Fantasy Football Week 7: Carson Palmer and Traded Players Not Worthy of Starting

Although the NFL trade deadline is never overly busy, at least when compared to the NHL, MLB and NBA, there were actually a couple high-impact deals made ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

The biggest was certainly disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer being traded to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a first-round pick and an additional conditional first-round pick. Also, the Denver Broncos traded Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to the St. Louis Rams for a sixth-rounder.

Another trade that went under the radar a bit was the Philadelphia Eagles trading backup running back Ronnie Brown to the Detroit Lions for backup running back Jerome Harrison and a seventh-round pick.

While these trades may have a big impact long-term, it will take some time for the players to get acclimated to their new surroundings.

Here are three recently traded players who should not find their way into your fantasy lineup in Week 7.

Ronnie Brown—Detroit Lions

Running back Ronnie Brown didn't play much of a role in Philadelphia as LeSean McCoy's backup, and he doesn't figure to be a big-time contributor in Detroit either with Jahvid Best atop the depth chart. After suffering a concussion last week, however, Best may be unable to play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

If that is the case, then Brown might be a hot pickup since he would be Detroit's most accomplished back, but I don't expect him to see much playing initially regardless. Both Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams may very well be in line for playing time ahead of him at this point.

Brown will also need to learn the playbook, so I don't envision him getting more than five touches this week—if that. Both Morris and Williams are already well versed in the offense, so I think head coach Jim Schwartz will lean on them if Best can't go this weekend.

Brandon Lloyd—St. Louis Rams

Brandon Lloyd really came out of nowhere last season to lead all wide receivers in fantasy points, but he was unable to work out a new contract with the Denver Broncos so Denver traded him to the St. Louis Rams on Monday.

The trade will reunite Lloyd with Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who helped make Lloyd a breakout star as Denver's head coach last season. Lloyd will be St. Louis' No. 1 receiver in all likelihood so his workload shouldn't decrease, and it might even increase in McDaniels' pass-happy offense.

While Lloyd should be solid as the season progresses, I would not start him from a fantasy perspective this week. Not only does he have to ease into his new situation, but quarterback Sam Bradford is dealing with a high ankle sprain that could very well affect his performance.

Bradford and Lloyd should eventually develop a nice rapport, but I would give it a week or two first.

Carson Palmer—Oakland Raiders

In a deal that seemed to come out of nowhere, the Oakland Raiders acquired quarterback Carson Palmer from the Cincinnati Bengals despite Bengals owner Mike Brown's insistence that Palmer wouldn't be traded. It is obvious that the return became too great for Brown to ignore, though.

Palmer hasn't played at all this season, but he figures to be Oakland's starter sooner rather than later with Jason Campbell out long-term due to a broken collarbone. It is is unclear if he will start this week, but there have been some indications that he will.

With that said, unless you have absolutely no other options at quarterback, having Palmer in your starting fantasy lineup this week would be a massive mistake. Not only hasn't Palmer played since last season, but he didn't even go through training camp this year—plus he needs to learn a completely new playbook.

Because of that, it's best to temper your expectations for Palmer out of the gates.