Fantasy owners might be inclined to jump aboard the Vince Young train after his second straight career-best passing yards effort, the latter coming in Monday night's loss in Denver, but I don't think that's the right move. The thing is, Young is inherently flawed as a fantasy option just because of the way he plays, and if his team's last two games are an indication, the way his team plays.
A season ago, when he was the rookie darling of the league and eventual Madden cover boy, Young was a runner dressed as a quarterback. He ran for 552 yards and seven touchdowns, and averaged 6.7 yards per carry. As a passer, he was ordinary, at best. Fantasy owners saw the running novelty and loved it, making him far too much in demand on draft day as the No. 8 quarterback. Currently Young is ranked No. 17, and that's after passing five quarterbacks Monday.
What's the saying, you live by the sword, die by the sword? Nobody can dispute Young's athletic talent, but the general opinion in the fantasy world is that Young's disappointing campaign can be traced to his arm. That's not really the case. While his passer rating is down a bit and his touchdown and yards are below pace as well, Young hasn't looked much different through the air statistically. He's still erratic at times, with a strong arm and questionable decision making, and he's capable of throwing more and padding stats when his team is trailing, as it has the past two weeks, but that's not the desired game plan at all.
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Eric Karabell
