Fantasy Scouting Report: Donovan McNabb

Donovan McNabb    Philadelphia Eagles    Age:  32    Height:  6’2’’    Weight:  240lbs

Why We Like Him:  McNabb is coming off a 2008 campaign that saw him set career highs in attempts (571), completions (345) and yards (3,916, seventh in NFL), all essential categories for fantasy quarterbacks.

Even more importantly, the Eagles offense had arguably their busiest offseason in the Andy Reid era, acquiring Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters and offensive guard Stacy Andrews to provide McNabb with one of the best offensive lines in football.

On draft day, Philly brought in some firepower by selecting Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in the first round and Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy in the second.  During his final five games of the 2008 season (fantasy playoff time), McNabb caught fire, throwing nine touchdown passes with only one interception down the stretch.

Why We Don’t Like Him:  Accuracy, consistency and YPA are all concerns when drafting McNabb.  Despite having one of the better seasons of his ten-year career, D-Mac completed only 60.4 percent of his passes (18^th) and averaged a meager 6.9 yards per attempt (18^th) last season.  Those stats will leave you scratching your head when you watch the film. 

The Eagles west coast offense features a lot of “dink and dunk” high percentage passes over the middle.  McNabb has a tendency to not set his feet before his release, a contributing factor as to why he has a habit of under-throwing his receivers.

Fantasy Outlook:  If he can stay healthy for the entire season, McNabb could end up being a top-five fantasy quarterback by the end of the year.  The Eagles LOVE to throw the football and the upgrades on offense gives McNabb his most lethal supporting cast since the days of Terrell Owens.  Drafting him means you will get a couple of dud performances during the season, but it also means a few 300-yard, three touchdown games as well.