Before I start, let’s put aside the political BS that surrounds Kaepernick. But let’s look at this from a purely fantasy football perspective. Also, a lot of dynasty leagues have rookie drafts where you can also grab free agents.
Pushing aside the politics, Kaepernick is a decent QB with running skills. He took a team to the Super Bowl. He has talent. No, he’s not Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson… But he’s a stat magnet.
In superflex leagues, Kaepernick is a must-grab. But how much so?
I’d wait until after the NFL draft, If the Seahawks don’t take a QB, then expect them to sign him. If not…to be evaluated later!
Despite his massive rushing upside, Kaepernick has never been a fantasy superstar. Even in 2013, his best season, he stayed south of 20 FFP per game on average. And that’s been 9 years ago.
To put things in perspective, here’s the total regular season FFP of some notable QBs in 2013. All of them played 16 games:
Peyton Manning: 526.75
Drew Brees: 465.30
Philip Rivers: 367.20
Andy Dalton: 357.10
Matthew Stafford: 352.40
Cam Newton: 338.45
Ben Roethlisberger: 333.45
Matt Ryan: 332.25
Tom Brady: 324.95
Russell Wilson: 312.75
Colin Kaepernick: 309.25
If you have a roster spot to spare in an SFLEX league, it’s certainly worth adding him. But I would suggest to temper expectations. Personally, I wish Kaep nothing but the best. But as a fantasy manager, I would not expect him to perform better than a low-end QB2 - if he even gets the chance to claim a starting job, and that’s still a big ‘if’.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Colin is or ever will be “great”. His passing stats are mediocre, at best. But as running QB’s go, he adds a lot to those passing stats. And yes, I was thinking primarily of superflex leagues, where QB’s are at a premium. If he ends up as a starter somewhere, he’d be an awesome addition as a QB2 in superflex.
My main point is this: For the question marks about Colin, he brings more certainty than ANY of the QB prospects in this year’s draft. This year, more than any other, is the year where Colin could make a comeback.