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.
No comments:
Post a Comment