There comes a time in every fantasy football analyst’s life when they are forced to take a step back and reevaluate things based on the changing times.
The NFL game continues to evolve, and thus the fantasy game must as well. The rise of PPR scoring increased the value of mediocre wide receivers and part-time running backs. The rise of mobile quarterbacks changed the way we now draft the position. And the trashy state of the tight end position makes the Saints’ Taysom Hill someone you should probably roster in fantasy.
For the first two years of his career, Hill’s fantasy value was non-existent. The former BYU quarterback went undrafted in 2017, was signed and released by the Packers that summer, and ultimately landed as a special-teams player in New Orleans. In 2019, Saints head coach Sean Payton inexplicably began to use Hill as a passer and a runner in the red zone, which resulted in seven touchdowns, much to the chagrin of fantasy managers rostering Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara.
When Payton doubled down in 2020, resentment increased, and we witnessed one of the biggest dust-ups between fantasy players and web platforms as Hill took snaps under center for multiple games but remained listed as a tight end.
The following season, Hill’s usage remained consistent, but his effectiveness dwindled. Fantasy analysts who repeatedly proclaimed that you could not draft him as your tight end because of the usage inconsistencies thought they had the last laugh. Until this season, that is.
During the second quarter of the game this past Sunday, Hill lined up under center and everyone knew what was coming. He ran in for an 8-yard score, and fantasy owners’ eyes rolled. Then, before we could even complain, he amassed 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground for the day and also threw a TD pass. He has now scored in four of the Saints’ five games and is second in tight end fantasy points, fewer than two points behind Mark Andrews.
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Given the state of the tight end position, it’s time fantasy pundits took a YOLO approach and started recommending Hill to their subscribers. How much worse could he be than Kyle Pitts or Mike Gesicki? If you are looking for tight end help on the waiver wire, Taysom Hill, for better or for worse, is your man.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, player projections, injury updates, and more.