2015 Fantasy Football: Position Battles — Quarterbacks
There is plenty to watch heading into training camp. The most intriguing part of camp is of course the position battles. It’s a whole different ball game once the pads go on later this month. There are a ton of jobs up for grabs this offseason, and they will have a major impact on the fantasy season. This article will focus on the quarterbacks.
Open Battles
Buffalo Bills
Matt Cassel, E.J. Manuel and Tyrod Taylor
The Bills along with the Texans are the most wideout open camp battles. However, the ineptitude of this QB corps is matched only by the Browns. Cassel was the heavy favorite when OTAs opened, then they watched him play. It turns out the Bills’ coaching staff found out what we already knew, he’s awful. Cassel is still considered the favorite but only by the slimmest of margins.
Manuel has apparently played very well all things considered. He’s younger, more athletic and has a lot more room to grow. It appears he is now neck-and-neck with Cassel. Regardless of who wins this job, at some point this season Manuel is going to get a shot to start. He has a much better chance to maintain the starting job between him and Cassel.
Taylor has shockingly emerged as a legitimate candidate to win this job. We have very little pro film on him, nevertheless, he was expected to be a Heisman Trophy caliber player at Virginia Tech but never really developed. He could have the athleticism to add a different dimension and be a threat in the run-heavy offense head coach Rex Ryan surely intends to deploy.
Who they should go with
Manuel is the man to go with here. The Bills used a first-round pick on him, and he has by far the most upside. He has the mobility Cassel lacks and the arm that Taylor lacks. Cassel has a noodle arm and would limit the offense, particularly Sammy Watkins. Behind their porous offensive line, he would be a sitting duck. Taylor seems like the guy to go with when all else fails and they abandon the pass, which may very well happen. Still, they shouldn’t do that Week 1.
Houston Texans
This is a true toss-up. Two former Tom Brady backups are vying for the starting job in Houston. We have seen what Hoyer’s got to offer, which is both good and bad. He has a low ceiling, nevertheless, he isn’t terrible. On the hand, Mallett has only 42 career attempts. He’s almost a complete unknown. Still, he played decently last season and he could turn out to be a very good QB.
Who they should go with
This is close but I’d go with Mallett. I like what I saw out of him in limited snaps last season and in preseason games throughout his career. He will certainly have growing pains, however, I believe he can develop into a better quarterback than Hoyer. I’m going upside here.
Philadelphia Eagles
Bradford is still hobbled by his second ACL surgery in as many seasons. This leaves the door still cracked opened for Sanchez. Sanchez reportedly has a much healthier shoulder this season, and we do not yet know what we will see out of Bradford come training camp. He’s still the heavy favorite, nevertheless, health as always with Bradford is a major question.
Who they should go with
They should go with Bradford, his upside is so far beyond Sanchez it’s ridiculous. Sanchez wasn’t that good coming out of college and Bradford has first-overall pick talent. Odds are Bradford will get hurt, but you have to at least give him that shot. Also, not starting Bradford would be Chip Kelly admitting to a major blunder, and I really don’t see him doing that. They gave up a lot for Bradford, although, they certainly intended on trading him for Marcus Mariota. Don’t forget, Tim Tebow is still lurking in the shadows. It’s not that far-fetched to believe that Bradford could get hurt, Sanchez falls on his face and it becomes Tebow time in Philly.
Cleveland Browns
Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel
Does it really even matter who the Browns go with? This passing attack has the potential to be historically bad. Miserable quarterbacks combined with nightmarishly bad pass-catchers is a recipe for disaster. We already saw last year the results of having Dwayne Bowe as your top wideout, and when you pile on Rob Housler as the starting TE tight end and things are looking bleak.
McCown is a 36-year-old journeyman QB who led the Bucs to the worst record in the league last season and is only in the league because of the six good games he had in 2013. Unfortunately that’s just about the only positive in his career. The other option is Johnny Football. When he played last season it was one of the most horrible displays I’ve ever witnessed by an NFL quarterback. He didn’t look like he belonged in the league.
Who they should go with
I mean going with McCown is just delaying the inevitable, while going with Manziel is throwing in the towel. Regardless, McCown is going to start the season under center. Spoiler alert, he’ll lose the job sooner than later.
New York Jets
Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick
The Jets are in a very similar situation as the Browns but with slightly more talented QBs and a much better supporting cast. Smith has a much higher ceiling, however, he also has a much lower basement. Smith is pretty good at best and an incomprehensibly bad pit of horror at worst. He is as mistake prone as any player in the league. Then again, he has shown some flashes of competency. Fitzpatrick can also be hard to bear, still, the Harvard grad is less likely to descend into that bottomless pit of nightmares that Smith has grown so accustomed to.
Who they should go with
You have to go with Smith Week 1, but he should be on an extremely short leash. The Jets all of a sudden have a really good defense and some decent talent on the offensive side of the ball. You can’t just let Smith run you into the ground. However, he brings a dynamic to the offense that Fitzpatrick just can’t. Fitzpatrick is in no way a playmaker of any sorts. Although it often backfires, Smith can make some things happen.
Potential mid-season changes
Chicago Bears
Cutler is pretty much assured to be the Bears’ starter. However, with a new regime in Chicago, Clausen could open some eyes and earn a shot later in the season should Cutler falter. Remember, Clausen did become the starting quarterback last season before quickly succumbing to injury. Very few starting QBs will be on a hotter seat than Cutler this season.
Who they should go with
They might as well stick with Cutler. While Cutler can be very bad, Clausen is worse. At least Cutler has the arm talent, as a matter of fact he is among the most talent quarterbacks in the league from a pure throwing standpoint. Unfortunately, his decision making skills are less than spectacular as is his attitude.
Cincinnati Bengals
Dalton is another guy on a very hot seat. He has certainly has his moments, including being named the AFC offensive player of the month in October of 2013 and being a multiple time Pro-Bowler (last year his Pro-Bowl selection was extremely questionable). McCarron is a proven winner and seems to have the confidence and intangibles to be a successful quarterback, although, his arm is very questionable. If Dalton doesn’t show signs of improvement in big moments, the Bengals may see what they have in McCarron.
Who they should go with
You start Dalton, but I don’t think you can win a championship with him. If he doesn’t perform well in fourth-quarter situations and in prime time games, I would at least see what you have in McCarron. This is a very possible quarterback change that could happen at some point this season. This may be Dalton’s last shot.
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