Fantasy Football Week 1: 5 QBs to Fix Your Peyton Manning Woes

Here's a hint: if you have Peyton Manning in your fantasy team's starting lineup for Week 1, take him out.

Right now.

It's nothing against Manning, mind you. It's just that the word from USA Today and a myriad of other media outlets is that he's not going to play in the Indianapolis Colts' season opener against the Houston Texans, as he is still recovering from offseason neck surgery.

So like I said, bench him. It sucks that you have to do so, but I think it goes without saying that it's totally necessary. So just stash him on the bench and plug in your backup QB until further notice.

If you don't have a backup QB, I have two things to say to you.

The first is shame on your, sir. The second is that you should read this slideshow. In it are five quarterbacks you can pick up to fill in for Manning until he's ready to come back.

5. Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins

There are only a handful of starting quarterbacks in the NFL that aren't worth owning at all. Chad Henne is one of them.

Or so it would seem. I'm seeing that Henne is only owned in 14 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and I'm willing to bet that's a pretty typical number on other sites. Clearly, nobody wants him.

But if you have Manning, you don't have the luxury of being a chooser. My advice to you is to pick Henne up and hope for the best as he and the Dolphins take on the New England Patriots on Monday night.

The good news: Henne was pretty good in the preseason, as he completed 64 percent of his passes for 446 yards in three games. In terms of preseason numbers, those are pretty good.

If all goes well against the Pats, Henne could top 200 yards passing. My guess is he'll balance a touchdown with a pair of picks. At the very least, a positive fantasy output.

4. Kerry Collins, Indianapolis Colts

If you're going to pick up a backup for Peyton Manning, how about Kerry Collins? He is, after all, Manning's backup in real life.

Because Collins was an emergency signing who's only had a couple of weeks to learn the Colts offense, I can understand if you're a little skeptical about his ability to produce. So am I.

But hey, you have to look on the bright side of things. Collins may be rusty and not quite up to speed, but he's always been the kind of guy who has at least been reliable. The Colts won't trust him to do too much, but Collins is going to have to throw the ball.

Given Collins' track record, he's not going to put up great numbers. But against the Texans, I wouldn't be surprised if Collins passed for over 200 yards with at least one touchdown. He might mix in a pick, but those are numbers that you can live with if they're coming from a backup.

3. Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

Behind closed doors, the 49ers will probably agree that Alex Smith just isn't the answer. Goodness knows they have enough evidence to come to that conclusion.

But heading into 2011, the 49ers didn't really have a choice but to bring Smith back for another go-around. And if you have Manning on your team, you may also not have a choice but to bring Smith aboard.

It's not all bad, though. After an atrocious start, Smith actually looked pretty good by the end of the preseason. Better yet, he gets to face the Seattle Seahawks at home to open the season.

The last time Smith faced the Seahawks at home, he threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns and no picks. As I recall, he was the highest-scoring quarterback in fantasy that week.

A trend? Probably not, but I would still gamble on it if I were you.

2. Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders

If there's a big Oakland Raiders fan in your league, odds are Jason Campbell is not available. Raider fans tend to be homers like that.

I know this because I am one. And yes, I have Campbell on my roster. What of it?

If Campbell is not owned in your league—and he just might be seeing as how he's owned in just 14 percent of Yahoo! leagues—don't hesitate to pick him up.

Sure, Campbell plays in a run-heavy offense, and that's going to limit his throwing opportunities. But he showed at the end of the last season and in this year's preseason that he knows how to be efficient with what throws he gets.

Against the Denver Broncos, I'd be surprised if Campbell had anything more than 25 throws. But I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he surpassed 200 yards. He'll complement those with a pair of touchdowns and no picks.

1. Rex Grossman, Washington Redskins

After much hullabaloo, Mike Shanahan finally tabbed Rex Grossman as his starting quarterback for opening day.

Thus ended the most overblown quarterback battle in NFL history.

In any case, Grossman is not a long-term fantasy solution. I'll wager that he's going to lose the starting job at some point this season to John Beck, and I don't think he'll get it back when he does.

But against the New York Giants, Grossman should do well. It's not so much that he's going to be better than advertised. It has more to do with injuries that have crippled the Giants defense.

By my count, the Giants have lost four cornerbacks, two linebackers and two defensive linemen to injuries, all of whom will miss the team's opener against the Redskins.

As such, Grossman will have a tremendous advantage. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict he'll throw for 300 yards with a pair of touchdowns.

Heck, those are the kind of numbers you would take from Peyton Manning himself.