NFL Fantasy Football Rankings 2011: Don't Buy Mike Vick Fantasy Hype

Don't get me wrong—I am a Mike Vick fan. I'm extremely happy for him that he's turned his life around and is making the best out of the second chance that he was given. There are so many bad stories out there. Vick's story isn't done, but his success thus far shows that the system can work. That makes me a happy person.

But as far as fantasy football goes, I am hearing people that are saying that Vick is the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Really?

That is a head-scratcher.

Adrian Peterson is the obvious No. 1 pick. But beyond him, Arian Foster, Chris Johnson and even Jamaal Charles are backs that should be taken with the first four picks.

Beyond that, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers all rank ahead of Vick as quarterbacks. Peyton Manning does too, but we'll leave him out of this discussion because of the injury concerns.

I get the allure of Vick. He throws a lot of touchdowns, throws for a lot of yards, runs for a lot of touchdowns and runs for a lot of yards.

He kind of combines what you want from your quarterback and running back. The problem is that he can be a little turnover prone. In 12 games in 2010, he threw six picks and had 11 fumbles. As a point of reference, Brady lost three fumbles and four picks in 2010.

But look at the other discrepancy. Brady played in 16 games, Vick played in 12. What makes Vick alluring is his running ability. I get that; I don't disagree with that. The problem is that that same positive is also a negative.

When you run as much as Vick does, you get hurt. It's nothing against Vick, it's just part of the game. The more hits you take, the more likely you are to miss games. Look at the career of Steve Young. He missed a lot of games due to injuries sustained when he was on the run.

Vick is a guy to cheer for as football player. That’s fine. Even though I am not an Eagles fan, I am right with you there.

But as a fantasy owner, I would strongly suggest that you leave the risk of Vick to someone else. You may end up missing out on some points, but you won’t regret the decision.