Carson Palmer-Quarterback-Cincinnati Bengals
 
When it comes to prognosticating fantasy football, there exists a high probability that a writer will end up with egg on his face for making a wrong prediction many more times than he will be congratulated for making a right one.  It goes with the territory and, just as after a fight with your significant other, you acknowledge your mistake and move forward.  That’s what I’m doing with Palmer...
 
The former first overall draft pick has been rewarding those owners who took a chance on him after he spent a great deal of time dealing with serious elbow woes by producing steady, strong statistics the entire season.  He has failed to throw at least one touchdown pass in just two games this year and likely singlehandedly won Week Seven for his fantasy teams by tossing five scoring strikes against Chicago.  Best of all, he just endured a “down” game against Pittsburgh and his value took a small dip.  With upcoming games on his schedule against cupcakes Detroit, Cleveland and Kansas City, now is the time to reach out to the Palmer owner in your league.
 
Unless you’re dealing with a complete idiot, you’ll have to pay a high price for Palmer’s services.  Do it.
 
 
Jason Snelling-Running Back-Atlanta Falcons

This has nothing to do with Jason Snelling whatsoever.  And we're at
peace with that.
 
There was possibly no bigger injury news out of last week than Michael Turner’s high ankle sprain.  The guy who went no lower than the five spot in just about all fantasy drafts this past summer had just been getting into the groove and tearing up NFL defenses when he blew his tire.  There’s no telling how many weeks he’ll be lost for and how effective he’ll be when he gets back.
 
One thing that sets Turner apart from most other top running backs is the fact that he almost exclusively carries the load for the Falcons.  With Jerious Norwood struggling all season long with his own injury woes, Atlanta hasn’t had a ton of depth at the position, so the offense is used to relying on just one guy. 

 

Enter Snelling, a powerful runner who also possesses pass catching ability out of the backfield.  He has no one to challenge him for carries and, though the Falcons sport a good passing game, they are not going to abandon the run by any means.  Snelling could possibly turn into this year’s version of what LeRon McClain was to the Ravens last year.
 
He may not have a ton of great matchups left on the slate, but Snelling could be a very effective weapon for you.  
 
 
Greg Jennings- Wide Receiver- Green Bay Packers
 
There are more than a few wide receivers who have disappointed fantasy owners in a tremendous fashion this year, but a serious case could be made for Jennings as the biggest one of them all.  Fantasy players took note of the 1,292 receiving yards he accumulated last season and the combined 21 touchdowns he scored over the last two years and drafted him to be their number one guy.  Through nine games, though, he has only 38 receptions and just two touchdowns...vastly underwhelming totals for a talent of his caliber.
 
There are always reasons, though, and Jennings’ is that his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has been sacked repeatedly due to a porous offensive line and has rarely had time to throw to him downfield, instead looking for his possession guys like Donald Driver.  With tight end Jermichael Finley out of the lineup recently, the wide receiver has also been a bigger focus for defenses.  However, Finley is due back soon and the offensive line will be getting back Mark Tauscher, so this is the perfect time to strike a deal for Jennings. 
 
A golden opportunity and you’ll be kicking yourself for if you don’t take it.
 
 
 
SELL! SELL! SELL!
 
Donovan McNabb-Quarterback-Philadelphia Eagles
 
McNabb has been a nice surprise for his owners after returning from an injury that cost him two games earlier in the season.  He has averaged 267 passing yards per game since Week Five and just threw for a remarkable 450 yards last week during the loss to San Diego.  While the rest of his schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk, it doesn’t appear to be overly daunting, either.  However, there’s some excellent rationale for dumping him off at your league’s trade deadline.
 
Call it McNabb’s December Swoon if you will.  Here are two grave facts about his performances through Weeks 14-16 through the years: Since the 2001-2002 season, out of the 27 possible games, McNabb has missed nine of them and, in the games he has played in, he has exactly one in which he has thrown for more than 300 yards (a 47-17 laugher over Green Bay way back in 2004.)  You can infer a couple of things from this information: McNabb tends to get hurt later in the season and, even if he does play during your fantasy playoffs, historically, he has not been a huge producer.
 
These facts take time to dig up, though.  Find the guy in your league who is short on patience and milk this name for value.
 
 
Jamaal Charles-Running Back- Kansas City Chiefs
 
Situations arise in fantasy where a particular player who was previously unheralded can suddenly emerge and save a team’s season.  Then again, there are also those one week wonders that everyone rushes to the waiver wire to grab only to be disappointed when the guy’s perceived potential turns out to be nothing than a mirage in a vast desert of mediocrity.  How can you tell the difference, though?  Well, sometimes you can’t.  However, if you look closely, you may be able to spot some signs that will lead you in the right direction.
 
With Larry Johnson in Cincinnati and no NFL caliber running back added to the Chiefs’ roster in his place, Jamaal Charles seems like he is in a very good position to have a shot at repeating his 103 yard effort against Oakland last week.  While it’s true that Kolby Smith may not turn out to be as much of an obstacle to Charles’ workload as previously thought, he does have something much larger blocking his way.  The Chiefs will be without the services of stud wide receiver Dwayne Bowe for the next four games since he ran afoul of the NFL’s Banned Substances Policy and teams will be able to focus much more on shutting down the run.
 
Pawn Charles off now on someone who doesn’t realize how big of a deal that is.
 
 
Lee Evans-Wide Receiver- Buffalo Bills
 
Remember how Terrell Owens signing with the Bills was one of the biggest stories over the summer?  One of the subplots within that story was how the possibly future Hall of Fame receiver’s presence would affect the statistics of Lee Evans.  Well, seeing as how Owens has only hauled in 26 passes and one touchdown this season, clearly he hasn’t hurt Evans all that much.  Therefore, there must be some other reason that Evans has had about as big an impact on fantasy owners’ fortunes as the one made by the 39 year old, out of shape guy who is currently writing this column.
 
Evans has simply been dragged into the gaping pit of failure that the Bills have resided in this season, a Seventh Level of Hell for fantasy statistics.  He has recorded five games with three or fewer catches and has been plagued by laughably inconsistent quarterback play from Trent Edwards and The Harvard Kid, Ryan Fitzpatrick.  However, Evans did score twice last week and now has four touchdowns in his last four games.  Great....but, with the current train wreck that Buffalo is, there’s no guarantee he won’t be booking a ticket on the Sucktown Express again.
 
Sell him to the incurable optimist in your league.  It can be fun watching other people’s faith go down in flames.