A tribute to Jameis Winston, a fantasy MVP but a real-life bust

Real Jameis vs. Fantasy Jameis is quite different.

Jameis Winston leads the NFL in interceptions with 23, a whopping seven more than Baker Mayfield has accrued this season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 6-7 and are eliminated from postseason play.

Jameis Winston is also, per ESPN, the sixth-highest scoring quarterback by fantasy points. He may be helping you win a fantasy football championship.

That split is exactly what makes fantasy football so fun and weird. Winston keeps piling up the points for owners in fake football and may be signing elsewhere this offseason in the real version.

It’s because he’s third in the league in passing touchdowns with 26, second behind Dak Prescott with 4,115 yards, eighth among quarterbacks in rushing yards and second behind that Tom Brady guy with 512 attempts, a reminder that volume accounts for a lot in fantasy.

Games in which he’s thrown multiple interceptions are erased because he’s a 300-yard machine — he’s totaled that yardage mark nine times in 2019, with two of those games at 400 or more. For what it’s worth, the Bucs are 4-5 in those games.

This means Winston is basically Blake Bortles.

Bortles, you see, was a mediocre quarterback while starting for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but because he ran a bunch (310 yards rushing or more while with the Jags) and had a high amount of attempts, he’d be a decent fantasy pick.

And funny enough, they share a something in common. Here’s a stat from September:

So here’s to you, Jameis Winston and your wild split between real life and fantasy football skills.

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