Tyrod Taylor

Fantasy Upside

Tyrod Taylor has put up respectable numbers in his first two years as the Bills' starting quarterback, throwing for over 3,000 yards and rushing for over 500 yards in both seasons. In 2016, he reached those numbers without leading wide receiver Sammy Watkins for half the season. Also, he's thrown only a combined 12 interceptions on 817 attempts the last two years. Taylor is only 27, so there is a chance he will still get better. The Bills brought in new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, who runs the West Coast offense, which plays to the strength of a quarterback with Taylor's skill set.

Fantasy Downside

One question for Buffalo: are there enough weapons for Taylor? The answer is yes and no. Watkins is a legitimate No. 1 receiver and LeSean McCoy is a legit all-purpose back. However, after that, there are question marks. The Bills did draft WR Zay Jones in the second round, but rookie receivers are a crapshoot on how impactful they can be. Plus, with a new coaching staff led by head coach Sean McDermott, do they believe in Taylor?

2017 Bottom Line

It's a tough call with Taylor. It could be a reach if you draft him as your No. 1 QB, but there is a chance his numbers go up. His ADP is low enough in the late rounds of most drafts, which makes him less risky of a pick. If you think the Bills offense will prosper under McDermott and Dennison, you could reach for him a round or two earlier than his ADP to serve as a high-end No. 2 QB on your roster. As of now, Taylor ranks as a tier three QB with an above average chance to outproduce his ADP.

Week 15 vs Cleveland
Tyrod Taylor threw for 228 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He had a lot of garbage points in the fourth quarter, so that salvaged his fantasy day. His running stats were not relevant as the Steelers limited him to two yards and zero TDs (he had scored five rushing touchdowns in the previous six games). Taylor does have a groin injury, but is expected to play.

Taylor has a great matchup this week against the Browns, who are 31st in aFPA to quarterbacks. It hasn't happened often this season, but Taylor is a great play this week because of that matchup. Start him as a solid QB1 for Week 15.

Week 13 at Oakland
Last week was another lackluster fantasy performance for Tyrod Taylor, who only threw 18 passes for 166 yards. He did manage a touchdown and didn't throw a pick this week. However, he did rush for 38 yards and a touchdown to help his cause. Taylor has not thrown multiple touchdowns in a game since Week 6 and has eclipsed 200+ yard passing twice in the last 7 games.

Taylor will face the Raiders on the road, who are 12th in aFPA to quarterbacks. Buffalo got Sammy Watkins back last week and he did make an impact, so this should help Taylor (but not enough to start him for Week 13). Keep him on the bench as a high-end QB2.