Fantasy football: Could Tebow save your season?

I fielded a question Wednesday night at our Daily Herald Subcriber Total Access event at John Barleycorn that went something like this:

“I’m in a league where we start two quarterbacks and I own Mark Sanchez and Matt Schaub. Should I pick up Tim Tebow?”

Yes. Now. Pull out an electronic device and add him.

And if he’s still available in your league, do the same.

Now.

Look, Tebow — who the Broncos will start at quarterback when they come out of the bye in Week 7 — isn’t going to lead Denver to the playoffs and he may not even be able to get the team to a 6-10 finish.

But fantasy-wise, he has the potential to save the seasons for those of you toiling away with Matt Ryan, Josh Freeman, Matt Schaub and maybe even Philip Rivers.

We don’t have a huge sample size to draw from here, but in the two full games and two half games Tebow has played, the numbers are impressive. He has at least 1 passing TD and has run for a score in each game. He’s averaged 59.3 rushing yards per game — and remember, two of those were half games.

Now, he won’t run for a score every week and he’s sure to be flummoxed by some defenses. But Tebow is crafty and can extend a play for a lifetime, as many of you may have seen on Denver’s final play last week before he launched an ill-fated Hail Mary.

In the final three weeks of the 2010 season, Tebow racked up 24, 24 and 31 fantasy points in standard scoring leagues, making him the top-ranked fantasy QB over that time.

If he stays healthy, I believe Tebow will finish in the top 10 in fantasy points for QBs from Weeks 7-17. That makes him an every-week starter, so get him in your lineup a week from now when the Broncos play at the defenseless Dolphins.

My teams: Needing 33 points Monday night for a victory in my regular league, Calvin Johnson (25 points) and Robbie Gould (9) came through, and I improved to 3-2 with a 107-105 victory. The unit-league team (2-3) is a complete disaster as Sebastian Janikowski (21) scored nearly half my points in a 70-47 loss. Antonio Gates’ complete recovery is my only chance for a big rebound.Good betsŸPackers RB James Starks vs. St. Louis. This may be the one week to go up against Aaron Rodgers in fantasy as everybody runs on the Rams (179.8 rush yards allowed per game). I like Starks to break the 100-yard mark and score at least once.ŸBengals RB Cedric Benson vs. Indianapolis. Four of the five feature backs to face the Colts have eclipsed 90 yards on the ground, and that list included the immortal Jackie Battle last week.ŸRedskins RB Ryan Torain vs. Philadelphia. In a crowded backfield, I#146;m rolling the dice that Mike Shanahan picks Torain to be the guy this week.ŸGiants RB Ahmad Bradshaw vs. Buffalo. Let#146;s give Bradshaw another shot a good bets section. He failed us last week, but he has a good chance to make it three straight RBs to go over 100 yards on the ground vs. Buffalo.ŸRams WRs Brandon Gibson and Mike Sims-Walker at Green Bay. Hey, it#146;s a week where Larry Fitzgerald, Eric Decker, Brandon Lloyd, Dwayne Bowe and Vincent Jackson are off. Gotta look somewhere for unlikely production, so why not St. Louis in a game where they will have to throw all day?ŸBrowns TE Ben Watson at Oakland. Watson#146;s stat line last two games: 11-121-1.ŸBills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick at New York Giants. Fitz has hit a rough patch of late (1 TD last two), but the Giants just allowed Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst to combine for 315 passing yards.ŸDolphins RB Daniel Thomas at New York Jets. Bit of a risky call here with Thomas nursing a hamstring injury, so monitor his progress because he#146;s going against a Jets D that has allowed a league-high 8 rushing TDs.ŸJets QB Mark Sanchez and WR Plaxico Burress vs. Miami. Sanchez, who has 2 TD passes in every game except Week 4 at Baltimore, faces the 31st-ranked pass defense. I like him to hit Burress in the red zone for a score.Bad betsŸRavens QB Joe Flacco vs. Houston. Against the sixth-ranked pass defense, Baltimore will lean heavily on Ray Rice.ŸTexans QB Matt Schaub at Baltimore. Let#146;s try this again #133; Schaub (416 yards, 2 TDs) made me look silly last week. Against the Ravens, expect those numbers to be halved.ŸPatriots RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis vs. Dallas. Tom Brady is going to throw 40-45 times in this game. Dallas has allowed just 1 rushing TD.ŸRams RB Steven Jackson at Green Bay. Nobody runs on the Packers. Maybe he gets 4-5 receptions to salvage his day, but don#146;t expect more than 70 yards from scrimmage.ŸLions RB Jahvid Best vs. San Francisco. The 49ers have not allowed a rushing score.ŸPanthers RB DeAngelo Williams at Atlanta. Don#146;t let one big run from Williams last week fool you into starting him this week.ŸColts WR Pierre Garcon at Cincinnati. What? Sit the hottest WR around? I know, crazy talk. But the Bengals have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to WR/TE#146;s, and Garcon does have just 7 receptions the last two games #133; it#146;s just that 4 have gone for scores.jdietz@dailyherald.com