It's a wide receiver league, we're all just living in it. In the final stretch before fantasy playoffs begin, key wideout injuries may decide your fate. Here's three situations of note in week 12.
This summer, quarterback Matthew Stafford was a mid- to late-round pick in most fantasy football drafts, a far cry from where he was actually drafted back in 2009. For those of you who ignored his injury history and snagged him as your starter, enjoy reaping the benefits. For the rest who ended up drafting him as a backup in standard leagues and now have two elite quarterbacks, you are left with three options. You can trade Stafford, trade your other top quarterback, or keep them both. It is, after all, a long season, and Stafford’s an injury-prone player. At the very least you’ll have a solid backup and great bye week option.
I only condone trading Stafford if you have Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady, Michael Vick, or Aaron Rodgers on your team as well. If this is the case, trading Stafford is the best option, assuming you can get value for him. Stafford warrants a running back or receiver that will start on your team every week, so don’t settle for anything less. If nobody wants to make a deal, then keep your team intact and enjoy your depth at quarterback.
Trading your non-Stafford quarterback is a much bigger risk. Of the five elite quarterbacks I mentioned above, hold onto Rodgers, Brees, and Brady at all cost. With Vick and Rivers, it really comes down to what you can get in your particular league. There is undoubtedly an owner or two in your league struggling at the QB position. If you own Stafford along with either Vick or Rivers, the owner would probably be delighted to take one of them off your hands. The key is to find out which one he loves, and make him pay dearly.
Syracuse University sport management major and “fantasy guru” Kevin Hall thinks that good owners to target for a trade are those that have Ben Rothlisberger or Matt Schaub starting for their team. “Schaub is considerably less valuable without Andre Johnson and Rothlisberger’s injury on top of his poor play makes their owners the best to try to make a deal with,” explains Hall.
Of course if you decide to stick with Stafford as your QB option, keep his injury history in mind. There’s a reason he wasn’t drafted higher in fantasy leagues. Both of his first two seasons in the NFL ended early due to injury. In his rookie 2009 season he was only healthy enough to play 10 of 16 games. Last year, he took the field in just three. This year’s injury could be right around the corner, which makes trading him at peak value or keeping both quarterbacks the smart moves.
As Bleacher Report’s Ryan Campbell says, Stafford’s numbers don’t lie; he deserves to be a starter on someone’s team every week he’s healthy. So start fielding offers from the rest of your league. My guess is you will find something you like.
Michael Vick is the most fascinating player in football. Capable of earning your fantasy team 50 points in a single afternoon, he was pegged as a number one overall fantasy player by many, a position historically reserved for running backs. If you drafted him, you knew the risk that you took. Vick is a running quarterback, which makes him an injury concern as he is in constant danger of taking massive hits while he scrambles down the sidelines. Every hit would make you cringe, hoping he would shake it off and get up. You accepted this, though you may not have expected him to take this many hits so early in the season. He is untradeable; if another owner wanted him, they would have made an offer already and they’re likely steering clear after all these injuries. He is unbenchable, though he will likely hobble into every start with that dreaded “questionable” tag. You’re committed to sticking with Vick, even though he hasn’t been able to play a 4th quarter since week one. So what do you do when your fantasy superstar reminds you a little too much of The Walking Dead? Let’s try and solve the Vick dilemma.
In week two against his former team, the Falcons, Vick suffered a concussion and had to miss the final quarter of the game, leaving a large number of potential fantasy points on the table and leading to many losing fantasy weeks. In week three against division rival Giants, he missed the final quarter again, with what initial x-rays revealed to be a broken right hand (he throws with his left hand). Further testing revealed that his hand wasn’t broken, but rather severely bruised, leaving his status for the following week’s game up in the air. Of course, he did play, and finally rewarded his owners with a great fantasy performance. Still, the Eagles are 0-2 this season when Vick misses the final quarter, and his fantasy owners likely reflect that record. With his injury concerns looming every week, his he even worth starting if you have a capable backup like Stafford or Fitzpatrick? I say yes.
Vick has been under a lot pressure from opposing defenses and following the Giants game, he criticized the NFL referees for not properly protecting him. Whether that statement is true or not, I agree with Washington Post sports columnist Richard Boadu who said that calling out the refs was a great move for Vick. Regardless of whether or not the comment holds merit, refs now have no choice but to better protect him. If they don’t, it will look like what he claimed was true. As week four showed, as long as Michael Vick is starting under center, play him. He should continue to be safer than he was in the first three weeks.
