The New Orleans Saints will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Taysom Hill.
Is Taysom Hill Playing in Week 13?
Hill is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Saints’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Taysom Hill in Week 13?
You may have heard that Hill had himself a day the last time his Saints took the field.
Hill’s production in Week 11 vs. the Cleveland Browns:
- 18 passing yards
- 138 rushing yards and three TDs
- 50 receiving yards (36.4% reception share)
Hill ranked second in rushing yards for the week while seeing more targets than Puka Nacua and recording more catches than Tyreek Hill. Hopefully, you cashed in on the historic week. No matter what you think of New Orleans’ unique weapon, weeks like that simply don’t come around.
Forget the production and look at the usage. The fact that Hill was put in a position to post a crazy stat line like that is enough to keep him ranked as a TE1 for me this week, even without the benefit of having any teams on bye.
Over his past four games, Hill has averaged 10.3 traditional opportunities (targets + rushes) per game. Given the proximity of his average snap to the goal line, you’re starting him if you have him against a bottom-five yards-after-catch defense this weekend.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Taysom Hill’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Hill is projected to score 11.5 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 1.2 receptions for 22.1 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Rams' Defense
The Los Angeles Rams defense has been recovering from a terrible start to become a league-average unit. After ranking outside the top 20 in the first three weeks, the Rams had ranked inside that mark in the following eight games, with four games ranking inside the top 12. However, Week 12 saw them rank 24th against an Eagles offense that saw Saquon Barkley run rampant.
That has left Los Angeles performing slightly below last year's numbers, which, given it changed defensive coordinator and lost Aaron Donald, is not a huge surprise.
The Rams have struggled in the passing game this year. Yet, despite losing Donald, they've been much better at putting pressure on opponents without having to blitz. Los Angeles has improved its sack and turnover rates this year. If the big plays on the back end can be eliminated, this pass defense has a ton of potential.
Barkley and the Eagles exposed their run defense, another area of concern they need to address this offseason.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Taysom Hill’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 TE PPR Rankings
1) Trey McBride | ARI (at MIN)
2) Brock Bowers | LV (at KC)
3) Travis Kelce | KC (vs. LV)
4) George Kittle | SF (at BUF)
5) David Njoku | CLE (at DEN)
6) T.J. Hockenson | MIN (vs. ARI)
7) Taysom Hill | NO (vs. LAR)
8) Evan Engram | JAX (vs. HOU)
9) Kyle Pitts | ATL (vs. LAC)
10) Dallas Goedert | PHI (at BAL)
11) Will Dissly | LAC (at ATL)
12) Jonnu Smith | MIA (at GB)
13) Hunter Henry | NE (vs. IND)
14) Cade Otton | TB (at CAR)
15) Sam LaPorta | DET (vs. CHI)
16) Tucker Kraft | GB (vs. MIA)
17) Zach Ertz | WAS (vs. TEN)
18) Mark Andrews | BAL (vs. PHI)
19) Luke Schoonmaker | DAL (vs. NYG)
20) Dawson Knox | BUF (vs. SF)
21) Mike Gesicki | CIN (vs. PIT)
22) Dalton Schultz | HOU (at JAX)
23) Pat Freiermuth | PIT (at CIN)
24) Cole Kmet | CHI (at DET)
25) Isaiah Likely | BAL (vs. PHI)
26) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN (at WAS)
27) Tyler Conklin | NYJ (vs. SEA)
28) Theo Johnson | MIN (vs. ARI)
29) Noah Gray | KC (vs. LV)
30) Darnell Washington | PIT (at CIN)
31) Tommy Tremble | CAR (vs. TB)
32) Austin Hooper | NE (vs. IND)
33) Juwan Johnson | NO (vs. LAR)
Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints Trends
Los Angeles Rams
Team: The Rams play three of their next four games on the road, with their lone home game during that stretch coming against the Buffalo Bills.
QB: Matthew Stafford has thrown multiple touchdown passes in four of his past five games (zero such efforts in his first six games of this season).
Offense: For the first time this season, Los Angeles has scored at least two points per drive in consecutive games.
Defense: Over the past three weeks, the Rams have allowed a first down on 50% of third down attempts (Weeks 1-9: 36%).
Fantasy: Puka Nacua was ejected against the Seahawks for throwing a “punch”. If you extend his last four full games for a full season – 136 catches for 1,887 yards.
Betting: Overs are 7-2 in the Rams’ past nine road games.
New Orleans Saints
Team: The Saints have one win this season against a team with a .500 record or better (wins: Panthers, Cowboys, Falcons, and Browns).
QB: Derek Carr is on a career pace in passer rating, yards per pass, and touchdown rate.
Offense: The Saints picked up 50% of their third downs in the Week 10 win over the Browns, something that was nice to see after converting just 27.3% of their third down attempts in Weeks 8-10
Defense: In Weeks 1-5, New Orleans created pressure on 38.1% of opponent dropbacks (Weeks 6-12: 26.3%).
Fantasy: Marquez Valdes-Scantling has a 65+ yard catch in consecutive games – the last player to do it in three straight was Tyreek Hill in 2018 with the Chiefs.
Betting: Pick a side and commit – seven of the Saints’ past nine home games have been decided by at least 12 points different than the spread implies.