Joey Harrington

Harrington is the go-to guy if starter Chris Redman falls on his face early in the year, but rookie stud Matt Ryan is the Falcons' future at this point. In a worst case scenario, Harrington may start in a handful of games this season, but his chances at snatching the top job for any meaningful length of time in 2008 would be a shock.

After last season, no one would have guessed that Joey Harrington would be the Falcons' opening day starter in 2007, but with Matt Schaub now starting for the Texans and with Michael Vick's status completely unkown, the next in line to be QB1 in Atlanta is indeed Harrington. Harrington has been a tremdous bust up to this point in his career, but it's never too late for another chance. His numbers this season will depend solely on what happens to Vick. If Vick returns, Harrington will see very little action and won't contribute much fantasy-wise. If Vick is forced to miss games, Harrington moves up the quarterback cheat sheet and could put up numbers similar to that of other quarterbacks drafted in the middle to later rounds of fantasy drafts. His name is still Joey Harrington. His name still comes to mind when people hear 'Ryan Leaf' or 'Akili Smith.' He is still despised by the city of Detroit, but Vick's status means Harrington could get the chance to save the Falcons this year.

Given that Daunte Culpepper was unexpectedly scrambling in spring drills, it’s unlikely that Harrington will get significant playing time in ’06. But there’s always the chance that Culpepper will aggravate his injury and even require another arthroscopic procedure as an almost routine part of his rehabilitation. This would provide a window for Harrington. Although not everything in his stat profile is bleak, there is enough evidence to bolster Harrington’s many detractors. As we mentioned in the Culpepper profile, the Dolphins offense should be much more run oriented than in ’05 given new offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey’s track record calling plays for the Bills and Steelers.

If Harrington fails as an NFL QB – and he’s on his way to doing so thus far – he’ll never be able to say that Lions management didn’t give him all the tools to succeed. Not only did the Lions use early first-round draft picks in 2003 and 2004 on wide receivers Charles Rogers and Roy Williams, respectively, but after signing veteran possession receiver Kevin Johnson to man the slot, they went ahead and used another top-10 overall pick on Mike Williams in 2005! It’s as if Lions management is doing whatever it can to make its Harrington pick (No. 4 in 2002) look better. Whatever the reasoning, the array of developing young offensive skill talent at Harrington’s disposal, which also includes up-and-coming running back Kevin Jones, should help, but it will also raise expectations and shorten management’s patience if Harrington fails to deliver results right out of the gate. With veteran backup and former Pro Bowler Jeff Garcia now in the fold, Harrington’s not going to have much margin for error. Harrington has a good arm and good mobility, but needs to improve his decision-making in the pocket. While Harrington averaged a paltry 6.2 yards per passing attempt last season, he did manage to cut his interceptions from 22 to 12 while increasing his yardage and touchdown totals. Now in his fourth year, Harrington is worth a look as an upside play, but by the end of September, he could just as easily be backing up Garcia.

Harrington somehow averaged more than a TD pass per game despite registering barely five yards per passing attempt. The Lions had the worst skill position talent in the NFL last year. Heck, after Charlie Rogers was sidelined, they may have had the worst skill talent in the Arena Football League. Now they've added WR Roy Williams and RB Kevin Jones after upgrading the line with veterans via free agency. Harrington has proven to be proficient in the red zone (13 TD passes and a plus 80 passing rating in ‘03) and his head coach has directed some of the best fantasy QB seasons in recent history. The Lions offense seems poised for a breakout, but Rogers didn't play much last year and the rookies will need time to develop. Expect a lot of growing pains in Detroit and don't look for a Harrington breakout until '05.

While things are looking up for the Detroit passing game, with new coach Steve Mariucci in town and top draft choice Charles Rogers in the lineup, Harrington probably won't come into a lot of fantasy value until at least 2004. The West Cost offense isn't something a young quarterback picks up overnight, and Harrington probably won't supplement his fantasy value with any rushing yards or touchdowns.