Matt Barkley's Updated Fantasy Value After Michael Vick's Injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick started Week 8's game against the New York Giants, but a hamstring issue has forced him to leave the contest. Rookie quarterback Matt Barkley entered the game in the second quarter in Vick's stead.

There's no indication as to how serious Vick's injury is, but it was severe enough to force him out of the game. Keep in mind Nick Foles had started in place of Vick each of the past two weeks, so it's obvious that the issues are lingering.

Whether Barkley starts several games moving forward remains to be seen, but he's not worth owning in fantasy leagues. The Eagles have decent weapons in LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek, but starting first-year quarterbacks is always risky.

Barkley was 17-of-26 for 158 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Vick's place. He also fumbled the ball three times, losing the ball once.

This was an improvement over Barkley's first appearance. Coming on in relief in Week 7, he completed 11 of 20 passes for 129 yards, but he tossed three interceptions to zero touchdowns.

Finding the end zone and committing turnovers are clearly issues for Barkley, but he played well enough to keep things interesting against New York.

I consider Barkley the same type of play as Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Mike Glennon. If you (wisely) wouldn't start him in fantasy, then you certainly shouldn't be starting Barkley.   

If Barkley ends up starting a few games and puts up consistent numbers, then it probably wouldn't hurt to take a flier on him. Just don't plan on relying on him moving forward.