Taylor Heinicke

Taylor Heinicke

31-Year-Old QuarterbackQB
Atlanta Falcons
2023 Fantasy Outlook
An undrafted free agent in 2015, Heinicke finally carved out a playing career the last couple years in Washington. He turned that into a two-year $14 million contract with Atlanta in March, a decent deal for a backup quarterback. He enters training camp No. 2 behind Desmond Ridder, after opening last year as the backup in Washington and ending up a nine-game starter. While he went 12-11-1 as a starter, Heinicke was far from prolific. In 25 games, he completed 64.0 percent of his attempts (23rd) with a 72.0 on-target percentage (22nd). His 7.0 YPA ranked 24th, and his 21 interceptions gave him a 2.8 INT percentage, the seventh-highest rate in the league. Heinicke isn't likely to start putting up big numbers if he ends up playing in Atlanta, where eighth overall pick Bijan Robinson joins Tyler Allgeier in the backfield for an offense that finished second in run rate last season and has virtually no receiving depth behind 22-year-olds Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Falcons in March of 2023.
Future in Atlanta murky
QBAtlanta Falcons
March 12, 2024
Heinicke is poised to drop to No. 3 on Atlanta's depth chart with the team slated to sign Kirk Cousins (Achilles), Michael Rothstein of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Cutting Heinicke would save the Falcons roughly $7 million against the cap, with just $2 million in dead money, a move that seems like a no-brainer in the wake of Cousins' signing. Even if Atlanta is concerned about its new franchise quarterback's Week 1 availability, the team still has Desmond Ridder under contract on his affordable rookie deal. Heinicke finished 2023 as the starter over Ridder, but both signal-callers were ultimately unimpressive. The Falcons will avoid paying Heinicke a $1.3 million roster bonus if he's cut or traded prior to March 17.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Taylor Heinicke's 2023 advanced stats compare to other quarterbacks?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Bad Pass %
    The percentage of passes that were considered to be poorly thrown.
  • Avg Target Depth
    The average number of yards thrown per pass by the quarterback – including incomplete passes.
  • Sack Rate
    The percentage of dropbacks where the quartback was sacked. The longer the bar below, the more often they are sacked relative to other QBs.
  • Avg Receiver YAC
    The average number of yards after the catch that receivers gained on passes thrown by this quarterback.
  • Receiver Drop %
    The percentage of passes dropped by receivers on passes thrown by this quarterback. The longer the bar, the more sure-handed his receivers have been.
Bad Pass %
22.8%
 
Avg Target Depth
7.6 Yds
 
Sack Rate
5.6%
 
Avg Receiver YAC
7.1 Yds
 
Receiver Drop %
2.9%
 
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Atlanta FalconsFalcons 2023 QB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

81875%
26524%
101%
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2023 Taylor Heinicke Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Taylor Heinicke See More
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15 days ago
A pair of QB trades were overshadowed by the Chargers' decision to ship WR Keenan Allen to the Bears.
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30 days ago
Chargers WR Keenan Allen was on track for his best season yet in 2023, but he's now facing a lot of questions ahead of his age-32 campaign in 2024.
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36 days ago
Tyler Lockett is one of the many big-name WRs with no guaranteed money remaining on a sizable contract, potentially setting up a trade or release in the next few weeks.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Being evaluated by new coordinator
QBAtlanta Falcons
February 15, 2024
New Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said in his introductory news conference Wednesday that "all options are on the table" with respect to the team's quarterback position in 2024, meaning Heinicke will presumably have a chance to make a case for a starting job, Michael Rothstein of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Rothstein notes Robinson, despite being a first-time coordinator, has already been exposed to a variety of quarterback skill sets, given he worked with the eclectic trio of Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford and Baker Mayfield during his time with the Rams. Of those three, Heinicke is closest in style to Mayfield, but Robinson has still to decide what type of offense he'll install. Heinicke would have an uphill battle to gain consideration for a starting job on almost any other team after completing just 54.4 percent of his passes and throwing for five touchdowns and four interceptions in 2023, but given his present competition is the equally middling Desmond Ridder, the veteran may have a chance in Atlanta.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
Heinicke parlayed his solid showing in a 2020 playoff game into a two-year contract extension, then made 15 starts for Washington in 2021 after Ryan Fitzpatrick injured his hip in the season opener. The 29-year-old QB now slides to a backup role this year after the Commanders traded for Carson Wentz, but Wentz's performance in Indianapolis last season - especially late in the year - suggests Heinicke might get another chance to start before the end of the campaign. The Commanders also have rookie fifth-round pick Sam Howell, who at one point in 2020-21 was viewed as a potential first-rounder.
Heinicke has been bouncing around pro football since 2015, including a stint in the AAF and one start for the Panthers in 2018. He actually was finishing up his engineering degree at Old Dominion last December when he got an offer from Washington to join the practice squad. After an Alex Smith injury and another Dwayne Haskins meltdown, Heinicke ended up starting in the wild-card round of the playoffs, tallying 306 passing yards, 46 rushing yards and two total touchdowns against the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. Washington saw enough to give Heinicke a two-year, $4.8 million contract, making him the favorite to beat out Kyle Allen this summer for the team's No. 2 QB job. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Week 1 starter, but Heinicke is just one injury or benching away from seeing the field again.
After playing in just one game through his first three seasons, Heinicke made five abbreviated appearances last year prior to Cam Newton being shut down for the final two games. That opened the door for Heinicke to make his first career start Week 16, when he completed 33 of 53 passes for 274 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He suffered an elbow injury in that contest, however, and was placed on IR shortly thereafter, truncating his opportunity. The 26-year-old subsequently underwent surgery but returned to the Panthers this offseason in hopes of earning a roster spot again. That being said, following the selection of third-round pick Will Grier, the odds don't seem to favor Heinicke.
Heinicke is in a tight battle for the Panthers' No. 2 quarterback job with Garrett Gilbert after playing one game with the Texans in 2017.
Heinicke will try to win a spot as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Sam Bradford and backup Case Keenum. His status on the active roster may depend on whether Teddy Bridgewater can return at some point from a serious knee injury.
Heinicke enters the 2016 season on the Active/Non-Football Injury list after severely injuring his lower-left leg in a freak accident while trying to break into his own home. He's projected to be back a couple months into the regular season, but he'll be unable to back-up starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for at least the first few weeks. Veteran Shaun Hill figures to secure the No. 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart, but Heinicke has the talent to someday take over the offense if Bridgewater gets hurt. The Vikings also have rookie Joel Stave out of Wisconsin, who'll likely make the roster initially due to Heinicke's injury. Heinicke shouldn't be on anyone's fantasy radar at this point, but he could be a serviceable backup option for the Vikings upon his return.
The undrafted free agent is a long shot to win the third quarterback job.
More Fantasy News
Listed as emergency QB
QBAtlanta Falcons
Ankle
January 7, 2024
Heinicke (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Saints, but he'll operate as the emergency quarterback, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Aiming to play Sunday
QBAtlanta Falcons
Ankle
January 7, 2024
Heinicke (ankle) remains questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints but is hopeful to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Gets questionable tag for Week 18
QBAtlanta Falcons
Ankle
January 5, 2024
The Falcons list Heinicke (ankle) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
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Another limited practice
QBAtlanta Falcons
Ankle
January 4, 2024
Heinicke (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Amna Subhan of the Falcons' official site reports.
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In line for limited practice
QBAtlanta Falcons
Ankle
January 3, 2024
Heinicke (ankle) will be a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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