The Sanchize is back! Mark Sanchez has taken his familiar seat on the waiver wire after snagging the Philadelphia Eagles starting job. With only a few weeks to go Sanchez could bring you many rewards but what is the risk of rolling with the former Jets QB?
[adinserter block=”1″]It’s a familiar theme every season. Mark Sanchez has a good game or two and he becomes the waiver wire darling of fantasy football experts around the globe. We have seen this show since 2009 but this time is different. While his colors are the same, the situation and team around him could be the missing pieces Sanchez has been looking for.
Let’s look at this realistically. You aren’t going to get a better QB off of the waiver wire this week. Your other choices are probably Josh McCown and maybe Michael Vick. Most of the good QBs are taken and there is a pretty good chance that you have a decent QB if you are in the playoff hunt. Do you really want to risk your fantasy season in Week 10 by making such a drastic change?
There are some good reasons to pick up Sanchez. He is in one of the most fantasy-friendly offenses for a QB in the NFL. Chip Kelly isn’t going to change anything for Mark Sanchez. Kelly produces the number five passing offense in the NFL. Sanchez has also never had this much talent around him, although he had a nice supporting cast his rookie season. He has never had the deep threats that the Eagles give him, and never had a receiver with the skills that Jeremy Maclin has. This situation is set up for Sanchez to succeed.
It is fun to pile one Sanchez but he had a ton of potential when he came into the NFL. He was young and I think his immaturity did him in (remember Sanchez eating hot dogs on the sidelines?). People are quick to forget that Sanchez was one game away from the Super Bowl his rookie season. I always thought the departures of Alan Faneca and Thomas Jones in Sanchez’s sophomore season really hurt him, specifically Faneca. The running game he was able to utilize was out of town and all of the pressure was on the passing game. A passing game mind you that featured selfish receivers and an offense that just never seemed to click.
There are also some good reasons not to take Sanchez. He is still new to this offense. He hasn’t had a full season in Chip’s offense and I think you are expecting a lot from a guy taking over a team in Week 10. He mentally breaks down quickly. When Sanchez is on, he is on but when he is off, he is really off. Sanchez has never been able to work himself out of a funk. His arm may not have the juice to take advantage of his new weapons.
[adinserter block=”2″]Finally it should be noted that Sanchez has a really rough schedule when the playoffs begin. He will be playing teams weeks 12-15 that rank within the top 15 defenses against fantasy QBs. He has the Titans, Cowboys twice, and the Seahawks. You probably wouldn’t play many QBs outside of your top 8 against those defenses. So if you expect to make a savvy grab with Sanchez and use him for the playoffs, you better understand that the schedule is one of the worst against fantasy QBs at a time when you need a QB you can count on. The schedule alone would have me thinking twice about Sanchez.
Was Sanchez that bad or was he overcompensating for a weak offense in New York? We will find out shortly. Whether you should get Sanchez or not entirely depends upon your needs. If you are desperate or have a guy on a bye week, you may want to take a shot with him against Carolina. Just understand you are only going to get two fantasy QB-friendly defenses with him before you run into problems. Otherwise take your shot but I would proceed with much more caution than those proclaiming Sanchez as the second coming are willing to admit.
