Taysom Hill's Fantasy Projection in 2021

After leading fantasy owners into the playoff with his four starts in 2020, what can fantasy owners expect from the Saints QB in 2021 as a potential full time starter?

With legendary NFL quarterback Drew Brees retiring in March, the New Orleans Saints’ offense embarks next season with a new signal-caller for the first time in 15 seasons. Many Saints fans and analysts are examining how Brees’ retirement will impact New Orleans’ win total. However, the fantasy football community scratches their heads, asking who can capitalize off Brees’ absence in 2021.

Of any player in New Orleans’ offense, there will be no one that has a bigger opportunity to burst onto the fantasy football scene than Taysom Hill. Saints head coach Sean Payton stated that Hill and fellow quarterback Jameis Winston would battle for the starting job in 2021. Thus, opening the door for the BYU product to continue to grow from his four-game audition last fall and solidify himself as an NFL starting quarterback.  

If the “Swiss Army Knife” quarterback does win New Orleans’ quarterback job, is he a lock as a top 10 quarterback option in fantasy football next season?

Even though there is a lot of hype around Jameis Winston potentially gaining the starting nod in New Orleans, it's forgotten Hill started four games when Brees injured his ribs/lung last season. Hill looked shaky in the pocket at times, but he still led the Saints to a 3-1 record. He became an ace in the hole for fantasy owners contending for a spot in their league’s playoffs.

Under PPR formats, Hill averaged 21.1 points per game in his four games as the Saints’ starting quarterback. He posted eight total touchdowns during the campaign and combined for over 280 total yards in three out of his four starts. These performances were godsends for fantasy owners searching for a quarterback in must-win situations on their way to the playoffs and beyond.

Hill’s dual-threat ability to pass and run makes him a competent fantasy quarterback with a high floor but an even larger ceiling. If the BYU product can clean up the turnovers and continue his steady output on the ground, there is no reason why he can’t be a top 10 fantasy quarterback.

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If Hill continued his 21.1-point output for an entire season, he would have ranked in the top eight fantasy football quarterbacks for the 2020 season and top three for the 2019 season. These lofty rankings are due to his ability to gash defenses through the run, propelling him into a QB1 position for most fantasy matchups.

Hill has only started four games at quarterback in his NFL career, but he has proved to be a quality fantasy option despite the small sample size. If Hill wins the reins to New Orleans’ offense in 2021, he will be a roster lock in all leagues.

While the question remains if Hill is the right quarterback to lead the Saints towards a Super Bowl run in 2021, there is no question fantasy owners can trust him to make their title run. Hill's value at QB is strictly up to his ability to win the starting job from Jameis Winston. If he can accomplish this feat, be ready to snag this dual-threat signal-caller as a quality week-to-week fantasy starter.

Saints News Network Intern Andrew Gullotta contributed to this article.

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