It’s tough to get a read on Tennessee quarterback Vince Young – on or off the field. As for his fantasy value, all the things off the field have to be considered before determining his worth.

Very few players have made more odd news off the field than Young, or had such a roller coaster beginning to their career. So, just for the sake of remembering, let’s get the rundown of Young over the past five years.

January 2006 – Leads Texas over USC for the national title. Good. His stock was high; he looks like a natural leader, a can’t-miss pro prospect.

April 2006 – Tennessee picks Young third overall, the heir apparent to Steve McNair, Young’s friend and mentor.

Rookie season 2006 – Young nearly takes a bad Titans team to the playoffs. It appears as though the sky is the limit.

Offseason 2006-07 – Young says he is seriously contemplating retirement!!! Football wasn’t fun anymore, he said.

2007 season – Young leads Tennessee to the playoffs.

2008 season – Young gets injured early in the season and is Wally Pipped! For those of you who don’t know the story of Wally Pipp, google it!!! Kerry Collins goes on to lead the Titans to a 13-3 record, but they are upset in the divisional playoffs.

Offseason 2008-09 – Titans coach Jeff Fisher says Collins will remain the starting QB. Young, meanwhile, disappears – sort of. Young left his home without his cell, upset over fans booing him. After Fisher spoke with Young’s family, he phoned the police. After a four-hour search, Young was found and agreed to meet with Fisher.

2009 season – Tennessee, however, gets off to a disappointing 0-6 start and Young is returned to starting status. He goes on to win eight of his 10 starts and is third in the Comeback Player of the Year Voting.

Offseason 2009-10 – Young is involved in a strip-club fight, hardly the kind of image a team wants for its leader.

What does all this add up to? Well, from a fantasy football perspective, it means Young is a No. 2 quarterback at best. Young may very well go out this season and lead Tennessee to a great record, maybe even a Super Bowl. But he’s going to do it throwing for 180 yards, a touchdown or two and an interception with 20-50 yards rushing in a typical game.

For fantasy owners, that amounts to nothing. Tennessee is going to lean on running back Chris Johnson and try to let Young manage the game, being dynamic at times, but basically just trying to have him not lose the game. His receiving corps, while solid, is nothing spectacular.

Somebody in your league – especially in dynasty/keeper formats – is going to reach for Young, maybe even as a starter in deeper leagues. Don’t be the guy who does that. Young will probably go on to a solid, long NFL career – as long as he doesn’t retire early and stays away from exotic clubs – but he’s never going to be a fantasy stud.

We all sit there and drool over the potential, such as we did with Michael Vick. And much like Vick, there will be weeks where Young will throw for 300 with two TDs and run for 70 yards and another score. But those are anomalies, not the norm.

On draft day, regardless of the format, don’t go after Young until the later rounds when you’re trying to secure a second quarterback.

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