Bengals coach Marvin Lewis today said Palmer, who will not play Sunday at Houston, could be lost for an additional week. But Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com is reporting tonight that Palmer has a “frayed” ligament in his right (throwing) elbow and probably will not play for the rest of 2008.

According to Mortensen’s report, Palmer’s injury is to a part of his ulnar collateral ligament, a condition treatable by “Tommy John” ligament-replacement surgery. Mortensen reported that Palmer wants to wait to decide if surgery is the best option.

The Bengals (0-7) have their bye week Nov. 9, and Lewis had indicated Palmer probably would be out at least until after the off week.

But Mortensen’s source said Palmer has asked the Bengals to wait “around two months” before taking any action, such as placing the quarterback on injured reserve. Palmer has not played since Oct..5 after injuring his arm Sept. 21 against the New York Giants.

Today, Lewis said Palmer would play “whenever he gets the green light. He wants to play.” Neither the team nor Palmer has talked specifically about Palmer’s injury or treatment plan.

According to Mortensen’s report, Palmer is bothered less by pain than by a loss of strength in his right hand, which makes it harder to throw. His injury is not believed to be as serious as those suffered by Carolina’s Jake Delhomme and former NFL journeyman Rob Johnson, which would allow Palmer more time before deciding whether to have surgery.

Source: Cincinnati.com

The biggest surprise of the week had to be the New Orleans Saints defense holding super stud Adrian Peterson to just 32 yards, and still losing the game.  Well that is what makes fantasy football so interesting. 

So once again, here are the best fantasy football players of week 5.

Best Offensive Player - Aaron Rogers, QB, Green Bay Packers
Despite an injured shoulder Brett Favre’s replacement had another solid game, completing 25 passes for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns.  The big negative for Rogers and the Packers was that they lost at home to a team that they should have beat.   The fact that he was a game time decision also meant that many fantasy mangers might have had this guy on the bench for this game.

Honorable mention: Brandon Jacobs, RB, New York Giants.

Best Offensive Rookie - Steve Slaton, RB, Houston Texans
Rookie runner Steve Slaton from West Virginia is looking like one of the biggest steals of draft. Slaton had 16 carries for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns in week 5.  It seem like every week a different rookie running back is putting up big numbers, which suggests  that this could be one of the best draft classes to come along in years. 

Honorable mention: Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys.

Best Defensive Player – Antoine Winfield, DB, Minnesota Vikings.
Winfield was a big reason for the Vikings victory against the Saints on Monday night, so was Ed Hochuli, but that is another story.  He had 8 total tackles 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 touchdown.  Winfield has always been known as one of the best cornerbacks in the league and he is on pace to have a terrific season.

Honorable mention: LaMarr Woodley, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers.

Best Defensive Rookie -  Keith Rivers, LB, Cincinnati Bengals.
Yet another slow week for the NFL’s defensive rookie means rookie LB Keith Rivers earns the award this week.  In his best game as a pro Rivers accumulated 2 tackles, 1interception and 1 forced fumble, in a losing cause.  Rives was a first round selection by the Bengals and is from the University of Southern California, it’s a good thing that his team had a lot of victories in College.

Honorable mention: Marcus Harrison, DT, Chicago Bears.

Remember to check back next week for the best fantasy football players of week 6.

Oddsmakers currently have the Cowboys listed as 17½-point favorites versus the Bengals, while the game’s total is sitting at 44.

The Bengals lost to Cleveland 20-12 as a 3.5-point favorite in Week 4. The combined score fell UNDER the posted over/under total (44.5).

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 156 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions for Cincinnati, while T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught six passes for 50 yards.

The Cowboys lost to Washington 26-24 as an 11-point underdog in Week 4. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (46).

Tony Romo passed for 300 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for Dallas, while Jason Witten caught seven passes for 90 yards with a touchdown.

Current streak:
Cincinnati has lost 4 straight games.

Team records:
Cincinnati: 0-4 SU, 1-3 ATS
Dallas: 3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS

Cincinnati most recently:
When playing in October are 3-7
When playing on turf are 4-6
After being outgained are 4-6
When playing outside the division are 4-6

Dallas most recently:
When playing in October are 6-4
When playing on turf are 7-3
After being outgained are 5-5
When playing outside the division are 9-1

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Cincinnati’s last 10 games
Cincinnati is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 7 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas’s last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas’s last 7 games when playing Cincinnati
Dallas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Cincinnati

Next up:
Cincinnati at NY Jets, Sunday, October 12
Dallas at Arizona, Sunday, October 12

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