Fantasy Football Truths
The Broncos are back, or at least your fantasy team with Tim Tebow
I am jumping on the Tim Tebow bandwagon this week. This has nothing to do with any religious implications. It actually has to do with greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins if I recall those catechism classes correctly.
You see, I want him to help me win my fantasy football leagues.
There has been endless debate about Tebow’s qualifications as an NFL quarterback. Not to go all Moneyball on you here, but I couldn’t give a flying fig what all the scouts say. All I’m concerned about are the stats that the man puts up. So far, the evidence is good.
First of all, his passing stats, while they’re not Tom Brady quality, haven’t been all that bad. Last year he had a 300-yard game in one of his starts, and he has thrown at least one touchdown in each of the four games in which he received significant playing time. I don’t care if Tebow sidearms, underhands, or drop kicks it to an open receiver in the end zone, as long as it gets me points.
In addition, he likes to throw the ball downfield. While that mighty garner a few more interceptions than you might desire, it also gets solid yardage even with relatively few completions. Add that to his rushing yards, and you’ve really got something.
I don’t care if Tebow sidearms, underhands, or drop kicks it to an open receiver in the end zone, as long as it gets me points.
Ah, those rushing yards. That’s where Tebow is going to earn his fantasy money. Simple math shows how much a running quarterback is worth. There’s a reason why Michael Vick averaged more points per game than anybody a year ago, and why Cam Newton has immediately vaulted near the top of the quarterback standings. It’s like having another starter in your lineup when your QB is a good runner.
Most leagues value rushing yards and touchdowns higher than passing yards and touchdowns to keep quarterbacks from being too important in the grand scheme of things. Running quarterbacks actually throw a wrench into this thinking, because the scoring systems allow them to amass almost cartoonish points. Take, for example, Vick against the Redskins a year ago or Aaron Rodgers adding two rushing scores to his four through the air a few weeks back against Denver.
If you start a guy who has a week like that, you’re going to win, no matter what the rest of your lineup does.
Now consider the fact that Denver’s schedule the rest of the year isn’t all that daunting. Although three of the Broncos' next four games are on the road, they’re against defenses susceptible to the pass (Miami, Oakland and Kansas City.) Three of the last four games of the season are in the Mile High City, which means that Tebow could be grooving on the home crowds come fantasy playoff time.
Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not saying that Tebow should immediately ascend to QB1 status. But as a risk-reward play, he’s a no-brainer.
Drop some fifth running back taking up space at the end of your roster and pick him up now. At worst, he’s good depth; at best, he becomes a viable option if the position has been a weak point for you. For example, I’ve got Matt Schaub and Ben Roethlisberger muddling through as my starters in one league. Tim Terrific immediately gets consideration as a starter in that scenario if I can get him off the wire.
Always remember that fantasy football and the real thing are two different entities. Stats are the end-all, be-all for fantasy players, so don’t be worried about taking a quarterback who doesn’t throw bullets. Jay Cutler has a stronger arm than probably 90 percent of the quarterbacks in the league, yet, at best, he’s a so-so QB2.
So join me and take the Tim Tebow plunge. If nothing else, it will be a lot of fun watching him scrambling around trying to make a big play. When those big plays start coming in droves, well, you can thank me later.