5 Reasons to Draft Tim Tebow in Your Fantasy Football League

Tim Tebow, in all of his passing ineptitude, has never ceased to amaze. 

We were amazed he was a first-round pick. We were amazed he threw for 300 yards in a game as a rookie. We were amazed he "led" a 1-4 Denver Broncos team to an 8-8 record and an AFC West divisional crown. We were amazed he beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs. We were amazed a simple genuflect became the nationwide craze of "Tebowing."

We were amazed he was traded to the New York Jets.

Just when we thought his every step couldn't be covered more closely, we're amazed at the preferential treatment he's been given by ESPN during the beginning of Gang Green's training camp. All for a backup signal-caller who's completed just a shade more than 47 percent of his passes in his career. 

Maybe by now, we shouldn't be amazed.

Well, you know what'll amaze you even more? 

These five reasons why you should draft Tim Tebow in your fantasy football league this season.

His Running Prowess

The most obvious reason to draft Tim Tebow in your fantasy league is his ability as a runner.

No, he's not the fastest scrambling quarterback in the NFL, but last season he proved his punishing running style can be effective, even if the defense knows it's coming. 

Within a run-dominated offensive scheme in 2011, Tebow accumulated 660 rushing yards at a 5.4 yards-per-carry clip and scored six rushing touchdowns.

Appearing in nine games the year before, in a much more limited role, Tebow averaged 5.3 yards per rush and had six touchdowns on the ground. 

While we aren't precisely certain as to how much the Jets will use him to run the football in 2012, the numbers indicate that, if nothing else, Tebow is a proven rushing commodity. 

Ten yards equal a point in conventional fantasy leagues, and his potential role close to the goal line makes him an intriguing flex option in deeper leagues. 

By deeper league, I mean Mariana Trench deep. 

His Potential to Overtake Mark Sanchez as the Jets' Starter

Duh. 

From the moment the Jets traded for Tebow, rumblings have run rampant about the possibility of a quarterback controversy arising within Gang Green's locker room. 

Mark Sanchez actually posted his best statistical season in 2011, throwing for 3,474 yards with 26 touchdowns and 18 interceptions en route to a career best 78.2 quarterback rating. 

However, he was far from effective last year and was abysmal over the team's last three games.

In those three losses that kept the team out of the postseason, Sanchez completed 56 percent of his passes while throwing for an average of 205 yards. He tossed five touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

His grasp on the starting quarterback wouldn't be labeled as tenuous, but if Sanchez struggles in 2012—which is certainly possible—the cascade of Meadowland boos and questioning from the media will make it difficult for head coach Rex Ryan not to give Tebow a shot as the starter. 

Then, Tebow's fantasy viability dramatically increases.  

As a Trade Option

While it seems nonsensical to draft a player simply in hopes to use him in a trade at some point, you might want to ponder this idea with Tebow late in your draft. 

As stated earlier, he's got a shot to become the Jets starting quarterback if Sanchez falters under the pressure of having a shorter-than-usual leash in New York. 

You know how fantasy football goes. More than likely, you'll have a buddy who's been griping about the injuries to his two quarterbacks for weeks, an owner who just might be desperate enough swing a trade for Tebow and start him in a favorable matchup against a poor run defense. 

It's far too early to project which teams will have bad run defenses in 2012, but the Jets do get the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, the St. Louis Rams in Week 11 and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. 

If you kill the beginning of your draft, taking a flier on Tebow for this purpose may prove beneficial in late-season trade as a throw-in. 

Tebow Reportedly Could Replace Sanchez in the Red Zone

Where do most teams score their points? 

The red zone. 

ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini, in a recent blog post, wrote about Tebow's role when the Jets get inside the 20-yard-line: "Team insiders say the plan is to use Tebow in the red zone, where they can replace Sanchez with another player/blocker to bolster the running game."

It sounds like Tebow won't even need to totally supplant Sanchez as the team's starting signal-caller to score fantasy points.

If Tebow does replace for Sanchez in the red zone, that makes him quite the unconventional but potentially compelling flex option, especially if he's taking carries away from Shonn Greene near the goal line, as well.  

To Be "That Guy"

Prior to the 2009 season, one of the guys in my fantasy football league took Michael Vick, totally uncertain as to what type of player he'd be after his lengthy suspension. 

It wasn't a keeper league, so the idea was met with tons of laughs by the rest of the league, and everyone certainly took their shots.

It definitely added a much-needed spark to the chat box of the monotonous 16-round online draft. 

That year, Vick threw for a whopping 86 yards, ran for 95 more and accounted for three total touchdowns. 

No, I'm not insinuating Tebow has the upside of Vick—not even close. 

But there's no player that gets people talking more than Tebow, so in, say, the penultimate round, why not give him a shot? 

You're going to clean up in the first 15 rounds anyway, right?