Fantasy Index

header banner img
OUR FANTASY BASEBALL MAGAZINE IS BACK! PRE-ORDER NOW
Win here.

Around the NFL

Alex Smith

Smith looks ready to return to field

There’s a new contender to start at quarterback for Washington. Doctors say Alex Smith is ready to step back on the field.

Smith suffered a Theismann-type leg injury in 2018 and missed all of last season. At one point, the leg became dangerously infected, raising concerns the leg might need to be amputated or go even be life threatening.

But Smith seems fine now. His doctors cleared him for football on Friday. He’ll likely begin camp on the PUP list, easing into action.

If Smith is right physically and isn’t too rusty, he could start a fair number of games. He’s a lot more experienced than the team’s other options. He’s 36, and he’s taken multiple teams to the playoffs.

Washington drafted Dwayne Haskins in the first round but hasn’t been able to get him going yet. It also traded for Kyle Allen, who has the considerable advantage of playing for this coaching staff last year in Carolina. I would expect it will be Allen starting at the beginning of the season.

Smith isn’t a dynamic quarterback, but he’s among the best at avoiding mistakes. He doesn’t force passes, and he doesn’t fumble.

Over the last five years, he’s thrown only 25 interceptions and lost only 6 fumbles. During that span, only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers did a better job of avoiding turnovers.

QUARTERBACK TURNOVERS (last 5 years)
PlayerAttTDIntFLTO%
Tom Brady2,8201493681.56%
Aaron Rodgers2,58613827161.66%
Alex Smith1,792712561.73%
Tyrod Taylor1,327541851.73%
Drew Brees2,7031514371.85%
Patrick Mahomes1,099761842.00%
Russell Wilson2,52515542122.14%
Dak Prescott2,0719736152.46%
Derek Carr2,71412250192.54%
Matthew Stafford2,59712549182.58%
Matt Ryan2,90114056202.62%
Carson Wentz2,0559735192.63%
Joe Flacco2,275705192.64%
Kirk Cousins2,73913752212.67%
Carson Palmer1,401703262.71%
Case Keenum1,761643992.73%
Sam Bradford1,2074423102.73%
Andy Dalton2,33810552132.78%
Ben Roethlisberger2,2761126052.86%
Mitchell Trubisky1,280482982.89%
Deshaun Watson1,204712972.99%
Philip Rivers2,91314576123.02%
Jared Goff1,8698742153.05%
Cam Newton2,0571005493.06%
Eli Manning2,51010759183.07%
Brock Osweiler1,135363143.08%
Andrew Luck1,477854073.18%
Marcus Mariota1,7657644143.29%
Ryan Tannehill1,5358239133.39%
Ryan Fitzpatrick1,876876063.52%
Blake Bortles2,1599258183.52%
Jay Cutler1,049443073.53%
Baker Mayfield1,020493553.92%
Jameis Winston2,54812188234.36%

Smith needs to show he can still play, and he wasn’t as effective when we last same him. Washington’s offense was sputtering with him at the controls in 2018. But Smith still managed to go 6-4 as a starter that year.

There’s something to be said for just not beating yourself. In the just-completed decade, Smith won almost 65 percent of his starts. There are 34 other quarterbacks who’ve started at least 50 games since 2010, and only five have higher winning percentages. All five have also won Super Bowl games.

WIN-LOSS RECORDS IN THE DECADE
PlayerGWLTPct
Tom Brady156122340.782
Peyton Manning7355180.753
Aaron Rodgers14296451.680
Russell Wilson12886411.676
Ben Roethlisberger13084451.650
Alex Smith12178421.649
Dak Prescott6440240.625
Drew Brees15395580.621
Andrew Luck8653330.616
Jared Goff5433210.611
Carson Wentz5632240.571
Joe Flacco13978610.561
Matt Ryan15989700.560
Tony Romo7240320.556
Cam Newton12568561.548
Andy Dalton13370612.534
Matt Schaub5328250.528
Kirk Cousins8844422.511
Carson Palmer10050491.505
Jay Cutler10050500.500
Ryan Tannehill9849490.500
Mark Sanchez5829290.500
Matthew Stafford13967711.486
Colin Kaepernick5828300.483
Philip Rivers16077830.481
Marcus Mariota6129320.475
Eli Manning14767800.456
Case Keenum6227350.435
Josh Freeman5222300.423
Sam Bradford8334481.416
Derek Carr9439550.415
Ryan Fitzpatrick11647690.405
Jameis Winston7028420.400
Matt Cassel5020300.400
Blake Bortles7324490.329

I’m not trying to get folks excited about Smith. If you’re in a mega-league where you’re getting down to selecting Washington quarterbacks, I would choose him after both Allen and Haskins. But add him to the considerable list of guys to keep an eye on.

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index