Peyton Manning – What’s Your Backup Plan?

Death. Taxes. Peyton Manning under center gesturing frantically to his WR’s while screaming seemingly random phrases to catch the defense off guard on yet another well-timed audible. There are things in life that are considered inevitable. We just got news that one of these unquestioned certainties is no longer as certain as we all expected it to be.

The Colts have officially announced that Peyton Manning will not be available for what sounds like an awful long time. For the first time since 1998 someone other than Peyton Manning will be the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. So what does this mean for your fantasy team? Surely you picked up a quality backup with all of the preseason speculation that he could miss significant time…. Surely you didn’t just assume that he had a Schwarzenegger-esque endoskeleton or that he was incapable of suffering physical harm at the hands of mere mortals? You did? Welcome to the club my friend. And now it’s time to take a step back, assess the damage, and come up with a plan B. And if your backup plan was ex-Jaguar David Garrard (that would be me), then it’s time to move swiftly on to plan C.

Due to the nature of the injury, the timetable for Manning’s return is open-ended. Multiple media outlets have reported a 2-3 month recovery period, but even if he comes back he may not be slinging 40 yard bombs in his first game back. For those unfortunate managers who don’t have a capable backup, you’ll be either looking to trade or scouring the waiver wire for hidden gems. If you go the trade route you may find that your fellow managers are well aware of your plight, and won’t even consider giving up Colt McCoy for anything less than Maurice Jones-Drew. Make no mistake: if you try to fix your broken QB situation via trade you will not be dealing from a position of power, and that’s a very tough way to make a living.

For those of you who can’t swing a trade – let’s take a look at the waiver wire. If you are in a 10-12 team league, then about 2/3 of the league’s starting quarterbacks are already rostered. Here’s what may be at the top of the QB discard pile and their schedule for the first six weeks. After that, there should be enough season in the books that you should have a better idea of who is going to be a long-term option for you.

Alex Smith (Sea, Dal, @Cin, @Phi, TB, @Det) – On paper, he has no less than three rock-star matchups in the first six. The Cowboys were the lowest ranked defense in the league last year, and The Lions weren’t far behind at 24. The opening matchup against Seattle should be a good test for him. If he struggles, it might be time to move on to the next option. He has weapons on offense, but they never seemed to gel at any point last year. Or the year before. The new addition to the corps of Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and Frank Gore is the once-great Braylon Edwards. There’s always a chance he recaptures that 17 TD fire that we saw in Cleveland oh-so many years ago.

Colt McCoy (Cin, @Ind, Mia, Ten, Bye, @Oak) – Tough matchup against the Cincinatti in week one, but no one was hotter this preseason that McCoy. He looks like he’s grasped the Homlgren-based offense, and is a sleeper that could pay big dividends. Peyton Hillis has shown great hands out of the backfield, and there appears to be a talented group of up-and coming WR’s in Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie, and the always-electrifying Josh Cribbs. McCoy is a good buy-low candidate that may not take you to the promised land, but might be capable enough to make sure you don’t fall flat on your face before the journey even begins.

Donovan McNabb (@SD, TB, Det, @KC, Ari, @Chi) – The Bucs were great against the pass last year, but the rest of this group finished in the bottom half of the league in pass defense. He has an absolute workhorse in Adrian Peterson, but that offensive line made Brett Favre look like an old man last year. McNabb is no spring chicken either, and this is most likely be his final shot at redemption. He can still throw a pretty deep ball, but expect multiple errant throws to wide open receivers to be sprinkled in occasionally. Accuracy never was his strong suit. Although the loss of Sidney Rice hurts, there is still talent on the field for McNabb. He has a deep threat in Bernard Berrian, a playmaker in Percy Harvin, and talented TE’s in Visanthe Shiancoe and the rookie from Notre Dame, Kyle Rudolph. He is an experienced vet who seems to relish the chance to play with a chip on his shoulder. There is no bigger chip than getting benched in favor of Rex Grossman last year.

Kerry Collins (@Hou, Cle, Pit, @TB, KC, @Cin) – It wouldn’t have taken anyone by surprise if Kerry Collins and Brett Favre teamed up for a late-night infomercial on the newest line of beard color-enhancment products in the offseason. Instead he has been given the controls to a Superbowl caliber offense with several players in their prime. It doesn’t get much better than Reggie Wayne and a healthy Dallas Clark. He gets a layup in week one against Houston, but things will ratchet up fairly quickly as he plays the number one defense in the world in week three. Collins is a great add against The Texans, but if you have to start him against that Steelers Defense in week three…uh, good luck.

So what’s the final verdict? You’re probably best suited using a combination of these QB’s until the cavalry arrives, but there are some good match-ups that you can exploit in the meantime. The good news is, unless you’re in a very deep league there won’t be a ton of competition for these guys. Let’s just hope that the most recent procedure doesn’t put Manning on the shelf any longer than the minimum 2-3 months. On a positive note, you should be able to get him at a great discount (again) in next year’s fantasy draft!


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