Anything that points to Sabag not playing the guy who he thinks would give him the best chance to win immediately is absolutely farfetched.
If you're now turning the discussion to Taulia not being the better QB in Sabag's eyes because Sabag thought he would fold under the pressure of replacing his brother, then that's a totally different discussion. That would be a "who's the better QB" element, not a "I don't want to damage Taulia's psyche" element. The only thing Sabag cares about is winning, and if he thought Taulia gave him a better chance right then to win he would have played him.