Making the case against Eagles QB Michael Vick in Fantasy Football Drafts

I have read multiple periodicals and websites heading into this 2012 fantasy football season. Several rankings of quarterbacks for this season have Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick placed in the top 10 for this season. Anyone watching preseason football this summer needs to have their head examined if they believe that Vick is a top-10 quarterback.

Is he a dynamic player to watch? Yes. Do I want him as my starting fantasy football quarterback? No. The man can simply not stay healthy. He’s missed seven games in the last two seasons and has only played a full slate of 16 games once in his career. Last season, 16 quarterbacks threw for more yards and 14 signal callers tossed more scores.

He is an enticing player. An athletic, mobile quarterback surrounded by explosive offensive playmakers, but I am not rolling the dice on Vick for any of my fantasy teams this season, period. There are far too many other options at the quarterback position in this pass-centric NFL currently.

At 32, what argument can be made for Vick as your starting quarterback any longer? His 589 rushing yards from last season? If you add his rushing and passing yardage together last season, 10 quarterbacks threw for more yardage and each of those quarterbacks threw for more scores than Vick totaled. The only one of those 10 quarterbacks which missed any games last season was Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Vick also accounted for 21 turnovers in 2011.

Have you ever seen Mike Vick in person? I have, and you’d be surprised if you didn’t know who he was that he was a professional football player. He is listed a 6 foot, but that has to be on a good day. So with so much riding on this season for the Philadelphia Eagles and perhaps Andy Reid’s future at the coaching helm of the team going forward, Vick was hurt once again this evening.

Last week, he exited the game with a thumb injury and this evening, he left with a rib injury. He is 32 and has played an exact total of 12 plays this preseason. Vick’s replacement, rookie Nick Foles looked satisfactory as his replacement, but the Eagles should seriously consider a veteran quarterback on the roster this season. No, Trent Edwards does not meet that qualification either.

I am stepping out of the way and allowing someone else to pull the trigger on the draft board and select Mike Vick. I am allowing someone else to draft Vick on the vast amount of hype which surrounds him. Yes, I enjoy watching him play, but in reality, he has never thrown more than 21 touchdowns in his career and he cannot stay healthy. Someone else can draft him and then worry about filling their starting quarterback roster position for five weeks a season. I don’t want the headaches.

But Vick’s situation also has an impact on the offensive production of other players in the Eagles offense. It’s an alluring offensive roster, but buyer beware.