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For all of his early-career struggles and controversy, Johnny Manziel has always been an intriguing player when it comes to fantasy football simply due to his athleticism.
Dual-threat quarterbacks are of interest in fantasy because their ability to tuck the ball and run increases both their floor and their ceiling. So, even though Johnny Fantasy Football has just one passing touchdown and three interceptions on 59 career attempts, he should definitely be on the radar in fantasy circles.
Especially now that he has been confirmed the starter for Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.
Taking over for a concussed Josh McCown last week, Manziel showed off both his good and bad traits. Playing against a very stout Jets defense, he ran for 35 yards, had another 42 called back by two penalties and threw for 182 yards and his first career touchdown:
Manziel with the TD pass to Travis Benjamin. #BrownsVsJets t.co/LmNu0BcQPp
The bad, though, saw him take three sacks and commit three turnovers (one interception, two fumbles lost).
Against the Titans on Sunday, Manziel is likely to provide more up-and-down production. His athleticism will allow him to make some big plays, but with former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau likely bringing the heat, and a terrific pass-rushing corps led by Brian Orakpo, Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan, the Titans should be able to force Manziel into plenty of mistakes. Game flow won’t help him much, either, as oddsmakers project this as a close, low-scoring game, so the Browns figure to lean on the running attack.
In season-long leagues, it’s too difficult to trust the second-year QB as a starting option against the Titans, but his upside makes him worth owning in two-quarterback leagues or leagues with deep benches.
In daily leagues, he costs a cheap $5,200 for DraftKings’ millionaire maker contest. That makes for an intriguing roll of the dice, but again, it’s probably best to play a wait-and-see approach. If he wins the job, a Week 3 matchup against the Oakland Raiders will be extremely enticing.
Week 2 Prediction: 175 passing yards, 55 rushing yards, 1 passing TD, 2 interceptions
