Matt McGloin’s Updated 2013 Fantasy Outlook After Terrelle Pryor’s Injury

Matt McGloin will be under center for the Oakland Raiders for their Week 11 clash with the Houston Texans. Terrelle Pryor, who provided the team's offense with an early-season spark, was unable to recover from a knee injury in time to start.

Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times reported the news of Pryor missing the game, which gives the reins of the offense over to the undrafted rookie out of Penn State:



Quite simply, McGloin should be viewed as a player to avoid in fantasy circles. The only exception would be the deepest of leagues, where any starting quarterback carries value. Aside from those 16-team or two-quarterback leagues, he holds very limited upside.

He was given an extended look during the preseason when the Raiders were attempting to sort out their QB depth chart. The results weren't encouraging. He connected on 57 percent of his throws with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

More recently, McGloin is 7-of-15 for 87 yards in extremely limited duty during the regular season. The fact he's now moving into a starting role is a major surprise, as Corkran points out:



Unfortunately for desperate fantasy owners searching for another quarterback option, the chances of McGloin being the solution to their problems is microscopic. He hasn't provided any reason to believe he's even a solid short-term answer in the real world or the fantasy world.



McGloin doesn't have elite arm strength and isn't overly accurate. He played in a conservative system at Penn State, and Oakland will likely have to adapt a similar run-first approach so he doesn't get exposed too quickly.

From a fantasy perspective, the lack of opportunities under that scenario don't even give him the upside to serve as a bye-week replacement.

Furthermore, the Texans own the league's best pass defense. They are giving up less than 170 yards per game through the air...

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