The Oakland Raiders rode their ground game to victory on Thursday against the San Diego Chargers, but they were able to stretch the field a considerable amount in spite of losing their top receiver. Jacoby Ford went down with a foot sprain after his first reception for 41 yards. While he did not return to the game, QB Carson Palmer was able to overcome the loss and put together a strong performance for the evening. Palmer completed 14 of 20 passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also lost a fumble when he was stripped from behind.
As the weeks go by, Carson Palmer is likely to get more and more comfortable in this offense. He has a host of young weapons at his disposal and is taking full advantage of them. He has running backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield. he has veteran experience in a version of Hue Jackson's offense. All things considered, this trade may not turn out so bad for the Raiders.
From a fantasy perspective, Palmer is quickly emerging as a very intriguing fantasy quarterback. He is likely going to have his share of turnovers, but he seems ready to overcome those with plenty of yards and touchdowns. It might not always be pretty, but he still has the arm to make the deep throws. His receivers have plenty of speed, so what is to stop him from becoming a consistently effective fantasy QB? The Chargers defense isn't exactly the best test, but even still, big games are big games.
Palmer should continue to improve as he spends more time in the offense. If he can get Jacoby Ford and Darren McFadden back healthy, all the better. At the very least, it will be fun to watch him chucking it deep.
For more on the Raiders, check out Silver & Black Pride.