In a fantasy football league at work, this is the last week of our regular season. I’m currently holding the last playoff position. A win (were almost equal, could go either way) would guarantee a playoff spot, a loss would require another team to also lose (which is unlikely) for me to stay in the playoffs. I’d like to hear some opinions on which quarterback I should start.
I’ve got Michael Vick (at home against Carolina) and Joey Harrington (at home vs. San Diego). Harrington usually scores me a lot of points and he should throw for a mile against San Diego, but then he’s no Vick. OTOH, Vick may be no Vick either, since this is his first full game back and he might be a little rusty or gun-shy. Then again, Harrington is sometimes inconsistent, scoring me 40 points one week (a pretty good total for our league) and 10 the next (fairly weak for a QB), while good players like Vick often seem to come back from adversity in spectacular fashion.
If I weren’t on the bubble I’d start Vick, but my next game is so critical I keep second-guessing myself. Any suggestions?
Harrington without a doubt this week. not to say Vick will not have a god game this week, but Harrington should have a pretty solid day vs. San Diego, and it is too early to know what to expect from Vick at this point.
I’d take Harrington. I think Vick’ll be less than stellar in his first start - he was pretty good, but not completely back last week against Houston. And, as Neurotik noted, Carolina’s defense is not easy to play against. Last week they held McNabb to 182 yards passing and 6 yards rushing, despite losing the game.
Munch, I don’t see much trouble making a decision between the QB for the best team in the NFL and the QB for the New Orleans Saints in a December game.
Carolina’s defense was better last year, and Vick didn’t have trouble with it. In fact, the only defense he did have problems with was Tampa’s.
I see it this way. Harrington will give you 2 touchdowns and 2 picks and 200-250 yards against the Chargers. They’re playing better, especially the secondary, than they were earlier in the season.
Vick might throw for 250 yards and run for 75 more, with three touchdowns. Then again, he might throw for 100 yards and be knocked out of the game in the second quarter. Atlanta isn’t going to keep him in the game if he starts taking hits- the franchise vs. a meaningless game isn’t much of a choice.
It all depends on your opponent. If they’re a high scoring team, and you think they have a good shot at beating you, play Vick. If you think guaranteed production will do it for you, play safe and start Harrington.
Munch… start Trent Green at all costs.
Me, I’ve gone from 2-5 and “out” to 8-5 and clinched my playoff spot this week. Matt Hasselbeck (originally my backup QB) and the Titans D (also originally my backup) have carried me all year.
Marc Bulger at Cleveland or Jake Delhomme at Atlanta? I have been using Bulger all year and he has gotten me to the playoffs, despite a few really bad games. But it seems that he never puts up good numbers outdoors, except for that one game against Pittsburgh. Delhomme has actually been decent lately.
I don’t get the support for Harrington. He has no one to throw to. He has no run support. San Diego held Trent Green to miniscule yardage last week. And your other option is Michael Vick, the QB with the most ability to score points every time he touches the ball?!? There is simply no question here. I’d start Vick over 26 other starting QBs in this league this weekend. Detroit is going to spend Sunday evaluating Olandis Gary for next year.
Well, Harrington has been good to me for the most part this season because Detroit throws a lot. When you’re forced to throw hail marys all day, you’re bound to hook up eventually. I think Harrington is the safer option. Vick is more of a gamble I think because he hasn’t played all season and there’s no telling how his injury may affect him. Right now, I’m tempted to roll the dice with Vick over Harrington.
I’ve got another, smaller decision to make. We can play 2 running backs. Clinton Portis is my main RB, but I’m not sure who to start for my second - Troy Hambrick (at Philly) or Trung Canidate (at the Giants). I usually play Hambrick because Canidate spits carries with another back, but Dallas hasn’t really been moving the ball on the ground much lately and Canidate is coming off of a big game, so I’m thinking to put him in. Any ideas?
<b>dil</b>, bulger. The Rams are (unfortunately) rolling and Cleveland is having an embarassing year. It is tough though, because of how vulgarly awful the Falcons defensive backfield has been all year.
<b>Jet</b>, can you still pick up anyone off of waivers in your league? Those gentlemen are both jerks who I’ve had the “pleasure” of starting at certain times during this year. I picked up Richie Anderson of the 'boys for the game last week, and he rocked it out for me. If you can’t pick up on waivers, I’d go with Canidate because of matchup, and because he’s more likely to have an explosive outing than Hambrick.
What horrible system do you guys have in place for yardage? Vick scored 24 points versus Harrington’s 11 in ours. Maybe no points for rushing yards by a QB? If so, that makes Vick about as valuable as Delhomme. Ouch.
Well, I gambled with Vick but should have played Harrington. Vick got me 23 points vs. Harrington’s 37. In our league, we get 1 point per pass completion plus a point for every 50 yards passing, a point for every 20 yards rushing, 6 points for a TD, and a 2 point penalty per INT and sack.
I still managed to win my game by 3 points and squeak into the playoffs (Portis’ big game saved me).
I think Harrington is the safer option. Vick is more of a gamble I think because he hasn’t played all season and there’s no telling how his injury may affect him. Right now, I’m tempted to roll the dice with Vick over Harrington.