Peyton Manning Could be Out for Opener: A Couple Replacements

Who says playing through injuries takes its toll? Brett Favre did it and he played until he was 63 and a half

Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning looks to be out for the season opener (offseason neck surgery) against the Houston Texans.

It never has been important to carry a solid backup QB on your team with Manning as your starter, but that could be starting to change. I’m certainly not going to label Manning as fragile, but you might want to grab a solid backup for the first couple weeks of the season.

If you’re like the rest of the crowd that was reading up on the reports about how Manning will be ready to go for the season opener a couple weeks ago, you probably drafted some lame duck as your backup. Even better yet, you might not have even drafted a backup QB whatsoever.

I’m still not sure Manning will miss any time at all, but the fact that he might miss week one then have to shake off a year’s worth of rust, you might want another solid QB on your team. And yes, I know. You won’t sit Peyton when he gets healthy whether it be week two or whenever, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe.

If you are fortunate enough to not have drafted yet, definitely take a look at players like Matt Cassel, Eli Manning and Kevin Kolb, three players I really like this year.

With Jonathan Baldwin, Matt Cassel now has the supporting cast to make a difference. While he might never develop into a starting fantasy QB, you won’t have to reach for him and you know he will produce without leaving you hurting in the first couple weeks.

Eli Manning is a consistently underrated QB. Not many are high on him after the Giants lost Steve Smith, but he’s thrown for over 4,000 yards and 27 TDs in each of the past two years. With everyone bailing on him, something tells me he will have good value for where he falls in your draft.

If each of these guys are taken early, keep your poop in a group, you’ve still got Kevin Kolb. He will be there and he will be worth it. Trust me, Kevin Kolb has the intangibles to be an NFL QB and he also has Larry Fitzgerald. Don’t lose any sleep over having him start in week one. Besides, with Mannings toughness, he should be back by week one…

And here’s a thought: Maybe don’t draft Manning in the first place?

10 Team Standard Leagues

Alright, let’s face it. Many of you don’t have the luxury of still having your draft. You likely didn’t draft a team with Manning as your only QB. You also might not be comfortable with your backup or just want to add another arm to be on the safe side.

Hey, Kyle Orton was just named the starter. Great news for you guys if he is still on the wire

Pick up Kyle Orton. It’s likely he isn’t available, but it’s worth a gander. The guy was having a solid fantasy season last year before he was benched. If he’s there, don’t think twice.

The Titans ranked 29th in pass defense last year. That’s who Garrard gets. Granted, Garrard is a shaky option at best, but face it people, when you get in the 20s for QB rankings, it gets a bit thin. Deal with it. Garrard still has the ability to get it done against lesser defenses, so the match up is ripe for the picking.

Some fantasy experts are high on Colt McCoy. I’m not one of them. However, he does play the Bengals and if you’re on his bandwagon, snatch the kid up. If he’s going to do well against anyone, it’s going to be the Jonathan Joseph-less Bungles.

12 Team Standard League

The Cardinals just got rid of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and have an ailing Adrian Wilson. They ranked 23rd in pass defense last year. I think you know where I’m going with this. Cam Newton will likely be named starter for the 2011 opener. I’m not high on rookie QB’s, as no one should, but Newton might pull off the next one week wonder. In week one of course.

Jason Campbell is the obvious choice left here. Heck, I might pick him up if I’m in a 10 team league. Campbell has been named the starter and goes into the season with options like Louis Murphy, Derrius Heyward-Bay, breakout candidate Jacoby Ford and Darren McFadden. Pick him up and stash him on your team for the rest of the season. Could be a valuable trading chip later on in the season.

14 Team Standard League or Deeper

Forget about it. All hope is lost. The only chance you have is with the crummy backup you took in the first place. If any of the guys I have listed are available, get them right now. If not, roll with your tackling dummy you drafted.

I think Manning is going to be ready for the start of the season. It’s almost inconceivable that he would actually miss some time, but that type of situation happens. Just look at Brett Favre.

I don’t think Manning’s game play is going to take a hit by this, but it’s best to be safe and pick up a solid backup for this year. Sure couldn’t hurt.