FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 12

Carson Palmer

FanDuel Salary: $8,100
numberFire Projected Points: 22.07

Carson Palmer has become about as safe of a quarterback as you can possibly roster for your cash game lineups in 2015. Having not scored fewerthan 16.98 FanDuel points in a single game, Palmer has provided a reliable floor in each game this season. And this weekend he gets to square up against the 49ers' butter-soft 30th-ranked pass defense. I'll take that.

While some might be turned off due to the 10.5-point spread in the Cardinals' favor, I’m not, and here's why. First, Palmer's efficiency is through the roof this season. Currently, Palmer sports a 0.35 Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back, highest in the league among starting quarterbacks. That essentially means that every three times he's dropped back to pass this season he's added a point above his team's expectation level. As Larry David would say, that's pretty, pretty, pretty good. So even if the Cardinals jump out to an early lead, it'll likely be because Palmer's doing big boy work.

I also took a look at how the Cardinals operate their offense when they've had big leads this season. The results are even more encouraging. Of the 31 teams who have led by 10 points at any point this season, the Cardinals still pass at the 10th highest rate (45%). And of the 27 teams who have led by 17 or more points, they still pass at the 12th highest rate (44%). In other words, the numbers show that Bruce Arians isn't afraid to continue letting Palmer hit the gas pedal, even when the team's win is more or less secure.

Roster Palmer for his safe floor as well as his upside in both cash and tournament lineups. It's unlikely he will disappoint.