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.
