Peyton Manning will have to keep Brock Osweiler’s seat on the bench warm for at least one more week. The Denver Broncos announced that Osweiler will be the team’s starter for Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Manning will not be active for the contest.
That means if something were to happen to the 25-year-old Osweiler, his backup Trever Siemian would come off the bench.
Although Osweiler has had zero second-half points in his last three games, the team is not ready to go back to Manning just yet. That’s probably due to the fact that Manning was playing horrible football as the team’s starter earlier in the season.
Through seven games Osweiler has completed 129 of 214 passes for a respectable completion percentage of 60.3. He has thrown for 1436 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
I would not recommend starting Osweiler against the Bengals this week. Consider him a QB2.
Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer (concussion) has finally been cleared to practice with the team, but he has not been cleared for game action.
While it is possible Hoyer will still get cleared in time to start for the Texans when the team goes up against the Tennessee Titans this week, it doesn’t seem likely. If Hoyer is out, Brandon Weeden would get the start.
Although Weeden would have a favorable matchup, I can’t recommend starting him in your fantasy football championship game. I also wouldn’t recommend starting Hoyer, even if he does get cleared to play.
I believe the Texans will rely heavily on their running attack, led by Alfred Blue, this week. Of course DeAndre Hopkins should still be considered a WR1 and will likely grab a touchdown or two, but that doesn’t make his quarterback worth starting too.
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is calling quarterback Drew Brees day to day with a torn plantar fascia. Brees wants to finish out the season for the team and will likely get his wish.
I would consider Brees a high-end QB2 this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His injury is worrisome, but he has a great matchup this week. If he suits up, he should be in store for a big game.
In 13 games this season Brees has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 4135 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. When healthy he is still clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the league.