Tim Tebow: Does Rise of Broncos QB Threaten Fantasy Stock of Brandon Lloyd?

If you weren't able to witness Skip Bayless on ESPN's First Take on Monday morning, let me recap a little of what he said regarding the Denver Broncos and their new starting quarterback, Tim Tebow. 

While seemingly forgetting about Brandon Lloyd's miraculous one-handed catch on the Broncos final drive, Bayless accused Lloyd of potentially not having his heart in his attempted reception on the Broncos two-point try following Tebow's second touchdown.

It would have tied the game, and the ball was actually well thrown from Tebow, but the cornerback on the play helped wrestle it away from Lloyd's hands. Bayless, in typical Bayless form, mentioned that Lloyd might have dropped the pass to keep Tebow from completing the comeback and potentially taking Kyle Orton's job, whom Lloyd has vouched for in the past.

Obviously, Bayless is completely out of line with that comment. But now that Tebow is the confirmed starter in Denver, Bayless did bring up an interesting debate that stems off his comment. Will Lloyd's fantasy stock plummet now that Tebow is the No. 1 guy for the Broncos?

It's certainly something to think about if you own Lloyd.

While Lloyd's one catch of Week 5 came with Tebow in the game—his one-handed wonder catch—and the Broncos targeted Lloyd on the two-point conversion, you'd be crazy not to temper your fantasy expectations at least a little bit for Lloyd, one of the more productive receivers in the NFL a year ago.

Tebow is far from the established thrower of the football that Orton is, and this coming week will be the first time that Tebow has worked with the No. 1 offense since last season. That kind of layoff can be tough to overcome for a quarterback-receiver duo. 

However, if you look back to that 2010 season, one in which Tebow started three games, you might feel a little more comfortable starting Lloyd at one of your receiver spots.

In Tebow's three starts, Lloyd put up good numbers.

He had four catches for 79 yards and a score against the Raiders, five catches for 111 yards against the Texans and five more for 73 yards and another score against the Chargers.

Add it all up, and you get 13 catches, 263 yards and two touchdowns, which are definitely in the ballpark for starting fantasy receiver numbers.

The only question would be on how much confidence you have in Tebow and Lloyd to replicate those numbers.

There's no doubt that Tebow has limitations as a passer and that the Broncos will want to utilize the run with him in the game (Denver averaged over 30 rushing attempts per game in Tebow's three starts), but Tebow showed last season that he can keep Lloyd relevant in fantasy football.