Will Tim Tebow emerge as a viable starter in fantasy leagues?
For some reason, fantasy owners seem to neatly fall into one of two distinct schools of thought when it comes to Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
There's the Bobby Douglass Camp: Tebow is a great college quarterback whose skill-set doesn't translate well to the pros; he's a great runner but a scattershot passer; he'll never be a consistent winner in the NFL.
And there's the Steve Young Camp: Tebow creates matchup nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators; his running ability gives his team a dimension that others don't have; he's on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
There doesn't seem to be any middle ground. (A Jim Zorn Camp, perhaps? Kenny Stabler? Boomer Esiason?)
Tebow gave both camps fodder for ammunition in a late-season audition as the Broncos' starting quarterback in 2010. In three starts, he passed for 651 yards and 4 touchdowns, and added 199 yards and 3 scores on the ground. He amassed 308 yards through the air against the Raiders and 94 yards on the ground against the Chargers. Still, he completed less than half of his passes (40 of 81), and Broncos lost two of the three games.
The more important fact for fantasy owners, though: Tebow led the entire NFL in fantasy scoring over those three weeks.
This year, the top spot on the depth chart appears more and more likely to be his (although Kyle Orton may yet have something to say about that). In that case, count us in the Steve Young -- okay, potentially Steve Young Camp.
Bottom Line: Tim Tebow will develop into a fantasy starter in 2011.
