Tyrod Taylor is fantasy football’s best kept secret

It’s easy in fantasy football to be swayed by player and team reputations in actual football. For instance, despite Julio Jones missing two games last year and recording six games in which he had under 70 yards receiving—including four which he was held to under 40 yards—you wouldn’t think twice about drafting Julio Jones because he is Julio Jones. Duh. Easy pick.

The same goes the other way. We tend to forget how productive some players are simply because they are on bad teams. Isaiah Crowell is an excellent example. He’s finished as a top 30 fantasy running back every year he’s been in the league but since he’s on the Browns, he tends to be a little overlooked.

And then there’s Tyrod Taylor.

Taylor may very well be the best kept secret in fantasy football this year. I don’t know if it’s just because the Bills clearly don’t want him or what, but for whatever reason, I have this sour taste in my mouth every time Taylor comes up in mocks. Like, yea he would make sense to take in the 12th round but do I really trust him to produce consistently?

The answer is yes. Yes you trust him to produce consistently and YES YOU TAKE HIM IN THE 12TH ROUND!

Let me lay some facts on you courtesy of your’s truly and ESPN’s Matthew Berry:

Fact #1: Taylor has produced two back-to-back 270+ total point fantasy seasons. In 2015, that got him ranked 14th among QBs, last year he was ranked 8th.

Fact #2: Taylor is the only player in the NFL has at least 3,000 passing yards and at least 550 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons. In fact, during those two years, Taylor has rushed for at least 30 yards in 19 of 29 games. Cam Newton has done it in 18 of 31 games. No other quarterback has done it more than 12 times.

Fact #3: Only two quarterbacks since 2015 have had more games with at least 15 fantasy points than Taylor. They are Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.

Fact #4: Taylor has averaged 18.71 fantasy points per game over the past two years, good for 7th best in the NFL. For comparison sake, Russell Wilson averaged 18.95 FPPG. Taylor’s ADP: 12.05. Wilson’s: 7.08

Clearly Taylor is being overlooked when it comes to fantasy football. He has been one of the more productive fantasy quarterbacks over the past two years, the majority of that time missing his number one receiver Sammy Watkins. Now he has a healthy Watkins (fingers crossed) and a rookie in Zay Jones who could make an immediate impact on the field. He also promises to be excellent value at the end of drafts, especially if you’re drafting with people who haven’t read this article.

One things for sure, I no longer have a bad taste in my mouth when Taylor comes up in the 12th round. If he’s there in the 12th, I’m taking him without hesitation and smile on my face as he leads my team to glory.