By Dan O’Shea
A handful of second-string and third-string QBs got that chance to start in Week 15, and three of them – Tim Tebow, Rex Grossman and Matt Flynn – made strong impressions.
Grossman, the former Bears QB, had the biggest day: 322 yard passing, 4 TDs against 2 INTs, and even a two-point conversion (The Redskins lost the game, but who cares about that in fantasy football?)
Grossman was handed the starting job in Washington with the benching of Donovan McNabb and will keep it for the rest of the season.
As fantasy football managers advancing in the playoffs look for a little edge, could Grossman deliver in Week 16? Picking him up from the waiver wire should be a cinch because he’s owned only in 3% of Yahoo! leagues, and he’s facing a very beatable Jacksonville pass defense.
If you’re in a 2-QB league or a league where you can use a QB in a flex position, Grossman could be worth a look, but he’s still really only an injury replacement at best, not someone you should bench a true starter for. And, don’t bet on him having another game like Week 15.
Tebow, who had 138 yards passing, 78 yards rushing and 2 total TDs in Week 15, is probably a better bet than Grossman, going this week against a porous Houston defense.
He also may be less prone to fumbles or INTs than Grossman. Tebow is only 11% owned.
As for Flynn, he passed for a whopping 433 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs against a tough New England defense in Week 15, though he looked very indecisive at the end and basically cost Green Bay a long-shot chance to win the game. Aaron Rodgers probably will be back for Week 16, but if he’s not, Flynn could do some damage against the NY Giants. Flynn is only 3% owned.
Expert Wire
* Yahoo! Pickups of the Week likes Tebow as a strong buy for Week 16, and Grossman as a solid buy, but only in very deep leagues.
* ESPN’s Eric Karabell notes how far St. Louis QB Sam Bradford has fallen after early season performances made him a hot fantasy pick-up.
* SB Nation thinks upstart Indianapolis RB Donald Brown could come in handy this week, after what has mostly been a pretty disappointing year for a guy who had been a sleeper pick in some drafts.
* Finally, I don’t really know what Asylum is, but the site has a poll on which is the better fantasy sport, football or baseball.
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Dan O’Shea’s Fantasy Fix appears in this space every Wednesday. He welcomes your comments. You can also read his about his split sports fan personality at his Beachwood blog SwingsBothWays.
Posted on December 22, 2010