New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill is truly a one-of-a-kind player. Eligible at tight end but absolutely not actually a tight end, Hill has had moments of fantasy brilliance. What is his 2023 fantasy football projection?
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Taysom Hill’s 2023 Fantasy Projection
There truly has never been a player in the NFL like Hill. I still can’t figure out why he’s eligible at tight end. He doesn’t play tight end. In terms of his 2022 usage, he was a runner first, a passer second, and a pass catcher third. Hill carried the ball 96 times, attempted 19 passes, and saw 13 targets.
It’s exceedingly difficult to project Hill’s stats because his touchdown total always exceeds his expected touchdown rate, given how he is deployed.
Last season, Hill scored seven times on the ground, twice through the air, and twice throwing the ball. That’s a whopping nine rushing/receiving touchdowns for a player that totaled just 652 yards.
For the past three seasons, Hill has had a pretty stable PPR fantasy points-per-game average. It was 9.9 in 2020, 10.6 in 2021, and 9.1 in 2022. Of course, his path to those numbers was very different. Hill made multiple starts at quarterback in each of 2020 and 2021. He did not make any in 2022.
And that’s not even the strangest part of Hill’s path to 9.1 ppg. He had a ridiculous 34.1-point outing in Week 5. And he was very consistent down the stretch with 10.2-13.5 points in Weeks 13-17. But he had a bunch of weeks where he was a virtual zero in your lineup.
Hill scored five or fewer fantasy points in a game six times, including consecutive weeks where he posted 1.1 and 0.1 points. When Hill smashed vs. when he flopped was completely random and unpredictable, creating a very frustrating scenario for fantasy managers. He was as boom/bust as it got.
Should You Draft Taysom Hill This Year?
This season, fantasy managers should expect a similar Hill, but perhaps with fewer spike weeks. Hill benefited from being needed more last season, as the combination of Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton at quarterback wasn’t the best.
Now, the Saints have Derek Carr, who I expect to be pulled for Hill passing snaps far less. Additionally, the Saints signed Jamaal Williams and drafted Kendre Miller, perhaps taking away from Hill’s carries, too. And on the receiving side, Hill is already seldom used in that regard.
Hill currently has an ADP of TE16, No. 159 overall. He’ll be drafted in most leagues but not all of them. I have Hill down at TE29. I’m just not interested in what he offers. Hill is best used as a streamer. If I have to spend a draft pick on him and make him my starting tight end, he is just too extreme of a touchdown-or-bust option for my taste.