Taysom Hill

Hill is officially listed as a tight end in many fantasy leagues, though the majority of his value comes from plays where he takes the snap. He’s set to reprise his role as a jack of all trades and wildcat quarterback in New Orleans, though the Saints may be more reluctant to sub out pricey new quarterback Derek Carr in key spots. Jameis Winston is still around as the backup, so the dream fantasy scenario of the TE-eligible Hill starting at quarterback is at least two injuries away. Hill should continue to get most of his playing time in red-zone and short-yardage packages, and he has run in 20 touchdowns over the past three seasons while throwing for 10 and catching three. Like last year, Hill – who turns 33 in August – could have a few big games while barely seeing the ball in others. He had only 77 receiving yards in 2022, and of his 575 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, 193 rushing yards and four touchdowns came in two games.

The versatile Hill started five games at quarterback last season, providing a major fantasy boost in formats in which he was eligible at other positions. But new coach Dennis Allen is apparently not as big a fan of Hill as a dual-threat quarterback as former coach Sean Payton. Allen said in March that Hill will no longer play quarterback full-time and instead will focus on tight end. Hill should still take occasional snaps in the Saints’ version of the wildcat formation, in addition to H- back. But prior to taking over as the starting quarterback last year, Hill had 104 yards and two touchdowns rushing, four catches for 52 receiving yards and 56 passing yards in seven games — numbers which don’t warrant consideration in most fantasy formats. Hill might not even be ready to start the season as he recovers from a Lisfranc injury, and Adam Trautman is the starting tight end with wideouts Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave vying for targets. Some fantasy managers in deeper leagues might dedicate a roster spot to Hill for the small chance he’s asked to step back in under center. If reports are to be believed, though, both Jameis Winston (knee) and Andy Dalton would have to be unavailable for that to be an option.

After four years as understudy to Drew Brees, Hill still wasn't handed the starting job, as Jameis Winston re-signed with the Saints. The two competed in camp for the job, with Winston emerging victorious after a big performance in the second week of the preseason. Hill went 3-1 with eight total TDs in his four starts as a QB last year, but it took until the third game before he threw his first TD pass. He also made too many mistakes (13 sacks, five turnovers). He completed 73.7 percent of his attempts in large part because he rarely threw deep - 70 percent of his 121 attempts went 10 yards or less, with only 10 passes of 20-plus yards. Hill's running ability gives him fantasy upside if he's taking all the QB snaps, but that won't be the case right out of the gate. Winston, while flawed, has a stronger arm and far more experience as an NFL starter. Either way, Alvin Kamara is a great receiver out of the backfield, but the wideout corps is underwhelming after Michael Thomas, who is expected to miss the beginning of the season in any case. For either QB to make a fantasy impact, Payton needs to open the playbook, rather than leaning on the dink-and-dunk that defined the final years of the Brees era.

Hill broke out in 2019, thanks to his game-breaking talent and ability to line up all over the field. After a productive year of his own, Teddy Bridgewater headed out of town, leaving Hill as the heir apparent to the aging Drew Brees. The signing of free agent Jameis Winston puts a damper on Hill's future outlook at quarterback, but Hill still has a strong chance to operate as a gadget player out of the backfield or out wide as a receiver in 2020. Hill's fantasy value was largely touchdown-dependent last season (seven TDs on 46 touches), so consistency may be an issue this year. Despite an uncertain workload, his unique skill set and scoring upside make Hill an asset for deeper 2QB and best ball formats.

Hill lined up at quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver and kick returner last season as a trick-play, jack-of-all-trades backup. His biggest fantasy impact, though, was depriving Drew Brees and the Saints running backs of a handful of passing and rushing opportunities at the goal line. Hill, who scored twice last year, likely will remain a mainstay in the team's offensive plans while also playing the majority of snaps on special teams. If Brees were to get injured, Hill might have an opportunity to handle more touches, but Teddy Bridgewater is still the No. 2 quarterback on the roster. Hill will continue to be a fun player the Saints love using in a variety of ways, but he's not a fantasy option outside of deep two-QB leagues.

A standout dual-threat quarterback at BYU, Hill was not drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft before signing as a free agent with the Packers. He subsequently joined the Saints after being claimed off waivers last September. The rookie quarterback spent most of the season on the practice squad before causing considerable buzz in his NFL debut in a Week 13 win over the Panthers -- a game in which he recorded two tackles and came close to blocking a pair of Carolina punts as part of the Saints' special-teams unit. While Hill is expected to continue to play on special teams, he will also compete with offseason free agent Tom Savage for the right to serve as quarterback Drew Brees' primary backup. Although Hill's checkered medical history includes four season-ending injuries in college, he has intriguing potential as a dual-threat quarterback if he were ever to get an extended look in the NFL at any point.