Drew Stanton's Fantasy Outlook After Carson Palmer's Injury

Arizona Cardinals backup quarterback Drew Stanton is the next man up for his team and could attract plenty of fantasy football owners after starter Carson Palmer went down with an injury during Sunday's 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.  

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said Palmer was in concussion protocol after the game, per Around the NFL.

After a 2015 season in which the Cardinals' aerial attack was among the best in the NFL, many fantasy owners chose Palmer to be their headlining quarterback in 2016. 

The 36-year-old was one of the best signal-callers in fantasy football last season, compiling 300 total points, which ranked fifth among all arms in the NFL. He threw for a career-high 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns in a Cardinals offense that featured a big trio of wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown. 

Through four games this season, Palmer has recorded 1,150 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.

Now all eyes are on Stanton, who has started just 12 games in his previous six years in the league. Eight of them came with the Cardinals in 2014 when he went 5-3 with 1,711 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

But for those who want to take a chance on Stanton, don't expect Palmer-like fantasy numbers from him. 

In his six NFL seasons entering Sunday, Stanton has recorded 166.6 fantasy points in total, almost 144 points fewer than Palmer had in 2015, via Pro-Football-Reference.

However, given his embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position, Stanton could see career numbers during a starting stint. But fantasy owners shouldn't rush into naming him their starter even if they're desperate for a replacement for Palmer. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.