Taylor Heinicke

Taylor Heinicke

30-Year-Old QuarterbackQB
Atlanta Falcons
2023 Fantasy Outlook
An undrafted free agent in 2015, Heinicke finally carved out a playing career the last couple years in Washington. He turned that into a two-year $14 million contract with Atlanta in March, a decent deal for a backup quarterback. He enters training camp No. 2 behind Desmond Ridder, after opening last year as the backup in Washington and ending up a nine-game starter. While he went 12-11-1 as a starter, Heinicke was far from prolific. In 25 games, he completed 64.0 percent of his attempts (23rd) with a 72.0 on-target percentage (22nd). His 7.0 YPA ranked 24th, and his 21 interceptions gave him a 2.8 INT percentage, the seventh-highest rate in the league. Heinicke isn't likely to start putting up big numbers if he ends up playing in Atlanta, where eighth overall pick Bijan Robinson joins Tyler Allgeier in the backfield for an offense that finished second in run rate last season and has virtually no receiving depth behind 22-year-olds Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Falcons in March of 2023.
Prepping for backup role
QBAtlanta Falcons
March 16, 2023
Heinicke said his goal is to be "the best backup I can" behind fellow Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports. "They drafted [Ridder] high for a reason," Heinicke said Thursday.
ANALYSIS
The catch is that Atlanta didn't draft Ridder all that early (74th overall in 2022), while Heinicke's two-year, $14 million contract ($6.32 million guaranteed) makes him one of the better-compensated backups in the league. The team was clear with Heinicke about Ridder being the starter, and while that plan will likely be executed in Week 1, it doesn't necessarily mean the second-year pro will have a lot of leeway if he struggles once the season starts. Heinicke's stats from Washington -- 64 percent completion rate, 7.0 yards per attempt, 33:21 TD:INT, 12-11-1 record -- give him a strong argument to be viewed among the best two or three backup quarterbacks in the league.
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Taylor Heinicke's 2022 advanced stats compare to other quarterbacks?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Bad Pass %
    The percentage of passes that were considered to be poorly thrown.
  • Avg Target Depth
    The average number of yards thrown per pass by the quarterback – including incomplete passes.
  • Sack Rate
    The percentage of dropbacks where the quartback was sacked. The longer the bar below, the more often they are sacked relative to other QBs.
  • Avg Receiver YAC
    The average number of yards after the catch that receivers gained on passes thrown by this quarterback.
  • Receiver Drop %
    The percentage of passes dropped by receivers on passes thrown by this quarterback. The longer the bar, the more sure-handed his receivers have been.
Bad Pass %
23.2%
 
Avg Target Depth
8.3 Yds
 
Sack Rate
6.8%
 
Avg Receiver YAC
5.0 Yds
 
Receiver Drop %
1.2%
 
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Atlanta FalconsFalcons 2022 QB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

74674%
26126%
40%
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2022 Taylor Heinicke Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Taylor Heinicke See More
2023 NFL Draft: Latest First Round Mock
43 days ago
John McKechnie lays out his first-round mock for the NFL Draft, including a Bijan Robinson landing spot that could shake up the fantasy landscape.
ADP Analysis: NFC East Players to Watch in 2023
56 days ago
Jim Coventry looks the ADP value of players in the NFC East, including Cowboys running back Tony Pollard.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
Heinicke parlayed his solid showing in a 2020 playoff game into a two-year contract extension, then made 15 starts for Washington in 2021 after Ryan Fitzpatrick injured his hip in the season opener. The 29-year-old QB now slides to a backup role this year after the Commanders traded for Carson Wentz, but Wentz's performance in Indianapolis last season - especially late in the year - suggests Heinicke might get another chance to start before the end of the campaign. The Commanders also have rookie fifth-round pick Sam Howell, who at one point in 2020-21 was viewed as a potential first-rounder.
Heinicke has been bouncing around pro football since 2015, including a stint in the AAF and one start for the Panthers in 2018. He actually was finishing up his engineering degree at Old Dominion last December when he got an offer from Washington to join the practice squad. After an Alex Smith injury and another Dwayne Haskins meltdown, Heinicke ended up starting in the wild-card round of the playoffs, tallying 306 passing yards, 46 rushing yards and two total touchdowns against the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. Washington saw enough to give Heinicke a two-year, $4.8 million contract, making him the favorite to beat out Kyle Allen this summer for the team's No. 2 QB job. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Week 1 starter, but Heinicke is just one injury or benching away from seeing the field again.
After playing in just one game through his first three seasons, Heinicke made five abbreviated appearances last year prior to Cam Newton being shut down for the final two games. That opened the door for Heinicke to make his first career start Week 16, when he completed 33 of 53 passes for 274 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He suffered an elbow injury in that contest, however, and was placed on IR shortly thereafter, truncating his opportunity. The 26-year-old subsequently underwent surgery but returned to the Panthers this offseason in hopes of earning a roster spot again. That being said, following the selection of third-round pick Will Grier, the odds don't seem to favor Heinicke.
Heinicke is in a tight battle for the Panthers' No. 2 quarterback job with Garrett Gilbert after playing one game with the Texans in 2017.
Heinicke will try to win a spot as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Sam Bradford and backup Case Keenum. His status on the active roster may depend on whether Teddy Bridgewater can return at some point from a serious knee injury.
Heinicke enters the 2016 season on the Active/Non-Football Injury list after severely injuring his lower-left leg in a freak accident while trying to break into his own home. He's projected to be back a couple months into the regular season, but he'll be unable to back-up starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for at least the first few weeks. Veteran Shaun Hill figures to secure the No. 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart, but Heinicke has the talent to someday take over the offense if Bridgewater gets hurt. The Vikings also have rookie Joel Stave out of Wisconsin, who'll likely make the roster initially due to Heinicke's injury. Heinicke shouldn't be on anyone's fantasy radar at this point, but he could be a serviceable backup option for the Vikings upon his return.
The undrafted free agent is a long shot to win the third quarterback job.
More Fantasy News
Linking up with Atlanta
QBAtlanta Falcons
March 14, 2023
Heinicke came to terms Tuesday with Atlanta on a two-year contract, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.
ANALYSIS
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Won't start Sunday
QBWashington Commanders
January 4, 2023
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that Sam Howell rather than Heinicke will start Sunday's season finale against the Cowboys, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Set to reclaim starting role
QBWashington Commanders
January 4, 2023
Heinicke is expected to be named the Commanders' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Loses starting job to Wentz
QBWashington Commanders
December 28, 2022
Heinicke will drop to second on the depth chart at quarterback with Washington naming Carson Wentz as its starter for Sunday's game against the Browns, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Benched Week 16, may lose starting job
QBWashington Commanders
December 24, 2022
Heinicke completed 13 of 18 pass attempts for 166 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble lost in Saturday's 37-20 loss to the 49ers.
ANALYSIS
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