| If you’re like me, on Draft Day you’re
prone to worrying about your QB situation much later than most. Personally, I like to
solidify my starting RB and WR slots first, then worry about the other areas. It’s
rare that you’ll find a Kurt Warner or Peyton Manning on one of my fantasy teams,
simply because I don’t put a ton of stock into QB production over RB and WR
production. Of course, had I put some thought into my QB slots, maybe I wouldn’t be
in this situation. Because of my delays in the draft, I have the phenomenal QB tandem of
Kordell Stewart and Jay Fiedler. When I drafted these guys, I felt at least one would
break out. It was truly part of my strategy to get at least one of these guys late in the
draft, and I got both.
But neither has been consistently good. I’ve started Stewart in recent weeks,
simply under the idea that I don’t want to switch back and forth between the two,
because that’s when I always get burned — the backup outscores the starter.
The league in which I have these guys is your basic scoring league with some yardage
bonuses. I’ve averaged 40 points per game, and my team is sitting at 7-2. I lead my
division by two games and the league by one.
"So, what’s the problem?" you ask. Well, quarterback has been a bit of a
sticking point all season. I’m not fully comfortable with the potential inconsistency
of my running backs: Jerome Bettis, who has only scored three touchdowns, and Corey
Dillon, who has been up and down in his own right. While I’m getting great production
from my top receiver, Terrell Owens, I haven’t received a ton of consistency from the
other WR position. So, basically, I’m not freaking out about my team, because I
refuse to make a move. I’m just trying to figure out which quarterback should be my
starter. When you look at the week-by-week fantasy points (in this league) these two
quarterbacks have posted, it seems obvious.
Fiedler: 7, 12, 3, 3, 3, 9, 3, 7
Stewart: 0, 0, 6, 3, 0, 9, 3, 0
Clearly, Fiedler has totaled more points and thus seems to be the better choice. But
Stewart’s penchant for running the ball gives him more potential in my opinion.
That’s why I’ve been starting Stewart up until now.
The problem with Fiedler thus far has been interceptions. If you get penalized for
interceptions in your league, you’ve likely stayed away from Fiedler. One week
Fiedler looks like he’s a gamebreaker, but the next, his game breaks in two. Take,
for example, Weeks Two and Three. In Week Two, Fiedler ran for two scores in leading the
Dolphins to victory over the Raiders. That negated the two picks he threw. Then, in Week
Three, he threw a touchdown but also threw two picks. On the season, Fiedler has nine TD
passes and 12 interceptions. Not so great.
Stewart, on the other hand, has been the model of steady improvement. While Stewart has
posted four goose eggs in terms of weekly scoring, he has gotten better from a non-fantasy
point of view. And when a player improves, his fantasy stats are bound to go up. If I were
a super-conservative fantasy owner, I would start Stewart, without question, every week.
Stewart isn’t given as much opportunity to make mistakes, and therefore, he
doesn’t (he’s thrown four picks). But the flip side is that Stewart only has
three TD passes. Stewart has rushed for two touchdowns as well.
So, there’s my dilemma. At 7-2, it’s a nice dilemma to have, I must admit.
But it is a dilemma nonetheless. Likely, I’ll play matchups most weeks. But aside
from that, I think Jay "Jekyll & Hyde" Fiedler will be my default
quarterback.
Of course, I could always sign Vinny Testaverde. |
