Josh Freeman benched in favor of Mike Glennon, who could be interesting fantasy option

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman was benched in favor of rookie Mike Glennon. We break down the fantasy implications.

by James Brady

Sep 25, 2013, 2:28 PM UTC

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have benched starting quarterback Josh Freeman, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The team will start rookie third-round pick Mike Glennon in Freeman's place. It will be the young signal caller's first NFL start and, barring injury, it's likely he's in it for the long haul.

Freeman was especially bad this season. He’s completed just 43 of 94 pass attempts, which works out to a 45.7 completion percentage. That’s abysmal. He’s thrown for 571 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s failed to put his team in a position to win football games and has turned it over at the worst times.

It hasn’t been all bad for Freeman throughout his career. He has had good years before, including last seasons 27-touchdown, 17-interception campaign and his 2010 season in which he threw 25 touchdowns and jut six interceptions. But he’s never led the Buccaneers to the playoffs and was among the worst quarterbacks in many stats this season.

Freeman is in the final year of his contract and will certainly be elsewhere next season. Glennon is a deep threat quarterback with a very strong arm and should be a solid fit in Tampa Bay’s offense. Either way, it’s clear the Buccaneers aren’t likely to make a bid for the playoffs this season.

Glennon completed 33 of 70 passes for 397 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in the preseason.

Fantasy Impact: If you were depending on Freeman as your primary fantasy quarterback, you were already in bad shape. If you have a similar quarterback starting for your team, then you are also in bad shape. But Glennon’s fantasy value is interesting, to say the least.

There seems to be some solid big-play potential there, but he should only be picked up if you have the roster space to spare or if your quarterback position is truly in shambles. If you have Vincent Jackson or Mike Williams, this could really go either way for them. Doug Martin will probably benefit with more carries after this news.