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We knew Case Keenum‘s magical fantasy run had to come to an end at some point, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise when it happened last week against the Oakland Raiders. Granted the Raiders’ defense is one of the weaker units in the league, but when you have a guy making just his fourth career start under center, it shouldn’t be shocking if he doesn’t light it up.
The situation was also made to seem much worse than it actually was after head coach Gary Kubiak made the head-scratching decision to bench Keenum in favour of Matt Schaub. Not only has Keenum been significantly better than Schaub in limited action this season, but he also wasn’t having a terrible game – he was 13 of 24 for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception before getting the hook. It’s obviously not a great line but it’s hardly enough to justify getting taken out of the game. Why mess with a young quarterback’s confidence when he’s been showing so much potential just because the team isn’t winning? Could part of the blame maybe lie with the defense which gave up three touchdowns to rookie Matt McGloin in his first ever NFL appearance? I understand the Houston Texans are frustrated with the way their season is going, but switching back to Schaub isn’t the answer and Kubiak unfortunately only realized that after the game. Had he left Keenum in, who knows what would have happened? Maybe the kid would have led his team to a victory and his confidence would have skyrocketed instead of dropping after getting pulled.
A lot of people are pointing out that the Texans are winless with Keenum as their starter, but that really has no business being discussed yet. Look at who he’s had to play! He took on the Kansas City Chiefs in his first start and almost shocked the best defensive team in football, losing by just one point. The two losses that followed were against the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, both by a margin of three points. Those three teams are very difficult to beat, especially for a young quarterback who’s in the early learning stage of his career. It’s only a matter of time before he starts to put it all together and when he does, he could be the guy to rescue that franchise.
Thankfully Keenum’s been named the starter for this week, as he’ll have a prime opportunity to begin his heroics when he takes on the miserable Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday. The Jags are yielding a ton of fantasy points to basically every position, so this is the perfect opportunity for Keenum to bounce back in impressive fashion. Let’s not forget that even though he’s been losing in reality, he’s been winning in our virtual game. Despite three very difficult matchups and not even finishing last week’s game, he’s still averaging a little over 17 fantasy points per game. Last week’s poor final line shouldn’t be held against him for obvious reasons and he’s unquestionably deserving of another shot in your lineup this week. He’s not afraid to take chances and he’s learning to have faith in his team.
Keenum’s poor game last week was clearly blown way out of proportion for a number of reasons and that’s going to show when he dismantles the Jags this week. Give him another chance in your lineup and reap the rewards as he proves he’s the real thing.
Dan Freeman is a Fantasy football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanFreeman88.
