The Curious Case of Ryan Fitzpatrick

In what world is Ryan Fitzpatrick a better quarterback than Jameis Winston? In the world of the 2018 NFL. Not only has he started the season with 819 passing yards, eight touchdown passes and a 78% completion rate through the first two weeks, but he also has the most important ability - availability.

Jameis Winston continues to be immature, even at 24 years of age and the Buccaneers have to be getting tired of the act. He has gotten in trouble going back to college where he should have been punished severely but wasn’t. Now he has taken this entitlement mentality to the pros and continues to falter. With this being the fourth year of his rookie contract, the Buccaneers should and probably will get out of this contract with him one way or another, either by trading him to a quarterback-needy team, or by offering a low-end contract which is highly based on incentives in hopes he will take his chances in free agency.

Either way, Tampa Bay will need a quarterback to get them through it and at 35 years old, Fitzpatrick could be the perfect bridge quarterback for a season or two while they develop a hopeful successor either through free agency or the draft.

Do You Believe in FitzMagic?

While Jameis does not fit the mold for a successful Buccaneers tenure, if he can go to a new team, a team with weapons to surround him, he could rehab his career and excel as a game manager in this system. A team like the New York Giants would be a great fit for Winston as he could sit behind Eli Manning for a year or two and learn a modicum of maturity and he could also become the successor to Manning. The Giants do not have their future quarterback on the roster and if Winston can continue to develop he would be a great replacement for Eli. With Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, the Giants have a solid and young core which could move to the top rungs of the NFC with someone like Winston in the fold.

Tampa Bay has a lot of work to do to get to this point, so giving Winston a big contract would be a big regression as they need more playmakers to take the pressure off of a quarterback. Especially one like Winston who does not do well under pressure. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a consummate professional and a steady hand needed to get the Buccaneers through a rebuild which will be coming after the 2018 season with the likely departures of DeSean Jackson, Dirk Koetter and possibly Winston. Is Fitzpatrick a long-term answer? No. But he is the answer for the rest of this season until the team can hopefully sign a player like Teddy Bridgewater in free agency.

Fitzpatrick has clearly built a rapport with his receivers that Jameis Winston has not built in three full seasons as the starter. DeSean Jackson has started calling him Fitz-Magic and this is what he will remain for the rest of the season if Tampa Bay is smart and keeps him in the starting lineup. Not only is he the best quarterback on the team, and possibly in the state of Florida, but more importantly he gives the team the best chance to win this season. What else can you ask for from a journeyman quarterback? Whether Jameis Winston is ready to go or not after his three-week suspension, Tampa Bay should, and I feel, will stay with Fitzpatrick. Any remaining value for Winston does not lie in redraft leagues, but in dynasty leagues where he is still young enough to have a resurgence with a new team and be an asset in future seasons.

If Ryan Fitzpatrick is still somehow on your waiver wire, go and get him now regardless of who your starter is (injuries happen). His stats are not going to stay this high all season for sure, but with the team around him both on offense where they can not run the ball and on defense where they can not stop anyone, he is going to have a very good season starting this week at home against a Steelers team whose defense may actually be worse than the Bucs.