Well, it was fun while it lasted. Brian Hoyer has been named the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Hoyer was benched in favor of rookie Johnny Manziel in last week's 26-10 loss to the Bills, which was what raised this "controversy" in the first place. Hoyer has guided the Browns to a 7-5 record, completing 56.2 percent of his passes for 3,056 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season, so one can see why the Browns turned to the veteran. The reason Hoyer's starting spot was in question was because six of those 10 interceptions had come in the last three games.
Hoyer's matchup against the Colts, and more importantly Josh Gordon's, will be dependent on if Vontae Davis is able to return from a concussion in time for the game. The Colts have been tough on opposing signal-callers with Davis in the lineup, while their two worst games (Pittsburgh, Washington) came when Davis was sidelined for significant amounts of time. Keep an eye on Davis' status if you're hoping to play Hoyer or Gordon this week.
And now to address the elephant in the room: What do you do with Manziel? Well, if you made a move for him on the waiver wire this week don't hit the eject button just yet. The Browns could still change their mind before the end of the season if Hoyer continues to regress. They take on Cincinnati next week in a tough matchup, but after that they face the porous Carolina Panthers defense in Week 16, i.e. the fantasy championships. If Hoyer gets benched again, or the Browns fall out of playoff contention and decide to give Manziel the experience, he could be a sneaky start to help you bring home a fantasy title. So keep him stashed on your bench if at all possible.
-- Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexGelhar
