Johnny Manziel will get the start for the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. It is a piece of news that has NFL fans excited to see what the second-year quarterback out of Texas A&M can do. He has been sitting behind Josh McCown all season long, but his last start earlier this year ended in a big win and a good game from Manziel.
Going up against the Bengals’ defense isn’t going to be easy, although Cincinnati hasn’t been quite as good as the talent on their roster would suggest they should be.
Cleveland has quite a few weapons for Manziel to work with this week. They have the normal rotation of wide receivers, but running back Duke Johnson could be the X-Factor for the Browns’ offense. He has come on as a receiver out of the backfield recently and could offer Manziel a very dangerous weapon.
Now the question becomes, what kind of fantasy football projection does Manziel have for this week?
While Manziel is likely going to have a decent game, he simply shouldn’t be a starter for a one quarterback league. If you’re in a two quarterback league and you want a potential sleeper pickup, Manziel could be exactly the guy for you.
Assuming he takes care of the football and makes the smart pass like he did in his last start, Manziel should put up very solid numbers through the air. He also has the ability to impact your fantasy lineup on the ground and should have a few opportunities to get outside the pocket and use his speed and athleticism.
Fantasy football points are different in every league, but Manziel should score you around 14-15 points at least if you give him the playing time this week.
There is always a chance that he becomes a turnover machine this time around and isn’t able to make any kind of impact on the game. That is what happened last year when Manziel faced the Bengals, but he has grown as a player and as a man since then and is much more prepared for this type of a game.
Expect to see Manziel take full advantage of this opportunity to start against a division rival and come through with a solid game.
Johnny Manziel Week 9 Fantasy Football Projection: 215 Passing Yards, Two TD’s, INT, 35 Rushing Yards
