The Facts: Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer left in the first quarter of Sunday's Week 16 game against the Carolina Panthers. Palmer took a shot in the lower back with the helmet of Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy after he was flushed out of the pocket, rolled to the right and was about to set up a throw. Hardy received a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness for leading with his helmet. Palmer went to the locker room for X-rays, returned to the sideline toward the end of the first half where he attempted to throw a few passes before heading to the locker room again. The Raiders ruled out Palmer for the rest of the game with a rib injury. Matt Leinart replaced Palmer under center. He completed 16-of-32 passes for 116 yards and a pick as Oakland fell to Carolina 17-6.

Diehards Line:Palmer was 3-for-3 for 31 yards before being laid out by Hardy. Oakland appears to be in evaluation mode and had been using Terrelle Pryor in a timeshare with Palmer, though it was his former USC teammate Leinart who filled in. We'll keep you posted on Palmer's condition as more information becomes available, though suffice it to say, you're better off staying far, far away from the Oakland passing game if your fantasy league plays through Week 17.