Heinicke signed with the Falcons this offseason, and he will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Desmond Ridder. Heinicke is not worth drafting in most leagues. He could be a waiver addition during the season if he starts for Atlanta at any point, and that's something to keep an eye on in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. Heinicke played well at times in Washington in 2022 and scored at least 18 Fantasy points in three of nine appearances but never posted consistent production. It would likely be more of the same in Atlanta, but we'll have to wait until something happens to Ridder to find out what Heinicke can do with a new team. Most likely, Heinicke will not produce enough in 2023 to matter for Fantasy managers.
Heinicke played two drives and threw two incomplete passes in Thursday's preseason game against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh's starters dominated Atlanta's backups, quickly making it 14-0. Heinicke will look on from the sideline Week 1 against the Panthers while Desmond Ridder gets the start under center.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Slated to start Thursday
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Heinicke likely will get the start for Thursday's preseason game against the Steelers with Desmond Ridder not in uniform ahead of kickoff, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
After starting 24 games with the Commanders over the last two seasons, Heinicke joined up with the Falcons this offseason to serve as Ridder's backup. Heinicke didn't play in Atlanta's exhibition opener at Miami but took the field last Friday versus the Bengals, completing 13 of 21 passes for 162 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing twice for 14 yards. Once Heinicke hits the sideline for good Thursday, fellow reserve Logan Woodside will take over the offense.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Linking up with Atlanta
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Won't start Sunday
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Set to reclaim starting role
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Comes up short in SNF loss
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Two touchdowns in win
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Struggles on the road
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 11 Waiver Priority List
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Throws pair of TDs in loss
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Sleeper QBs
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 8 Waiver Priority List
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Week 7 Waiver Priority List
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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.
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Commanders' Taylor Heinicke: Taking over for injured Wentz
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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.
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Football Team's Taylor Heinicke: Struggles again
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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.
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Football Team's Taylor Heinicke: Grasp on starting job slipping
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Head coach Ron Rivera said that Heinicke will remain Washington's starting quarterback in Sunday's game against the Eagles, but backup Kyle Allen is expected to receive some reps in the contest, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
After both Heinicke and Allen weren't able to clear the NFL's COVID-19 protocols ahead of a Week 15 loss to Philadelphia, the two signal-callers were activated prior to the matchup with Dallas. Though he got in a pair of practices before the game, Heincke struggled to move the offense in an embarrassing 56-14 loss to the Cowboys, completing only seven of 22 attempts for 121 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions before he was benched in favor of Allen. The outcome was already decided by the time he took the field, but Allen looks like he'll get an opportunity to at least play a drive or two Week 17 after he completed eight of 10 attempts for 67 yards and a touchdown over his 17 snaps versus Dallas. Given the possibility that he won't handle a full workload against Philadelphia, Heinicke will be tough to trust for managers who may be thinking of using him in fantasy championship matchups.
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Football Team's Taylor Heinicke: Washington-Eagles moved to Tuesday
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Heinicke (illness) and Washington will no longer play the Eagles on Sunday, after the NFL officially rescheduled the matchup between the two teams for Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Due to ongoing COVID-19-related issues within Washington's organization, the NFL is hopeful that by delaying the game two days, the Football Team will restore enough players from the reserve/COVID-19 list to alleviate depth concerns on the roster. Even with the delay, Heinicke, who was placed on the list Friday after testing positive for the virus, will face an uphill battle to clear the necessary protocols ahead of Tuesday's game. Top backup Kyle Allen was placed on the list Wednesday after a positive test and may stand a better chance of gaining clearance for Tuesday, but if neither he nor Heinicke are available, Washington will likely turn to the newly signed Garrett Gilbert or one of its two quarterbacks on the practice squad (Kyle Shurmur and Jordan Ta'amu) to make the Week 15 start.
