Saints Name Jameis Winston Starting Quarterback: Fantasy Football Rapid Reaction (2021)

We’re back to provide the rapid reaction to the New Orleans Saints naming Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback over Taysom Hill and the fantasy football implications of the decision.

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The Details of the Decision

New Orleans Saints QB Jameis Winston has officially been named the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, per Adam Schefter.

Fantasy Impact
On Monday night, Winston threw two touchdown passes to Marquez Callaway against the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 9-of-10 pass attempts for 123 yards and two touchdowns. This performance was markedly better than the production delivered by Taysom Hill, who completed 11-of-20 pass attempts for 138 yards and a touchdown. Winston last started for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, throwing for over 5,000 passing yards and finishing with an infamous 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. Winston is currently QB32 in half-PPR formats, meaning he will be available on nearly all fantasy league waiver wires.

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Our analysts share their fantasy football takeaways from the decision:

Winston being named the starting quarterback for the Saints is a good thing for pretty much everyone other than Taysom Hill. Alvin Kamara was going to be a stud regardless of who was under center, but I project him for about 20 more receptions with Winston than with Hill. He’s locked in as a top-4 back in 0.5 PPR leagues and top-3 in PPR formats. Every pass-catcher also gets a mild bump, starting with Marquez Callaway, who should see plenty of deep targets. He moves up from WR50 to WR45 (there’s still plenty of risk there), and Tre’Quan Smith becomes an even more intriguing late-round selection. Winston moves up to QB19 for me for the moment, and he’s not absolutely without risk given Hill’s presence. Bottom line – this is good for everyone.
– Dan Harris

We should not forget Jameis Winston is a former Heisman winner and a #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Sure, interceptions have been a problem, but there are a handful of NFL quarterbacks who have ever thrown for 5K yards in a season. Winning the starting job gives Winston a second chance in the NFL. After holding the clipboard in 2020, one can only hope a change of scenery in a different style offense can give this once talented prospect renewed perspective. Taysom Hill will undoubtedly still get in the way and vulture some TD upside in fantasy terms. However, Winston is an inexpensive QB3 in superflex to cover your bye weeks and could become a useful trade chip. As for the ripple effect in the Saints offense, Winston is clearly the more talented QB and the remaining wide receivers, Marquez Callaway and Tre’Quan Smith should get a slight bump in rankings. This news of Winston being named the starter should also make you feel better about drafting Alvin Kamara at the 4th spot in most drafts.
– Joe Pisapia

Kyle Yates’s Updated Ranking: QB22
Dan Harris’s Updated Ranking: QB19
Joe Pisapia’s Updated Ranking: QB28

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