Let me just right in and provide you with three quarterbacks you should consider sitting this weekend. Two of them, Mark Sanchez and Andy Dalton, aren't QB1 options. That being said, if you are making the decision to sit your starter due to elite competition, don't look in their direction.
Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
If you are starting Sanchez on a consistent basis this season, you are definitely in trouble with your fantasy team. He simply isn’t a good quarterback and will not provide you with the necessary points from this position.
That being said, he has been considered a viable stopgap QB2 option in standard leagues. Someone that you start when your QB1 is either on a bye or going up against a strong pass defense.
Don’t do that this week.
Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, among others, are going to have a field day putting pressure on Sanchez, who will be a sitting duck behind a lackluster offensive line.
Most common football fans understand that Sanchez doesn’t handle pressure all too well and can be forced into making dumb mistakes. In short, I just don’t see Sanchez putting up any solid fantasy numbers in week one.
Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
Manning is the starting quarterback on one of my fantasy teams, but I don’t plan on starting him this week. What people fail to realize is that the Pittsburgh Steelers had the best pass defense in the National Football League last season, statistically speaking.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback will put up a lot of fantasy points with his new team, but it won’t be on opening weekend. Instead, Denver is going to have to rely on the ground game here.
I can easily envision a close game where Manning fails to reach 250 passing yards and only throws a single touchdown. One thing is for sure. This will not be a high-scoring game.
For what it is worth, I am starting Alex Smith over Manning this week.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Going up against the Ravens defense in Baltimore is no easy task for a quarterback. Doing so in the season opener cannot be considered a win-win by fantasy standards. Instead, there is a strong possibility that Dalton isn’t able to put up numbers that equate to fantasy football.
Instead, Cincinnati is going to look to control the clock and keep Ray Rice and Co. off the field. They will attempt to get the run game going with BenJarvus Green-Ellis. While that might not be a successful philosophy, I see no reason to believe that Cincinnati is going to have consistent success through the air. Sure, A.J. Green may find seams on the outside, but that won’t be enough.
In order for Cincinnati to pull this game out they have to play the time of possession game. This means going a bit conservative with the game plan and relying on the run.