Tyrod Taylor is getting ranked above Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins among others on the FantasyPros consensus QB rankings for 2016. I never thought it’d come to this, but what’s the point in drafting Taylor above those quarterbacks mentioned above?
There’s a reason the Bills aren’t giving Taylor an extension, as they want him to play another year and see what he has to offer. Taylor thinks he can be the long-term option, but if the Bills ever want to win a Super Bowl, they know they’ll need someone else at quarterback.
Taylor had respectable fantasy numbers last season, there’s no denying that. However, did he look good enough that you’d trust drafting him ahead of the aforementioned veterans? Of course, he’s still only ranked as the No. 17 QB so he’ll only be used on a matchup basis and mainly for upside due to his legs. But Taylor seems like a fad in a run-first offense.
If the Bills don’t add a veteran receiver in the free-agent market or draft one fairly high, Taylor’s options won’t be any better than they were a year ago. Sammy Watkins is good, but it’s hard to trust him when he picks up a new injury every week. Taylor also fits the injury-prone label due to his small frame and activity in the ground game. He’s a bit smaller than Robert Griffin III and while he may be a bit smarter, the Bills are wary on signing a quarterback that always has a chance of getting hurt.
Comparing Taylor to some of the other QBs getting rated below him, it’s a bit troublesome.
Matt Ryan struggled last year, but is anyone predicting he’ll be worse in his second season in Kyle Shanahan’s offense? No, that would be a mistake. The Falcons offense should be better on all fronts after falling apart in the second half of 2015.
Matthew Stafford lost Calvin Johnson, but we’ve already seen him have success without his top receiver. Not to mention the Lions will likely add another WR at some point and it’s important to note that Stafford will get a full offseason with Jim Bob Cooter, so that may help as well.
The same could be said about any number of quarterbacks getting ranked below Taylor such as Cousins, Ryan Tannehill and even Jay Cutler.
Not only are Taylor’s options limited on a run-first team with LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams in the backfield, but he gets hit fairly often. A lot of fantasy owners may reason that Taylor’s legs give him upside and put him on a level above other QBs that don’t run, but those people also probably drafted RGIII the last three years.
Cam Newton and Russell Wilson use their running ability to be top fantasy quarterbacks, but comparing Taylor to either one of those guys is a mistake. There’s a reason Taylor only attempted 380 passes last year. The Bills simply don’t have that much trust in his arm and it’s going to take 16 games and an appearance in the playoffs for Buffalo to re-sign him next year.
Taylor is playing for a contract, but that doesn’t automatically make him a better option than quarterbacks that we already know can produce. Let someone else waste a roster spot on Tyrod Taylor.
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