Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Prepping for backup role
Rotowire
Heinicke said his goal is to be "the best backup I can" behind fellow Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports. "They drafted [Ridder] high for a reason," Heinicke added Thursday afternoon.
The catch is that Atlanta didn't draft Ridder all that early (74th overall), while Heinicke's two-year, $14 million contract ($6.32 million guaranteed) makes him one of the better-compensated backups in the league. The team was clear with Heinicke about Ridder being the starter, which figures to carry into Week 1, but that doesn't necessarily mean the second-year pro will have a lot of leeway if he struggles once the season starts. Heinicke's stats from Washington -- 64.0 completion rate, 7.0 YPA, 33:21 TD:INT, 12-11-1 record -- give him a strong argument to be viewed among the two or three best backup quarterbacks in the league.
... See More... See Less
Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Linking up with Atlanta
Rotowire
Heinicke came to terms Tuesday with Atlanta on a two-year contract, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.
Heinicke is expected to join a quarterback room currently led by second-year pro Desmond Ridder, putting Heinicke in a position to serve as a veteran understudy. An Atlanta native who will turn 30 years old Wednesday, Heinicke logged 24 regular-season starts with the Commanders over the past two seasons and threw for 32 touchdowns against 21 interceptions during that stretch.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Won't start Sunday
Rotowire
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that Sam Howell rather than Heinicke will start Sunday's season finale against the Cowboys, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
Earlier Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported that Heinicke was in line to draw the starting assignment in place of the benched Carson Wentz, with Howell also in line to appear in relief. However, Rivera subsequently clarified that the rookie fifth-round pick will take the first snap for the team Sunday, and presumably play the entire game. At 7-8-1, the Commanders have been eliminated from playoff contention and are incentivized to see what they have in Howell, who has yet to make his NFL debut. Unless he's used behind Howell this Sunday, Heinicke will conclude the 2022 campaign with a 62.2 percent completion rate for 1,859 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 96 rushing yards and another score over his nine appearances.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Set to reclaim starting role
Rotowire
Heinicke is expected to be named the Commanders' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
With Carson Wentz flopping in his return to the starting role in last week's 24-10 loss to the Browns, head coach Ron Rivera looks set to turn the offense back over to Heinicke with little on the line in the season finale for the 7-8-1 Commanders, who have been eliminated from playoff contention. Over his nine starts this season prior to being benched Week 17, Heinicke guided Washington to a 5-3-1 record while completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 1,859 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 96 yards and another score on the ground. According to Fowler, Washington plans to get a look at rookie fifth-round pick Sam Howell at some point during Sunday's game, so Heinicke doesn't look as though he'll be in line to play the full 60 minutes. Meanwhile, Wentz appears likely to be inactive for the contest as Washington's No. 3 quarterback.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Comes up short in SNF loss
Rotowire
Heinicke completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 249 yards and a touchdown Sunday. He rushed three times for 33 yards and lost two fumbles in a 20-12 loss to the Giants.
It was an eventful game for Heinicke despite the losing effort and middling fantasy line. The undrafted veteran almost brought his team back late in the fourth quarter on a gutsy scramble that was ultimately stopped one yard short of the end zone by the Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux. The latter also stripped Heinicke of the ball for a scoop and score at the end of the first half that changed the tide in the game. On the flip side, the 29-year-old had success taking deeper shots down the field -- particularly on a 61-yard bomb to Jahan Dotson -- resulting in his third-highest passing yardage total through eight starts. Heinicke might find it tough to replicate those big-yardage plays against Nick Bosa and the 49ers' ferocious pass rush on Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Two touchdowns in win
Rotowire
Heinicke completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 19-13 win over the Falcons.
Both Washington and Atlanta were content to rely on their rushing attacks, leaving Heinicke with very limited passing volume. Despite that, he did manage to throw for two touchdowns, which came from 14 and 16 yards away, respectively. When able, Washington will look to continue to limit Heinicke's passing volume, and he's now thrown for 200 or fewer yards in three of his last four games.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
Heinicke will remain the starter for Washington even when Carson Wentz (finger) is healthy, which gives him staying power as a starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. It's tougher to believe in him as a starter in one-quarterback leagues since he has combined for 28 Fantasy points in three games in a row, but he has a favorable matchup in Week 12 against Atlanta. The Falcons allow an average of 21.1 Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and Heinicke can be a low-end starter in deeper leagues. He's worth up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Struggles on the road
Rotowire
Heinicke completed 15 of 27 passes for 191 yards against Houston on Sunday.
Washington built a safe lead early in this game, and perhaps the resulting lack of urgency had something to do with Heinicke's middling production. Heinicke took six quarterback hits from a usually lackluster Texans pass rush, but he'll aim for a better performance against another team with trouble pressuring the quarterback in the Falcons in Week 12.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Named as Week 11 starter
Rotowire
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Heinicke will start Sunday's game in Houston, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Carson Wentz (finger) is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, and a recent report from Sam Fortier of The Washington Post suggested the Commanders were preparing Wentz to reclaim the starting role. Even if that's the case, it apparently won't happen for at least Week 11, giving Heinicke one more chance to make an argument to keep the job.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 11 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
Heinicke should remain the starter for the Commanders ahead of Carson Wentz (finger) since he went 3-1 in his absence. We'll see what happens if Wentz can return in Week 11, but Fantasy managers can look at Heinicke as an option in deeper leagues. I don't love the matchup for Heinicke against the Texans because the Commanders should be able to run all over Houston, and Heinicke only has one game with more than 18 Fantasy points in his four outings. However, the past two quarterbacks against the Texans -- Jalen Hurts and Daniel Jones -- have scored at least 21 Fantasy points, so hopefully Heinicke follows suit. He's worth 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Throws pair of TDs in loss
Rotowire
Heinicke completed 15 of 28 passes for 149 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Commanders' 20-17 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. He also rushed four times for 17 yards.
