Carson Palmer provides another very safe floor at the quarterback position in Week 6, squaring up against the 16th ranked Steelers' passing defense. Palmer's been lights out this season, leading the NFL in touchdown passes with 13. In terms of Passing NEP, Palmer's 63.68 points above expectation are good for third in the league. Moreover, he's been incredibly efficient, ranking third in the league in terms of Passing NEP per drop back.
While the game against the Steelers isn't projected to be a blowout by Vegas with only a 44.5 over/under, the 3.5-point spread indicates that Vegas expects the Cardinals to score 24 points, which would typically be the result of 3 touchdowns and a field goal. With 65% of the teams offensive touchdowns coming via the pass, 2 touchdowns from Palmer seems imminently reasonable.
But if the recent past is any indication, the Cardinals have zero problem with putting the gas pedal to the floor even if they grab an early lead (very possible with Michael Vick at the helm for the Steelers), having beaten three of their five opponents by 25 points or more and scoring over 40 points in three games. So game-script issues, though not expected by Vegas, aren't really a major concern even if the Cardinals do look like they'll win the game early on.
The good thing about Palmer is that there still seems to be some lingering disconnect that prevents algorithms from pricing him as the stud quarterback he is. At $1,000 cheaper than Brady, Palmer may be a safe ticket to allowing you to incorporate a stud wide receiver or an extra stud running back in your cash game lineups.