Tag: position

Taysom Hill clarifies what his fantasy football position should be

Taysom Hill, who has played many positions for the New Orleans Saints beyond just quarterback, has thoughts on his fantasy football position

[jwplayer qnZvfmkx-ThvAeFxT]

What position should Taysom Hill say he plays, when asked? The easy answer is “football player,” but that doesn’t square easily with the rabid fantasy football community, who have been confounded by the New Orleans Saints’ so-called quarterback who logs more snaps at other positions in kickoff and punt coverage, field goal protection, tight end, slot receiver, and fullback, among others.

So, it’s a tougher question to answer than it appears at first glance. The fantasy football community has been in uproar over Hill’s usage in New Orleans, initially due to his habit of “vulturing” short-yardage touchdowns from both Alvin Kamara (on running plays) and Michael Thomas (on slant passes), but that response evolved as Hill became more of a regular feature in the Saints offense. Now that he’s become a weekly threat to score or gain big chunks of yardage (having hit paydirt eight times in 2019, including the playoffs), there’s fantasy points being left untouched by team managers.

What’s specifically frustrating for them is that Hill is listed as a quarterback in most formats, meaning they would have to bench a starting quarterback in conventional leagues to take advantage of Hill’s unique workload. Some two-quarterback systems opened the door for him to make an impact, but that’s a small niche within the broader industry. Many formats include a “flex” position in addition to your standard groupings (quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end) but that slot is rarely available for quarterbacks.

It’s something Hill acknowledged when Matt Harmon of Yahoo Fantasy Sports asked what position he should be listed at. “Oh man, well,” Hill answered, choosing his words very carefully, “It would be hard to argue with all the comments last year after I probably should have been a ‘flex’ in the 2019 season, but I better stay at quarterback for the future.”

Maybe that’s a sign that more pass attempts are in Hill’s future. Whatever the case, his distinctive skills set should continue to frustrate fantasy football players all over the world.

[vertical-gallery id=27931]

Seahawks thin at tight end and could look for reinforcement in 2020

The Seattle Seahawks are relatively thin at the tight end position and could look to reinforce the unit through free agency and the draft.

The tight end position may be a crucial need for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason with concerns about Will Dissly’s durability and the depth of the roster.

Dissly has been productive when he has been healthy and could still serve as a key target for Russell Wilson in the future, but he has suffered two season-ending injuries in as many years in the NFL. Seattle has few viable options outside of him.

Jacob Hollister became a key contributor on offense after the Seahawks acquired him in a trade with the Patriots, but has also had his share of rough moments and is a restricted free agent as well. Ed Dickson has spent most of his time in the Emerald City on injured reserve. This looks like a tight end unit in need of reinforcement.

There will likely be players available in free agency – such as Austin Hooper and Eric Ebron – for the team to consider as well as this year’s draft prospects. The Seahawks should be looking into all possible options moving forward.

The Seahawks’ most glaring positional needs may be along both the offensive and defensive lines, but tight end is a position of need that should not be overlooked in free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft.

[lawrence-related id=55506]

Sean Payton discusses Taysom Hill’s increased usage, production

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was as impressed as anyone by how versatile backup quarterback Taysom Hill responded in the playoffs.

[jwplayer 4iIQGpJ3-ThvAeFxT]

It’s tough to list bright spots from the New Orleans Saints’ disappointing loss to the Minnesota Vikings without mentioning dynamic sometimes-quarterback Taysom Hill. Hill was one of the best players of the game, and Saints coach Sean Payton acknowledged that while crediting Hill’s ability to make an impact at almost any position.

“My understanding is you can’t find a spot for him on your fantasy roster, so it’s probably difficult for the reality of it, too,” Payton joked during his end-of-year press conference on Tuesday. Hill’s designation as a quarterback on many fantasy football websites has clashed with his habit of “vulturing” touchdowns from the Saints skills-position players, having caught six scores in the regular season (plus another one in the playoffs).

The way Payton tells it, this wasn’t really the plan. But Hill kept impressing in practice and during games on special teams, so Payton began workshopping plays to involve Hill more heavily in the offense: “It wasn’t that we looked at him differently, but the more and more we kept watching him the more and more we thought ‘he’s one of our better players and he needs to be on the field.'”

Hill turned in his biggest performance yet for the Saints in Sunday’s wild-card round loss, and it was still on Payton’s mind days later. He continued, “That (usage) evolved even more to a point where, obviously there’s a read-option element to when he’s playing quarterback, to the deep pass he threw to Deonte (Harris) was something that we felt might have a chance. He’s got real good arm strength. He was exceptional Sunday, he was outstanding. He’s an exciting football player, he does a lot of things well, and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

That certainly doesn’t sound like a coach who’s about to let a player leave in restricted free agency. The Saints can retain Hill with one of several different one-year tender options, but it’s possible another team tries to sign him should the Saints pass on the first- or second-round compensatory pick tenders. Cutting corners to use the cheap, right of first refusal tender might not be the way to go here.

[vertical-gallery id=26617]

Sean Payton pleased with Taysom Hill’s progress, even if ‘he runs like Barney Rubble’

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton credited Taysom Hill for integrating the Saints passing attack, even if he doesn’t look pretty doing it

[jwplayer MgrvgHyE-ThvAeFxT]

Don’t look now, but New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill has turned into a real weapon in Sean Payton’s passing game. Hill finished the 2019 season tied with wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith in receiving yards (234) and one more touchdown catch (6, against Smith’s 5). He and Smith were tied for the sixth-most receiving yards on the team, while Hill’s receiving touchdowns placed third-best (wide receiver Michael Thomas and tight end Jared Cook tied for first, with 9 scoring grabs).

As Payton explains it, Hill’s growth into a legitimate receiving threat wasn’t really part of the plan. It was just a natural evolution from his success on special teams and bit-part on offense.

Payton said, “Yeah, I think it’s just continued to expand. I think that we’ve seen him in special teams. We’ve seen him block on offense. We’ve seen him run down the field vertically and each week it’s just expanded relative to his role. I think he’s handled it well. He has a lot of hats.”

When asked how the other receivers react to Hill’s continued development, all Payton could do was chuckle.

“We give them a hard time because sometimes he runs like Barney Rubble, but he runs fast,” Payton joked, referencing the caveman from old “The Flintstones” cartoons. Hill may be athletic, but he’s rarely aesthetic. His rumbling, tumbling style of running doesn’t look as pretty as the smooth track-and-field speed Smith or Ted Ginn Jr. may enjoy, but there’s no questioning his effectiveness. Payton continued, “I think he has real good sense and awareness of coverage. He’s smart, he understands how to set up routes and I think he had a big play yesterday but, but I think he has real good football intelligence.”

[vertical-gallery id=24372]