John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Vick has a complicated history with many fantasy owners. Many believed heavily in his upside, and were burned badly when he failed to achieve his potential or when he went down with an injury. There are few things worse than having a star player with so much potential destroy your fantasy season, and after that it can be hard to rekindle your trust in that player. But, take it from me, a former Vick owner, now may be the time.
In the past, Vick was a hot commodity, going early in the first round, or at least in the third or fourth. Now, he is undrafted in most leagues and rarely even discussed in terms of fantasy, but he has value because of this. Why now? Chip Kelly.
Regardless of if Kelly’s offense works, the Philadelphia Eagles will use a hurry-up offense that runs a lot of plays. In real football, running more plays is neutral; the faster a team runs plays, the more plays the opposing team gets. There isn’t a benefit unless the intent is catching the defense off-guard or with the wrong players on the field (and in some ways it can hurt a team). In fantasy, more plays means more yards, more touchdowns and more points. The system may lead to the other team scoring a lot, but in terms of fantasy, who cares?
The Kelly offense will result in more high scoring games, and thus more production from Vick. Vick is a great backup quarterback if your team does not have an elite guy, because Vick’s ceiling is so high. Worst case scenario he ends up being traded when a top player goes down and your team is better for it. He has dropped so far now that he has value again, especially as a back up, or, if you are feeling really confident in that Kelly offense, even as a starter.
Jay Cullen is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook at Jay Cullen-Rant Sports or add him on Google.
