Five Sleeper Fantasy Quarterbacks

Kyle Ballinger by Contributor Written on August 21, 2009

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Some people don't worry about their starting quarterbacks. With guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers on the board, Why would you worry about who to pick? Either way those guys will perform

But what about your backups? You have to go more in-depth with your draft. Do you go for guys like Kyle Orton or Eli Manning?

I am going to show you five guys that you should definitely look at for your backup quarterbacks.

5. Chad Henne

MIAMI - AUGUST 17:  Quarterback Chad Henne #7 of the Miami Dolphins throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during a preseason game at Landshark Stadium on August 17, 2009 in Miami, Florida.  (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

At No. 5 on our countdown is the former Wolverine, Chad Henne. Chad Henne is not even ranked on the top 35 quarterbacks for espn.com and he is entering his second season.

Although Chad did not produce many stats last year, going just 7 for 12, he did have a pretty good first pre-season game and Chad Pennington is a very inconsistant quarterback.

In their first pre-season game, Henne went 7 for 11 with 94 yards and one touchdown and one interception. While Pennington went just 4 for 7 with just 38 yards.

Pennington stumbles a lot and never has two good years in a row. Expect Henne to get a lot more throws than last year.

4. Trent Edwards

ORCHARD PARK, NY - AUGUST 15: Trent Edwards #5  of the Buffalo Bills readies to throw against the Chicago Bears on August 15, 2009 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.  (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

At number four is the Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards. Trent is entering his third season from Stanford and is the 19th ranked quarterback on espn.com.

Last year Trent threw for 2,699 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions wiat a 7.2 yards per throw average. He went 245 for 374 and had a 65.5 completion percentage

This year, Trent will have even more weapons with Lee Evans, Marshawn Lynch after his suspension, and newly acquired Terrell Owens.

Terrell leads the league in touchdowns in the last three seasons with 38 touchdowns. Trust me, at least 25 touchdowns and 3,000 yards for Trent.

3. Jake Delhomme

CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 10:  Quarterback Jake Delhomme #17 of the Carolina Panthers looks to pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 10, 2009 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by

Coming in at number three is the Panther Jake Delhomme. Jake is ranked 20th on espn.com and is entering his 11th season out of Louisiana-Lafayette.

Although Jake stumbled in the playoffs, he had a pretty good regular season. Jake threw for 3,288 yards with 15 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 7.9 yards per throw average.

Steve Smith went down in practice with a shoulder injury, but he is already back and playing.

Expect him to target his star receiver Steve Smith and his veteran receiver Mushin Muhammad for a 30 touchdown season and an 11-5 record.

2. Byron Leftwich

NASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 15:  Byron Leftwich #7 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks to throw downfield against the Tennessee Titans during a preseason NFL game at LP Field on August 15, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans beat the Buccaneers 27-20. (Phot

At No. 2 on our countdown is The Buccaneer and former Jaguar star Byron Leftwich. Byron is not ranked in the top 35 quarterbacks on espn.com, but for some reason, Luke McCown is.

A lot of people were predicting for Luke to start for the Buccs. But then they signed Byron, and for good reason. In the last 5 years, Byron has started 33 games, while Luke has only started seven.

In the first pre-season game (a loss to the Titans), McCown went 4 for 8 with ninteen yards while Byron went 6 for 14 with 61 yards and a touchdown.

Don't expect top tier numbers from this former fantasy stud, but expect some nice fantasy backup numbers.

1. Mark Sanchez

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 14:  Mark Sanchez #6 of the New York Jets throws a pass against the St. Louis Rams during their preseason game at Giants Stadium on August 14, 2009  in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Coming in at No. 1 on our countdown is the former Trojan, Mark Sanchez. Mark is listed as the 33rd quarterback on espn.com, but he has really shined this pre-season.

Mark's competition was set to be Kellen Clemens, who went 4 for 4 with just 28 yards while the rookie Mark went 3 for 4 with 88 yards.

Plus, he had a 48 yard pass to David Clowney in the first throw of his NFL career!

Expect big numbers for this rookie. At least 17 touchdowns and at least 2,600 yards. With Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller to his exposure, I can't see how he can have a bad year!

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written on August 21, 2009 Rankings/List

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