The quarterback battle between Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor has not been settled as of yet, but with Flynn hurting, Pryor will start the Oakland Raiders’ final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.
It is not out of the question to think that an impressive performance from Pryor against a Seahawks defense that is one of the toughest, and most physical, in the NFL, could lead to Pryor jumping Matt Flynn and becoming the Raiders opening day quarterback.
If Pryor does become the Raiders starter, he has some immense fantasy football potential as his rushing ability gives him great value in deep fantasy leagues.
This doesn’t mean he should be taken over guys like Jay Cutler, Andy Dalton, or even Josh Freeman. But he could prove to be more valuable, fantasy wise than guys like EJ Manuel and Blaine Gabbert.
Pryor’s throwing ability is obviously a question, and he will almost definitely have a high number of turnovers, but his rushing numbers will do a lot to offset those problems. Keep in mind that last season, Cam Newton threw for less than 4,000 yards, threw for only 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, and fumbled 10 times losing three of them, and still was rated as the fifth best fantasy QB last year because he added more than 700 rushing yards and eight TDs.
With a decent enough collection of skill players, Pryor will be able to make noise should he be the starter. If you are in a really deep league (14 or 16 teams), or a two-quarterback league, Pryor is worth a shot in the later rounds as a third QB. He could absolutely make a difference and take your team over the top.
Watch ESPN’s Eric Karabell talk about Pryor’s Fantasy Value below:
