Kyle Orton: Should Fantasy Owners Grab Tim Tebow in Anticipation of QB Change?

For reasons unclear to most level-headed NFL observers, the cries for Tim Tebow to start at quarterback in Denver continue to grow louder. Some of it justifiably stems from Kyle Orton’s inability to give fans any confidence that he can lead the offense to wins on a consistent basis, as Denver is 6-20 in Orton’s last 26 starts.  

But what makes some think that Tebow is the answer is a mystery to me.

From a fantasy perspective, owners need to answer two questions about Tebow. First, when will Tebow’s reality football career as a starter actually begin, and second, once it does begin, will it be worth anything in fantasy football?

The answer to the first question is as unclear. The official line from the organization so far has been that Tebow isn’t even the second string quarterback on their roster. In fact, the depth chart on the Broncos website lists “Brady Quinn or Tim Tebow” as second string. 

Simply put, even if Orton gets the axe, Tebow still might not get any starts.

But even assuming Tim Tebow will become the Broncos starting QB in the near future, Tebow’s fantasy value is questionable at best. Tebow’s rabid supporters will likely point to his big game against the Houston Texans last season where he threw for over 300 yards.

Those same supporters will also likely ignore the fact that that Houston defense was historically awful against the pass, and Tebow still couldn’t manage to complete half of his passes.

Tim Tebow is not a good fantasy pick up at the moment, and frankly may never be. His playing time at this point hinges on desperate Broncos bullying their front office into going with the high profile quarterback. They may succeed once their season is fully off the rails, but it’s unlikely that Tebow will bring much value to a fantasy roster once they do. 

Tebow has a lot to prove as a quarterback before anyone starts thinking about his fantasy value.