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There are a ton of things in life that are expected and impossible to avoid. People need food in order to survive, water is wet and, of course, Michael Vick gets hurt.
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A lot.
And while he was off to a strong start to the season, many fantasy owners were sitting, waiting for Vick to be sidelined. Then, it happened, so hopefully you prepared. After getting off to a strong start in Week 5 against the Giants, Vick ran for a first down, but when he lunged out of bounds, he immediately grabbed the back of his hamstring. He didn’t come back into the game, and Eagles fans knew that the time had come.
The time of Nick Foles.
The sophomore quarterback filled in admirably for Vick in this game, throwing for 197 yards and two touchdowns in just one half of football. And with Vick unable to suit up for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers, Foles filled in again, this time, more than admirably. Foles was a top fantasy signal caller this week, throwing for 296 yards and three scores, while also running for a touchdown on a quarterback draw. He made all of the throws, didn’t turn the ball over, and even provided a presence with his legs. Keep in mind that he performed extremely well against a very tough Tampa Bay defense. Foles has always showed signs of a starting caliber NFL quarterback. After all, he did almost beat out Vick for the starting job during camp. But now, Foles has the opportunity to take over this job for the foreseeable future, and fantasy owners need to go get this guy, at least for the short term.
Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur stated that Foles will remain under center until Vick is 100 percent healthy, and knowing Vick, that could be a few weeks. The Eagles have a bye in Week 12, but I would assume Vick would be ready to go by then. Regardless, all signs are pointing to Foles starting this weekend, as there has already been speculation that Vick won’t play on Sunday. And during Tuesday’s practices, Foles has been taking snaps with the first-team offense, so all systems go for the Arizona product. It’s a very small sample size, but Foles has been a fantasy superstar in one and a half games, averaging 0.83 fantasy points per dropback, according to Pro Football Focus. That is good for first among all fantasy signal callers. And even with all of these outstanding quarterbacks in the league today, Foles’ next two matchups (assuming he starts Week 8), could allow him to maintain that first place spot.
I’m serious.
Dallas Cowboys against QBs
|
Week |
Opposing QB |
Fantasy Points |
Rank |
| 1 | Eli Manning | 36.80 | 3rd |
| 2 | Alex Smith | 26.62 | 7th |
| 3 | Sam Bradford | 15.60 | 22nd |
| 4 | Philip Rivers | 32.04 | 3rd |
| 5 | Peyton Manning | 43.76 | 2nd |
| 6 | Robert Griffin III | 13.54 | 18th |
New York Giants against QBs
|
Week |
Opposing QB |
Fantasy Points |
Rank |
| 1 | Tony Romo | 20.42 | 19th |
| 2 | Peyton Manning | 23.98 | 8th |
| 3 | Cam Newton | 35.42 | 2nd |
| 4 | Alex Smith | 29.22 | 4th |
| 5 | Nick Foles/Michael Vick | 32.08 | 3rd |
| 6 | Jay Cutler | 24.48 | 6th |
It’s no surprise that both of these teams have allowed the first and second-most fantasy points to opposing signal callers. The Cowboys are allowing 28.06 points per game to the position, while the Giants are right behind them with 27.55. Clearly, Foles has top-10 upside over the course of the next two weeks, and I have him ranked that way (10th). And considering that both of these games are divisional rivalries, if Foles plays well and leads his team to victories, this job could be his for the taking.
Meanwhile, the Eagles receiving corp may not be the most ideal, but they do have some playmakers. DeSean Jackson is currently the number one wide receiver in fantasy football, totaling 105.90 fantasy points through the first six weeks. He is arguably playing the best football of his career right now, and should continue to serve as a major target for Foles in the passing game. There is also still a three-headed monster at the tight end position that provides a pass-catching presence.
Foles is currently owned in just 15 percent of Yahoo! leagues. That number needs to (and should) increase over the next few days. With a handful of under-performing quarterbacks out there (Kaepernick, Brady, Eli Manning), Foles would be a much better start for the immediate future. I’d even play Foles over a guy like Matt Ryan, who is a heck of a quarterback, but is seeing his weapons go down left and right. He needs to be owned, especially if you aren’t confident in your quarterback situation.
This is the part where you close out of this article and go grab him.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
