The Sports Truth

Carson Palmer is ready to play.

With his rebuilt knee holding up in practice, the Cincinnati quarterback said Thursday that he will play in the Bengals’ next preseason game. It will mark the first time he steps on the field since the playoffs, when he suffered two torn ligaments in his left knee against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I’m going to play. Nothing’s changed. We set out this date a while back, and everything’s been on schedule and I’ve been fortunate enough to progress from day to day and week to week. So, I’ll be out there for the first time this year,” Palmer told ESPN.

Palmer is expected to start against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, when the rebuilt knee will get its biggest test yet.

Palmer hasn’t talked to coach Marvin Lewis about how much he will play. He has practiced with the starting offense in minicamp and training camp, but sat out the first two preseason games because he didn’t feel ready to give the knee its most crucial test — seeing how it holds up when he’s going full tilt.

And getting hit.

“I’ll get hit. I’ll get knocked around a little bit,” he said. “It’ll feel good because I haven’t been doing that in training camp.”

Lewis has maintained that unless Palmer plays in two preseason games, he wouldn’t be ready for the opener. Teams generally play their starters more in the third preseason game, then scale back in the final contest to avoid significant injuries. How he plays Monday will impact how much Palmer plays in the preseason finale against Indianapolis — or if he plays at all.

From a fantasy football perspective, this is a frustrating scenario. Many drafts are happening this weekend, before Palmer even lines up under center. More will be taking place next week, but with just one preseason game under his belt, can we really gauge if Palmer is fully recovered?

If healthy, he figures to be one of the top quarterbacks selected in this year’s draft. But it remains to be seen if prospective owners’ trepidation causes him to fall, which could have a serious impact on leagues.

The Truth recommends keeping a close eye on him Monday if your draft isn’t until after that. If it’s this weekend, you might want to consider some alternatives, at least in the early rounds. On a completely unrelated note, here’s another guy you should shy away from in your fantasy draft: Terrell Owens.