Fantasy football Week 5: Can You Trust Drew Stanton Against the Broncos

This post comes from Justin Becker of FantasyFootballOverdose.com. You can follow him on Twitter@NBAandNFLInfo or on the Fantasy Football Overdose Google+ Page, and for more NFL Fantasy Projections visitFantasy Football Overdose.

The Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos face off in week five, both fresh off of a much needed Week 4 byes. Denver hosts the battle, though, and enters as the clear favorite.

Playing at home obviously puts a Peyton Manning-led team in the favored to win column, but Drew Stanton going on the road against the Broncos is probably a bigger reason why few will give Arizona a chance.

However, it's actually Stanton who the Cardinals have won their last two games with - both solid wins over the Giants and 49ers.

With Carson Palmer (shoulder) still dealing with a nerve issue that is starting to sound a lot more serious than initially thought, Stanton is slated to start his third straight game in week five and we could see a lot more of him going forward, as well.

But does that make him a suitable option in fantasy football?

Fantasy owners are always looking for that sneaky fantasy sleeper, that perfect matchup and that extra edge. On paper, all three points get hammered home for Stanton this week. He hasn't been amazing in his two starts, but neither defense he faced in the Giants or Niners was a necessarily favorable matchup, yet he still got the job done well enough to help Arizona win.

So, does that mean you can trust him as your starting quarterback this week? Trust is a tricky word. You probably can't actually "trust" Stanton anymore than you could have trusted Christian Ponder going into Thursday night's tilt with the Green Bay Packers.

You're probably taking about as much risk with Stanton as you would with, say, Austin Davis or Kyle Orton this week. But the matchup on paper is undoubtedly interesting. And in terms of pure upside, Stanton just might be worth a shot to help get you out of a jam.

Bye weeks and injuries can make us do silly things, as Ryan Tannehill owners need to find an alternative option this week. Perhaps you had Teddy Bridgewater as your main guy or still aren't sure about using guys like Jake Locker, Brian Hoyer or the aforementioned Orton and Davis.

If you're in a situation like that, it's bad enough that you don't want to have to worry about whether or not Stanton is the right call.

Saying with complete confidence that Stanton will go off this week is something that can't be done. But he has decent odds.

After all, Denver has been abysmal on defense. Alex Smith posted solid numbers against them, as did Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck.

That sounds pretty good on paper. So does Stanton putting up 244 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers in a win over the 49ers. That's not a weak accomplishment and he deserves a little respect for doing that.

But just as you're getting giddy about Stanton's seemingly favorable matchup this week, the Broncos are also probably licking their lips over a tasty matchup of their own. Stanton gets to face them, but they get to face Stanton.

On paper, that's a win for the Broncos, too. Needless to say, this is going to go down as one of those classic toss ups. It seems Stanton has shown us enough to get out of the bottom five of the quarterback rankings this week, but we don't want to get carried away with our confidence in him. Using someone who has shown us a bit more over a longer period of time like Mike Glennon might be a good idea. Ultimately, you can't trust Drew Stanton. He's still Drew Stanton. But if you need him, it's a fairly safe bet he won't be the worst fantasy quarterback in Week 5.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a $350,000 Fantasy Football Contest for Week 5's NFL games. It's only $10 to join and first place wins $30,000. Starts Sunday, October 5th at 1pm ET. Here's the link.

State laws prohibit residents of Arizona from playing FanDuel for money. For more info check FanDuel rules here.