Week 7 Waiver Wire: Think Twice Before Pursuing Carson Palmer

Look on the bright side, my fellow fantasy junkies. If you want Carson Palmer, you're not going to have to give up nearly as much for him as the Oakland Raiders did.

If you're just now joining us, Palmer was dealt from the Cincinnati Bengals to the Raiders at Tuesday's trade deadline. All it took to get him was a first-round pick in the 2012 draft and a conditional pick in the 2013 draft that will become a first-rounder if Palmer wins a playoff game.

That's exactly what the Raiders brought Palmer in to do. Sooner or later, he will be their starting quarterback.

The question on our minds, of course, is whether or not Palmer is good enough to be your starting quarterback.

To be honest, I'm kind of on the fence about the idea. Palmer has had some good years in the NFL, but his best days looked to be behind him when Palmer was struggling with the Bengals in 2009 and 2010. You would have to be a fool to chalk these struggles up to a simple need for a change of scenery.

Now that Palmer has gotten a change of scenery, there's still no knowing what the Raiders are going to get out of him. Palmer could very well look like a guy who spent the first six weeks of the 2011 season on his couch. He could also be a spectacular bust, in which case the Raiders will have thrown away two very valuable draft picks.

However, let's say Palmer isn't a bust. Even then, I have my doubts about his ability to be a reliable fantasy producer.

The reason I say this is because the Raiders do not run a pass-heavy offense. In fact, no team in the NFL runs the ball more often than the Silver and Black, and I don't think Palmer's presence is going to change that.

As such, you have to think of Palmer as just another version of Jason Campbell, albeit a version that may be slightly upgraded. Campbell was very much a fringe fantasy quarterback, and we can probably take it for granted that he was never the No. 1 option on the vast majority of fantasy teams. If Campbell wasn't good enough to earn that distinction, it stands to reason that Palmer won't be either.

All of this being said, I guess you could target worse quarterbacks to pick up than Palmer, especially if you have a bye week coming up. However, if you're expecting heaps of fantasy points upon his arrival, expect otherwise, my friend.

In other words, hope for the best, plan for the worst. The Raiders only did the first part when they made the trade to get Palmer.