Ryan

Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 draft. Little known fact: he went to Harvard. After three seasons in St. Louis where he attempted just 76 total passes, he played one year for the Bengals, making 12 starts. He then joined the Bills, recording three 3,000+ yard passing seasons in four years. In 2011, he set a career-high with 23 TD passes, connecting with Stevie Johnson for 1,004 yards and seven TDs. He played for the Titans in 2013, then for the Texans in 2014, starting 21 total games. At 33 years old, he had his first winning season as a 16-game starter for Todd Bowles era Jets. Fitzpatrick’s former Bills coach Chan Gailey served as offensive coordinator. The Jets finished 10-6 but missed the playoffs. Following a 17-interception down year in 2016, Fitzpatrick moved on to Tampa Bay. He spent the next four years frequently outshining first-round quarterbacks. When Jameis Winston struggled in 2017-18, Fitzpatrick was there to hit Mike Evans or DeSean Jackson with a long TD. When the Josh Rosen rehabilitation project failed, Fitzpatrick revived DeVante Parker’s flagging career. When Tua Tagovailoa struggled as a rookie, Fitzpatrick was against at the ready, delivering the third-highest yards per attempt of his career. In 2021, Washington brought in the 39-year-old Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback. He suffered a hip injury in Week 1, which ultimately ended his season. Fitzpatrick will be remembered for his colorful off-field personality, his trust in his best receivers to make plays, and his ability to pour fantasy rocket fuel onto passing games throughout the league. Fitzpatrick texted his teammates “Forever grateful for the magical ride.” It certainly was that.

This being Fitz, maybe Jeff Bezos is preparing to send him into space. It is hardly a surprise the league’s media partners are beating down Fitzpatrick’s door. It was undoubtedly a factor in the 39-year-old’s decision to hang it up. Long a kinetic personality who also oozes intelligence — you may be familiar with his college — Fitz will start out in the Thursday Night Football streaming streets before perhaps eventually making his way to the networks.

The Bills are going to lose Mitchell Trubisky in free agency and Fitzpatrick will be available after missing almost the entire 2021 season with Washington. Fitzpatrick, a former Bills starter, has remained a supporter of the franchise, as evidenced by his shirtless appearance at a frigid Buffalo home game in the 2021 postseason. Fitz’s “personality and locker room dynamic ... would mesh with Allen as well as peanut butter takes to jelly on a sandwich,” Buscaglia said. “The duo would be excellent together, given their humor and relatively laid back yet ultra-competitive demeanor.” If Fitzpatrick, 39, doesn’t retire, look for the Bills to pursue him in free agency.

Fitzpatrick, who played one half of the 2021 season opener before suffering a season-ending hip injury, could also retire at the ripe age of 39. The journeyman could be an attractive option for teams looking to challenge their starter with training camp competition; the Giants and Texans come to mind. His best days far behind him, Fitzpatrick fits best as a backup for a team with an unquestioned Week 1 starter.

Fitz is likely done for the season. Even if he were to recover in time for the postseason, Taylor Heinicke has an iron grip on the Football Team’s starting job after four straight wins. Fitzpatrick’s time in Washington will be limited to three completions for 13 yards. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2022.

Fitzpatrick got slammed by a Chargers defensive lineman in Week 1 and suffered a hip subluxation. The injury was originally supposed to sideline him for upwards of two months but the team has continually pushed back his timeline. Fitzpatrick is a free agent at the end of the year and it’s unclear if the team will want to bring him back. Washington is on pace for a top-five pick and they already have Taylor Heinicke under contract for another year. With Heinicke at the helm for the remainder of the season, only Terry McLaurin can be trusted out of this team’s wideouts.

Fitzpatrick was injured in Week 1, and it’s been Taylor Heinicke under center ever since. It’ll remain that way for the foreseeable future, starting with a Week 10 date with the Bucs out of Washington’s bye week.

The Football Team has kept quiet about Fitzpatrick, who hasn’t played since he exited in Week 1 with a hip injury. An MRI would provide insight as to where he is in the recovery process, so fantasy managers who are invested in the Washington offense will need to keep an eye out for an update over the next few days.

Fitzpatrick is still on crutches and is set to undergo an MRI in two weeks. At that point, a timetable for his eventual return could become more clear. The Football team gets their bye in Week 9 but a return immediately following that seems optimistic right now. Taylor Heinicke will remain under center for the foreseeable future. Heinicke ranks 23rd in yards per attempt (7.1) and 24th in passer rating (86.8) among qualified passers. Only Terry McLaurin, J.D. McKissic, and Ricky Seals-Jones can be trusted as fantasy options from this team’s passing game.

Whether Fitzpatrick gets the team’s starting job back is another question entirely. La Canfora said Washington coaches are “eager to get him back, but that could prove to be more about depth than anything else. Some in the organization preferred [Taylor] Heinicke, who is spry and plays the game with a high-energy style.” Many in the organization, per La Canfora, believed Heinicke “was the better quarterback in the summer, and they believe he may be a better fit moving forward as well.” Some big plays and Heinicke’s penchant for taking off from the pocket -- he has 22 rushing attempts in four starts this season -- has kept him fantasy relevant, though his mistakes are starting to pile up. He tossed two picks in the Football Team’s Week 5 loss to the Saints, and New Orleans defenders dropped at least two other interceptions. Continued struggles from Heinicke could leave Ron Rivera no choice but to put Fitzpatrick back under center.