Why fantasy football owners should temper their Taysom Hill QB expectations
Should you start him this week?
We’ve already covered the fantasy football value of Taysom Hill in leagues — ESPN, specifically — in which the new New Orleans Saints starter at QB is eligible at the tight end position. He’s the top tight end option in Week 11 because he’ll produce QB numbers at a non-QB position.
But what about his value as an actual quarterback, which is what he is in most other leagues, including Yahoo?
To me, even with an opponent that hemorrhages passing yards to opposing QBs — they’re second-worst in the NFL with 310.3 yards allowed through the air in 2020 — it’s not as easy to figure out that answer.
For one, what if Sean Payton is throwing this information out now to mess up the Falcons’ game planning? What if he really does bring in Jameis Winston a handful of times or full-time on Sunday, after Atlanta has spent some time concentrating on how to stop Hill?
For another, we know what to expect out of Hill the gadget guy — some runs between the tackles and the occasional catch as a tight end. But Hill the actual quarterback? For that, we go to the video tape from his preseason performances:
2019 preseason, the last time we saw Taysom Hill play quarterback for an extended period of time pic.twitter.com/t0E8orAZcD
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) November 20, 2020
Yes, you have to take it with a grain of salt. It’s the preseason and he was facing the second-stringers. But what I see is a lot of short throws to go along with A LOT of designed runs and scrambles out of the pocket when he gets chased. What if his game tape looks more like it did in college?
— Rosscoe❼ (@TheRealRosscoe) November 20, 2020
So if — and to me, it’s a big if — he’s playing a full game of snaps at quarterback, there are risks there for turnovers and inaccurate throws (our Steven Ruiz did a terrific breakdown of Hill the passer earlier this year).
Add in the uncertainty about whether this is a smoke screen or not and I’d say if you’re desperate for a streamer at QB, roll the dice. I’d say the tier you’d start him at is below the likes of Derek Carr and Tua Tagovailoa — a QB2 with upside and a good matchup, a better option than Jared Goff (who hasn’t produced much fantasy-wise and faces the Bucs), Alex Smith, and Ryan Tannehill.
And don’t go dropping Winston just yet. Let’s see how this shakes out on Sunday.