Get Our App

Can Colts RB Jonathan Taylor regain his spot as the leading fantasy football RB in 2023?


Indianapolis Colts superstar running back Jonathan Taylor remains a preliminary choice in most forthcoming dream football draftsalthough he's seen his supply slide from the agreement No. 1 overall select simply a year ago to around the 10th choice in ordinary draft setting respectively. After a monstrous 2021 project that saw Taylor lead the league in lugs, rushing lawns, and hurrying touchdownsand presumably aided a great deal of supervisors win their dream organizations, the Colts' workhorse was limited by a sticking around ankle joint injury last year. As a result, Taylor rushed for simply 861 total hurrying backyards and 4 hurrying goals, which clearly paled in comparison to his ridiculous statistical efficiency simply a period ago. RelatedTop 100 player rankings for PPR dream football leaguesTop 100 gamer rankings for basic racking up dream football leagues2023 NFL running back dream football rankingsWhile I would reasonably temper expectations at the very least some from the 2021 season Taylor had, if totally healthy and balanced again, No Colts Store. 28 can restore his throne as the league'sTriple Crown winner' and the undisputed ideal back in all of football when he was an NFL First-Team All-Pro. He needs to be substantially assisted by the much expected offseason arrival of top newbie quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has unworldly athleticism and functions one-of-a-kind dual-threat ability, and ought to be the ideal complement to Taylor in the RPO gamewhich ought to open up running lanes, attention, and space for the latter. And also Richardson's upgraded arm stamina over his aging Colts quarterback predecessor, Matt Ryan, need to stop opposing defenses from consistently stacking the box against Taylorout of regard for the rookie's big arm and his ability to make them pay with the deep ball downfield. Finest case situation, I believe you're considering 1,200 overall hurrying backyards and 12 overall rushing touchdowns. Not quite his MVP-caliber 2021 project, yet still an extremely productive period that many fantasy managers would gladly draw from their first-round pick. Taylor needs to profit from Richardson's arrival, but the novice could steal some goal line touches. Worst instance circumstance, Richardson has a hard time to regularly make NFL throws, defenses load the box, and Taylor functions to create 900 total hurrying backyards and 7 rushing goals. One point that needs to also help is that the Colts offending line numbers to be enhanced. Don't fail to remember that until interim head instructor Jeff Saturday got here and changes were made along the offensive line, this was a below-average unit. With second-year left tackle Bernhard Raimann having more experience and one more training camp under his belt, both Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith going back to standout form, this must go to the very least a league-average device once again. The actual concern seems at beginning best guard, where it's third-year professional Will Fries' work to lose. Nevertheless, brand-new Indy offensive line instructor Tony Sparano Jr. trusts him. If Taylor were to go down again, I do not recognize that I 'd really feel excessively certain in any type of participant of this existing backfield to be a consistent factor, a lot like last season where Deon Jackson and Zack Moss had a huge game or 2, however not regularly in Taylor's lack. In such a circumstance, I would certainly expect the Colts to head to a morerunning back by committee' approach, where each running back is utilized according to their certain skill-setnamely Moss in between the takes on and simply put yardage, and either Jackson or rookie fifth-round pick Evan Hull as the third-down, pass-catching back. None would certainly be overly desirable fantasy alternatives, and if Taylor were to have an extensive lack, ideally you 'd have better bench or waiver options readily offered to you. It is required to mention that Taylor, unhappy with the state of his contract arrangements with the Colts and owner Jim Irsay's very public aversion to the idea of paying the running back, has actually asked for a trade. Irsay provided that idea an emphatic no, however points might transform over the following week weeks. Taylor is additionally on the puppy checklist with an ankle joint injury and is predicted to be able to return by Week 2 of the routine period. One various other Colts gamer to think about would be a leaflet on tight end Jelani Woods in the later rounds of your dream draft. Picked by the Colts in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Woods has monstrous dimension and shocking speed for his stature. He might be positioned to be a major red zone target at a normally limited setting for league talent. Woods worked with restricted looks in 2014 around the objective line for Indianapolis.