Week 5 Start Em Sit Em: Why It's Time to Start Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez looked awful in his last start. He was beaten, battered and confused—and I want you to start him in Week 5. 

That is a notion that shouldn't sit well with most fantasy football owners. If you consider that last outing of the Sanchize, you would want to shelve him for the entirety of the season. 

In Yahoo leagues, Sanchez scored a -4 in his game against the Baltimore Ravens.

There is, as they say, nowhere to go but up, though.

Sanchez was 11-of-35 for 119 yards and an interception on Sunday night, but the fumbles he lost are what really cost him and the fantasy owners that took a chance on him. Sanchez and the offensive line were out of sync, and that is an understatement. 

Better days are on the way though, and there are two reasons you should feel confident as you start Sanchez on Sunday against the New England Patriots. 

1. Nick Mangold

The New York Jets are powered by one man, and his name is Nick Mangold. The loss of the star center crumbled New York's pass protection, derailed its running game and caused confusion all at once. 

The New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that Mangold will play on Sunday.

(At least, that is what head coach Rex Ryan expects to happen.)

The Jets were lost under center Sunday. Neither the line nor Sanchez could get on the same page, and it caused some embarrassing moments.

That is all a distant memory now. 

2. The Patriots

If you want to put a horrible game past you, you couldn't ask for a better defense to help that cause—the Patriots have the worst secondary in the NFL. 

They give up an average of 368.8 yards per game through the air, good for dead last in the league. Jason Campbell went off for 344 yards on them in Week 4, and Ryan Fitzpatrick had similar results the week before. 

Both quarterbacks suffered interceptions at the hands of the Patriots, but that will hardly be your concern as Sanchez nets more than 300 yards and a couple scores. 

The Patriots are a forgiving defense. That fact, with the return of Mangold, should have you running to put Sanchez in this weekend.