Mark Sanchez

After playing in just 13 games over two seasons as the Eagles' No. 2 quarterback, Sanchez got dealt to the Broncos as an insurance policy after Peyton Manning retired and Brock Osweiler signed with the Texans. Despite rumors of interest in the likes of Colin Kaepernick, however, the only other QB that Denver added to the roster was the raw but talented Paxton Lynch in the first round of the draft. At the time, Sanchez was viewed as the default starter for Week 1, but it looks like he may lose out on that front to Trevor Siemian. While he may never live down some of his more embarrassing moments with the Jets and has never excelled at reading defenses, Sanchez does still possess some starting-caliber qualities, including a quick release and the arm strength to stretch the field. Whoever helms the Denver offense also inherits an extremely dangerous receiving duo in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, and second-year offensive coordinator Rick Dennison may be more willing to employ a vertical attack with Sanchez and co. than he was with Manning or Osweiler, given their respective limitations last season.

Sanchez enjoyed some fleeting fantasy relevance in the Chip Kelly offense once Nick Foles broke his collarbone in Week 8, taking over the Eagles offense from that point and arguably outplaying Foles. Sanchez posted a better completion percentage, yards per pass average, and touchdown percentage than Foles did in the first eight games, so he might have beaten out Foles for the starting job in 2015. But the Eagles traded Foles for Sam Bradford in March, and Sanchez will not start over Bradford. He will be Bradford's backup, though, and Bradford is a two-time veteran of the ACL tear – in consecutive seasons, moreover. If Bradford misses any time in 2015, Sanchez should have modest fantasy value in that scenario.

After enduring the critical media pressure of New York City the last five years, Sanchez should find the low-pressure role of backing up Nick Foles a welcome break in 2014, even if it's a bit humbling at the same time. As an elusive athlete, Sanchez should excel in Chip Kelly's offense if Foles should need to sit for one reason or another.

Sanchez could very well still start for the Jets in 2013, but it's hard to see him improving enough in Year 5 to be useful. In four seasons, Sanchez owns a 55.1 percent completion rate, and he's thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. The quarterback was overhyped early on because he went along for the ride when the Jets' defense carried the team to two AFC title games, and now his supporting cast on offense is likely to be even weaker.

The dubious addition of Tim Tebow to the Jets roster means even more scrutiny whenever Sanchez makes a mistake, but he’s still a likely 16-game starter for the Jets – especially after they signed him to an extension with $20.5 million guaranteed. Although he needs to cut his turnovers after committing 26 in 2011 (18 interceptions), Sanchez deserves credit for making more plays last year, throwing for 26 touchdowns and running for six more. The addition of second-round wideout Stephen Hill should be helpful in Sanchez’s quest to make plays without being reckless, as the 6-4 Georgia Tech product is even faster than Santonio Holmes and possesses a much bigger catch radius. That last year’s offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer – who seemed to hamstring Sanchez with overly conservative play calling – has been replaced by Tony Sparano can only help, too. Just keep in mind that if Tebow is installed for many of the team’s goal-line packages, it will be hard for Sanchez to put up adequate scoring numbers.

While he shows occasional flashes of brilliance, particularly in the playoffs, Sanchez’s fantasy value remains limited by his mediocre production (6.5 YPA) and the Jets’ run-heavy offense. His supporting cast from last year didn't remain intact, either, as the Jets decided to bring back Santonio Holmes, but replaced Braylon Edwards with Plaxico Burress. On the positive side, Sanchez has a good arm, moves well in the pocket and can scramble when necessary – he’s managed 100-plus rushing yards and three scores on the ground in each of his first two seasons in the league. He should also get better in Year 3, and because the Jets are committed to him, job security is not an issue.

Sanchez has a big-time NFL arm that the Jets do utilize — sixth in air yards per attempt and third in air yards per completion. However, he had a regular-season QB rating of 63 and the Jets ultimately had success when they emphasized the run. The supporting cast at the skill positions is now first-rate with Santonio Holmes to support Braylon Edwards. Defenses must load up to stop the running game and thus will be forced to man up on the Jets receivers frequently, which means lots of big-play opportunities. However, the most likely outcome is that Sanchez is a true backup with significant upside only in keeper leagues.

The Jets were the big story on Draft Day with the major move up to draft Sanchez, USC’s golden boy and now the first face of the franchise since Joe Namath left town in 1977. Kellen Clemens sat all year behind Brett Favre in 2008 and struggled not too surprisingly in his one extended look as a starter during 2007. Clemens didn’t show anything during pre-draft minicamps, leading to the drafting of Sanchez, so the window is rapidly closing for him. Look at the game tape of Sanchez in the Rose Bowl, and you see complete NFL QB. He is, to quote Steve Young, “buttoned up.” He commands the pro-style offense with ease, making flawless decisions and showing quick feet, pocket awareness and an above-average NFL arm (pre-draft reviews to the contrary). Of the last 15 QBs taken in the top five the past 10 years, seven have proven to be championship-caliber, and seven have proven to be bad picks. JaMarcus Russell gets a pass, though he showed serious signs of growth last year. Sanchez’s odds are better than a figurative coin flip, perhaps climb all the way up to 60/40. That’s worth a late flyer in keeper leagues for sure. But it’s not worth a draft pick in standard one-QB, 12-team leagues. Also, the Jets are likely to play a ground-oriented, defensive-minded game where there are few chances taken no matter who’s at QB. And the receiving corps is not strong enough to aid the passer, as Jerricho Cotchery is a solid No. 2 possession type, not capable of being the focal point of the passing attack.