Heinicke had a positive impact with touchdown tosses of of 49 and six yards to Curtis Samuel and Dax Milne, respectively, but his fourth-quarter interception could hardly have been more ill-timed. With the Commanders up by seven, Heinicke overthrew Logan Thomas by an appreciable margin midway through the final period, resulting in a Harrison Smith interception that set up a game-tying 12-yard receiving touchdown by Dalvin Cook two plays later. Heinicke does have five touchdown tosses in his first three starts while throwing a pick in each game, and he'll aim to boost his numbers in a tough Week 10 road matchup against the Eagles on Monday night, Nov. 14.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Sleeper QBs
Rotowire
This could be Heinicke's last chance at a quality outing before Carson Wentz (thumb) is back. Wentz can return in Week 11, but the Commanders play the Eagles in Week 10, which is a brutal matchup. Heinicke should fare better against the Vikings this week, and Minnesota has allowed 55 Fantasy points over the past two games against the Dolphins and Cardinals. For the season, the Vikings allow 20.1 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Heinicke is averaging 20.5 Fantasy points per game in his past two outings against Green Bay and Indianapolis.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
Rotowire
The Vikings have given up the fourth-most net passing yards per game and the eighth fewest rushing yards. Washington has had far more success passing than running and I can't imagine they're going to stop the Vikings pass game. This should be a high-volume gae for Heinicke and quite possibly his third in a row with multiple touchdowns.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 9 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
Heinicke has done a nice job stepping in for Carson Wentz (thumb), averaging 20.5 Fantasy points per game in two outings against Green Bay and Indianapolis. He's starting for the next two games against Minnesota in Week 9 and at Philadelphia in Week 10, and Heinicke could be a low-end starter against the Vikings. Minnesota is No. 10 in Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Heinicke is worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 8 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
Heinicke handled himself well in his first start in place of Carson Wentz (finger) in Week 7 against Green Bay with 18 Fantasy points. He had 201 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come. He has a difficult schedule coming up at Indianapolis in Week 8, vs. Minnesota in Week 9 and at Philadelphia in Week 10, but Heinicke can be a low-end starter in deeper leagues if he continues to play like he did against the Packers. He's worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Throws two TDs to beat Packers
Rotowire
Heinicke completed 20 of 33 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 23-21 win over the Packers. He added two rushing attempts for four yards.
Heinicke got off to a dreadful start, completing just one of his first seven passes and throwing a pick-six. He bounced back on the ensuing drive by throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gibson. Later in the first half, another potential pivotal Heinicke error was erased by a penalty, as an illegal contact penalty on the Packers defense negated a Heinicke fumble that was returned for a touchdown. His 37-yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin put Washington up 17-14 in the third quarter and the Commanders led the rest of the way as Heinicke notched a win in his season debut replacing the injured Carson Wentz (finger). Heinicke will look to build on this winning effort in Week 8 against the Colts.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
Rotowire
We are really reaching now, but Heinicke has more rushing upside than Wentz and the same weapons/game script that made Wentz a borderline top-12 quarterback earlier this year.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 7 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
Heinicke might start one game in Washington, or he can start for the next month depending on how long Carson Wentz (finger) is out. We'll see if Heinicke can take advantage of this opportunity, and the Commanders have a quality receiving corps with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson and Logan Thomas. Heinicke started the majority of the season for Washington in 2021 and only had five games with at least 21 Fantasy points in 16 games, but this receiving corps is better. Hopefully, that can help Heinicke play at a higher level, and he's worth adding in all Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for at least 20 percent of your remaining FAB.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Taking over for injured Wentz
Rotowire
Heinicke will bump up to the top of Washington's quarterback depth chart while Carson Wentz recovers from a fractured ring finger on his throwing hand.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Wentz's recovery is expected to take 4-to-6 weeks, so Heinicke should enjoy a multi-game run atop the depth chart. Heinicke will reclaim Washington's starting quarterback job beginning with Sunday's game against the Packers. He led Washington to a 7-8 record in his 15 starts last season while posting a 20:15 TD:INT and averaging 6.9 yards per attempt.
... See More... See Less
Football Team's Taylor Heinicke: Struggles again
Rotowire
Heinicke completed 27 of 36 passes for 247 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Eagles. He added two rushes for 14 yards.
Contrary to reports that surfaced throughout the week, Heinicke was Washington's sole quarterback against the Eagles. However, his results didn't necessarily dictate that be the case. He averaged only 6.9 yards per attempt and also threw at least one interception for the fifth consecutive game. In addition to the errors, Heinicke failed to reach the end zone -- the ninth time in his last 11 contests that he has failed to throw for multiple touchdowns. Even if Heincke remains the starter in Week 18 against the Giants, his potential for a big game is not high.
