In the past, I've had some skeptical things to say about Taysom Hill. And when I saw a report that he's expecting an expanded role, I dipped into the numbers with the anticipation that I'd be trashing him again. But after I did, I realized that's not gonna happen.
Hill was the No. 7 PPR tight end last year, and even better in Standard scoring (No. 3). This is assuming leagues are giving him credit for that position, which they should, since that's how he's listed on the roster at the team website. Even though his primary value comes as a red-zone running back.
Hill caught just 9 balls last season; he's not really a receiver. He completed just 13 passes; the team has thankfully stopped talking him up as a potential quarterback. But fold those modest receiving and passing stats into what he's doing as a runner, and he's a legitimate fantasy option -- especially in best-ball leagues, but also more often than not in redraft leagues, with tight end a traditionally difficult position to find quality starters once the top options are gone.
Hill missed all or most of two games last season, but in the 15 he played in, he put up usable production more often than not. In nearly half (7) of those games he scored double-digit fantasy points, and three times he scored 8 -- so 8-plus fantasy points in 10 of 15 games. Only eight tight ends who played at least 12 games a year ago averaged more PPR points than Hill last season; only two did so in non-PPR.
Skeptics will note that one huge game when nobody actually started him accounted for a huge percentage of his final point totals. But still, more good games than bad for the TE/RB/QB.
| TAYSOM HILL GAME LOG, 2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | Run | No | Rec | Pass | PaTD | RTD | FF |
| at Atl. | 81 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15.3 |
| Minn. | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8.1 |
| Sea. | 112 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 34.3 |
| Cin. | 39 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 |
| at Ariz. | 9 | 1 | 3 | 48 | 0 | 1 | 10.6 |
| L.V. | 61 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 |
| Balt. | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 |
| at Pitt. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 |
| LAR | 52 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 |
| at S.F. | 13 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 |
| at T.B. | 10 | 2 | 35 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 13.6 |
| Atl. | 30 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 1 | 0 | 11.0 |
| at Cle. | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11.6 |
| at Phil. | 46 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 13.8 |
| Car. | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 |
Now Hill is saying his role as a receiver could expand this season. That one, I'm not really buying. He's said as much in the past, but never really been utilized much in that fashion. His career high is 19 catches four years ago. He's caught 43 passes in 81 games. He turns 33 this summer.
But he needs to be on the list of possible tight end starters once the top-shelf options are gone, especially in standard scoring systems, but also in PPR. Little choice but to accept that he's a viable player.
Final note: while I'm talking up Hill, it's hard to get around the reality that his usage is a drag on the value of other Saints skill players: Derek Carr, and whatever combination the team employs at running back. Last year Andy Dalton threw only 18 touchdowns in 14 games. The team's running backs (Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Latavius Murray) combined for just 4 rushing scores; Hill had nearly twice as many (7), plus his 2 passing touchdowns and 2 receiving scores. Maybe that's why I've written disparagingly about him in the past; he bugs me. As long as he's around, he might be a viable option, but everyone else is losing out on some touchdown opportunities.
--Andy Richardson