Tyrod Taylor: The most interesting quarterback in fantasy football
Heading into 2016 fantasy football draft time, theScore looks at the most intriguing option from each offensive position. This edition focuses on Buffalo Bills QB Tyrod Taylor.
2015 in review
Taylor won the Bills' starting QB job in training camp and went on to play in 14 games, throwing for 3,035 yards and 20 TDs while rushing for 568 yards and four scores. He also avoided mistakes, throwing just six interceptions for a sensational 1.6 percent INT rate.
Ultimately, anyone who picked Taylor late in fantasy drafts or claimed him on waivers early in the season had to have been pleased with his production.
What makes him interesting
Had Taylor not missed two games, the dual threat almost certainly would have finished inside the top 10 in quarterback scoring. Taylor led all quarterbacks with 5.5 yards per rush attempt, and only Carolina's Cam Newton ran the ball more frequently, though Taylor narrowly topped Newton in averaging 40.6 rushing yards per game.
Of course, that same propensity to run and take hits comes at a cost, and Taylor did miss two late-October games with a knee injury. Taylor had never been an NFL starter until last season, so he doesn't have a long enough track record to suggest he's prone to injury, but his style of play posits that his health will always be a concern.
The Bills finished 13th in total offense last season, and led the NFL in rushing yards behind Taylor and running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams. The passing game ranked near the bottom, and the team didn't make any relevant additions over the offseason. Chris Hogan signed with the division-rival Patriots, so Sammy Watkins again looks to be Taylor's top target.
Despite missing three games, Watkins registered more yards and TDs than in his rookie campaign, and ranked seventh among all players in averaging 17.5 yards per catch. Even with the threat Watkins provided, Taylor never topped 291 yards passing in a single game, and finished under 200 yards six times (though his rushing prowess propped up his overall yardage totals).
Taylor's passing production won't rise much, so the best hope for fantasy owners is that he stays healthy enough to produce with his legs, and that he remains as unlikely to throw interceptions as he was in 2015.
Draft outlook
In terms of average draft position (ADP), Taylor is being picked somewhere between 15th and 20th among quarterbacks, making him a backup or matchups play in most 10- to 12-team leagues.
While he has the upside to outperform his draft slot, Taylor's injury concerns and anticipated lack of passing production are likely why he's not seen as worthy of a higher draft spot. Still, as a second quarterback, Taylor's running ability provides a lot of upside, regardless of opponent.