After seeing some of the ups and down of the quarterback play Week 1 we have a better sense of which quarterbacks are in danger of going from QB1 to QB2. Being able to grasp if/when a quarterback might ride the pine rather than take snaps under center is a useful skill in 2-QB leagues.
Nobody can predict the future of course, but taking a chance on stashing someone like Mike Glennon last season, before he was named starter, helped you land a QB2, without having to pay much to acquire him.
Last week this space was a general overview of the quarterback position, and which backup quarterbacks to monitor. This week we’ll get a tad more specific…
Mike Glennon
Fantasy points are what matter to fantasy owners the most, right? Josh McCown had 14.02 (standard scoring) of them on Sunday last week, finishing the week as QB19. That’s QB2 territory. Even his final stat line looked decent: 183 passing yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and 27 rushing yards.
Dig a little deeper, and you see the Bucs were losing 17-0 heading into the fourth quarter, and both of McCown’s touchdowns came in garbage time. You can’t rely on garbage time points every week. Yes, playing against the Panthers isn’t an ideal position to be in for a quarterback, in real life and in fantasy, but McCown’s decision making didn’t inspire much confidence…
https://vine.co/v/Oz7eFVYauBd
After McCown sails another second-quarter incompletion, the boos begin in TB. They already want Glennon.
— robertklemko (@RobertKlemko) September 7, 2014
We knew going into the McCown-Bucs relationship there’d be no Trestman quarterback whispering going on. Statman Crothers Rich Hribar noted in his Fantasy Football Week 2 Worksheet that McCown threw two interceptions on 35 pass attempts in Week 1 of 2014, but threw only one interception on 224 attempts all of last season.
There’s are no signs McCown won’t turn things around and become a capable fantasy QB2 option the rest of the season, but if more performances like the one from Week 1 occur it could be #FreeMikeGlennon time Part Deux very soon.
If Glennon is still lounging around on your waiver wire now might be the time to stash him on your bench. McCown could come back with a serviceable Week 2 performance vs. St. Louis, but if he doesn’t and Glennon gets a shot to lead the offense again a mouthwatering matchup vs. the Falcons is on the docket Week 3.
Shaun Hill was freed. Then he strained his quad and was forced out of the Rams’ Week 1 game vs. Minnesota. Before the injury, Hill was 8-of-13 for 81 yards and 1 interception. His backup, Austin Davis, finished the game with a 16-of-23/192 yards/0 TDs/1 INT line.
The team has listed Hill as questionable this week, making him a game time decision. There has been no word if Davis or Keenum will be the starting quarterback if Hill can’t go, but Davis looks to have an edge, as Keenum hasn’t been with the team for all that long.
Starting Davis or Hill vs. Tampa Bay wouldn’t be the wisest move, but if Hill’s injury lingers and he misses next week as well, the Rams play the Cowboys in Week 3. Followed by a bye week and Week 5 matchup vs. Philadelphia. At least monitor the quarterback situation in St. Louis and pick up either Davis or Keenum for future QB2 streaming purposes, in case Hill doesn’t heal quickly.
The Chad Henne–Allen Hurns combo looked unstoppable at one point on Sunday, connecting on two touchdown passes to start the game. The Jags got up 14-0 on the Eagles early, thanks to those two scores. They added a second quarter field goal to lead 17-0 at the half, but eventually lost the game 34-17.
Henne’s two first quarter touchdowns wound up being the only scores of the game. His final stat line looks respectable: 266 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He even finished the week as the QB11 in standard scoring leagues.
But, fantasy points don’t matter to NFL head coaches and executives. Blowing a 17-point lead and not mustering much offense in the second half is something that does matter though. If Henne can’t produce consistently, and help the Jags win, Blake Bortles could wind up getting a shot at showing what he can do in the NFL. That’s the type of QB3 you want to stash.
In the preseason, Bortles was 32-of-51 for 521 yards, two touchdowns, and he also threw zero picks. Surely those numbers haven’t been forgotten by Jacksonville’s coaching staff.
Cam Newton is back this week, supposedly. Even with the Panthers getting their starting quarterback under center again, either rostering Anderson or keeping close tabs on him on your waiver wire should be something you consider. Especially if you own Newton in your 2-QB league.
Filling in for Newton in Week 1, Anderson went 24-of-34 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 10 yards rushing. Those numbers helped him finish the week as the ninth-highest scoring fantasy quarterback in standard leagues.
*Stats used in this article courtesy of the mind of Rich Hribar, Rotoworld, and ESPN
