Michael Vick's Updated Fantasy Outlook and Advice for Owners as of Week 8

Michael Vick is the definition of a boom or bust start in Week 8.

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has an easy matchup against the soft New York Giants defense, but he hasn’t started a game since going down with a hamstring injury against this same NFC East rival back in Week 5.

While officially “probable” for Sunday’s pivotal contest, Vick is likely starting with backup Nick Foles out after suffering a concussion in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Third-string signal-caller Matt Barkley threw three interceptions and completed just 11-of-20 passes for 129 yards after taking over for Foles last week, meaning the team will want to avoid putting him in the game at all costs.

Assuming Vick gets on the field and is seemingly healthy, you can expect him to carve up the defense on both the air and ground. Prior to tweaking his hamstring in his last start, the 33-year-old dual-threat quarterback had completed 6-of-14 passes for 105 yards, including seven rushes for 79 yards.

Considering Foles had entered by the second quarter, it’s safe to believe Vick would have had one of his finest games of the 2013 campaign if he could have remained 100 percent throughout the afternoon.

Unfortunately, injury has been an issue throughout Vick’s career, and he has seemingly become more brittle with age. The Giants know this well and will be looking to lay the wood on the signal-caller anytime he leaves the backfield.

Fantasy owners who face tough matchups or are devastated by injury and bye week absences will likely have no choice but to take a gamble on the upside that Vick provides. He could be the top-scoring player at his position—and possibly in the league—in Week 8, or he could flame out by exiting early with an injury.

That is going to be the story for the remainder of the season, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who took a chance on the Philly quarterback during the draft. He’s as risky as they come and has both greatly rewarded and burned those who have rolled the dice in the past.

If you own Vick, make sure you have a legitimate backup in place. Foles was a solid option until suffering a concussion, so you may need to look elsewhere. Fortunately, unless you are in a deep or two quarterback league, there should be a handful of solid options on the waiver wire.

Make sure you have a contingency plan in place and good luck owning Vick in 2013.

Projected Week 8 stat line: 17-of-33 passing for 323 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Eight rushes for 58 yards and one touchdown.