This week my co-worker, Jeff Krisko, suggested that starting Carson Wentz is the smart fantasy football play. While he makes some interesting points on why this is a good decision, there are plenty of reasons why Carson Wentz would probably be better off riding your bench.
Jeff points out that 21% of his fantasy football production came on two plays, but that still makes him a QB1. While this is true, there is a significant difference between the QB3 and the QB12. That’s like saying that I used to date a supermodel, but now I only date hand models. Some of what you get might be pretty, but some of what you get could get ugly really fast.
And things will get ugly for Carson Wentz really fast when you consider that the defense of the New York Giants is no joke. Last week, Matthew Stafford only threw for 122 yards with an offensive roster that is arguably more talented than the Eagles. And they did that without standout 2nd year linebacker, BJ Goodson, who lead the team in tackles in week one.
So while I am a fan of Carson Wentz, I cannot comfortably start him in week three. I prefer a quarterback with a devil-may-care attitude. I prefer a quarterback who does not fear seeing his favorite wide receiver in triple coverage, because he knows with his arm, that receiver is open. For week three, I prefer starting Jay Cutler.
In his season opener, Jay Cutler threw for 230 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. (That’s right, he didn’t turn the ball over once!) This week, he is playing the New York Jets. Through two games, the New York Jets have given up the 3rd most points to fantasy quarterbacks.
So if you want to see Jason Pierre-Paul snap off one of Carson Wentz’s fingers to add to his collection, go ahead and start him against the New York Giants. But if you want your fantasy quarterback in week three to be a man who knows that the only ball that matters is the deep ball, the Jay Cutler is the clear choice to start at quarterback.
