Coming into this NFL preseason, as always, several team were undecided about their starting quarterback. But with just one week of preseason games in the books there are two battles that have already been settled, even if their coaches haven't announced it yet.
Cleveland - Quinn over Anderson. In the Browns preseason game against Green Bay each Cleveland QB threw at least one interception and none were able to put points on the board. However, Brady Quinn drove the offense into the red zone on both of his possessions while Derek Anderson's night consisted of a three-and-out and an interception. According to many sources the job was Quinn's to lose from the outset and he clearly out-performed Anderson against an aggressive Packers pass-rush. Twice on third downs Quinn found Mike Furrey for conversions and had a sure touchdown dropped by Braylon Edwards. Quinn will be the starter on opening day but his fantasy value will depend on the effectiveness of his supporting cast.
New York Jets - Sanchez over Clemens. Most people probably thought this was a forgone conclusion, but Kellen Clemens did have a legitimate chance to lead the Jets for at least one year. Clemens was efficient in his two series, completing all four of his pass attempts. He did lose a fumble on his first series but was able to set up a 33-yard chip-shot for Jay Feely on his second drive. Enter Mark Sanchez: on his first NFL snap he calmly dropped back and launched a 48-yard bomb to preseason-standout David Clowney. Three more passes and three Thomas Jones runs later the Jets had 6 points and a new star quarterback. From a fantasy perspective, expect Sanchez to resemble Joe Flacco more than Matt Ryan in a run-first ball-control offense. A serviceable backup in deep leagues but he should not be relied on as a starter just yet.
