Well, buftex Wins, with me benching Ronnie Brown for Jamal Lewis.

It was a very good day!

Sorry buddy, at least the Bills won!!!

Ironically, Trent got me 13 points (his average so far this season) and Palmer sort of broke out his slump, and would have gotten me 17 points. Maybe I am okay at QB afterall!

Thanks for helping me hash this out guys! Sometimes I just need to talk things through, to convince myself that I am doing the right thing...friggin Michael Turner, who I was dangling like a pos, got me 33 points today!

I'll take a loss anyday if the Bills win, so I can't say I'm all that mad or anything.

I spent much of the 2nd half wondering if I would've rather had the Bills or Giants in my suicide pool....
Just saw the highlights on nbc - wtf was Palmer doing at the end of regulation?

And.....a Felix Jones 60yd run. That's a great play when you have GB +3 and Romo as your FF starter.

So, the guy that I had been trying to get McNabb or Cutler from, has offered me a coutner proposal:

He gets: Reggie Wayne (WR Colts)
& Chris Johnson (RB- Titans)

I get: Donovan McNabb (QB- Eagles)
& Braylon Edwards (WR- Browns)


I am leaning towards not accepting, because Palmer seems to have woken up, for this week at least, and Wayne, one can assume will be the Colts leading receiver, though he hasn't done a ton yet. McNabb would give me a solid starting QB who appears healthy for the first time in years, and Edwards is/was a great player, if the Browns can ever turn it around. It would also give me some nice trade bate in either McNabb or Carson Palmer, perhaps to nab a better tight end, and another decent reciever. Downside is, it may make my WR core a little weaker. Here is my roster...tell me, would you make the trade?

Trent Edwards QB BUF - Starter
Marshawn Lynch RB BUF - Starter
Michael Turner RB ATL - Starter
Greg Jennings WR GNB - Starter
Reggie Wayne WR IND - Starter
Alge Crumpler TE - Starter
Ryan Longwell K MIN - Starter
Jacksonville Jaguars Def/ST - Starter

Carson Palmer QB CIN - Reserve
Ray Rice RB BAL - Reserve
Fred Jackson RB BUF - Reserve
Chris Johnson RB TEN - Reserve
Thomas Jones RB NYJ - Reserve
Kevin Curtis WR PHI - Reserve
Robert Meachem WR NOR - Reserve
Steve Smith WR NYG - Reserve
Ben Utecht TE CIN - Reserve