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Marlon Mack, RB, DEN (3 Viewers)

Not sure if I can start him in playoffs not knowing if he will get the full load or not in a tough matchup

dammit

 
So will he be playing with a cast or splint?  If so, this obviously hampers his ability to hold onto the ball. 

 
Hard to tell if he's fully healthy this week. I have Henry and Guice in over him for now. I could put him in the Flex over a WR if it looks like he's full go on Sunday. Just hard to make that decision and end up with a David Johnson situation in the playoffs.

 
Bucs are solid against the run and he obviously won't be much of a pass catching threat. My opponent is starting him currently, I'm okay with that. 

 
Watching the Colts games this year I do notice that no matter what the score they will keep running the ball.  So whoever is at RB won't be phased out.  Anyone else confirm this?

 
steelwind said:
Watching the Colts games this year I do notice that no matter what the score they will keep running the ball.  So whoever is at RB won't be phased out.  Anyone else confirm this?
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True.  With the lack of WR depth and Hilton hurt, the Colts will definitely keep running the ball.  Plus, I can't say that I think Reich has a lot of confidence in Brissett and I know he doesn't want him to have to pass a lot, even if Hilton was healthy.  I believe the Colts will need to take a long look at themselves and answer the question of Brissett is the QB of the future for the Colts.  Let's say I have my doubts.  Thankfully for the Colts they have a good OL and can probably run successfully on teams not great against the run, even if they stack the box.

 
Colts coach Frank Reich doesn't plan on using a "pitch count" for Marlon Mack.

Mack is going to play Week 14 against the Bucs and may not be overly limited per Reich's post-practice comments. Reich did say that all four running backs are expected to be active, however. Mack's biggest issue is the matchup. Tampa Bay has the league's best run defense and one of the worst secondaries. Since he isn't utilized as a receiver often, Mack is best viewed as a low-end RB2.

SOURCE: Mike Chappell on Twitter

Dec 6, 2019, 1:48 PM ET
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Marlon Mack rushed 13 times for 38 yards and a touchdown in the Colts' Week 14 loss to the Buccaneers.

Mack sure looked healthy, unleashing multiple deadly stiff arms and showing no ill effects from his hand injury. The Colts responded by feeding Mack well ahead of any other RB on the roster, as his 13 touches easily surpassed Nyheim Hines (8), Jordan Wilkin (1) and Jonathan Williams (0). Mack’s ceiling would be higher if he had more of a pass-game role, but he’s still a good candidate for between 15-20 touches per game regardless of the matchup inside of the Colts’ run-first offense. Treat him as a borderline RB2 in Week 15 against the Saints.
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Am I over thinking this?   Week 15 and seeing the FBG rankings all have Montgomery and Laird over Mack.  It just doesn’t feel right putting them in over someone who has been a solid RB2 all year with that OL.  Sharks?

 
steelwind said:
Am I over thinking this?   Week 15 and seeing the FBG rankings all have Montgomery and Laird over Mack.  It just doesn’t feel right putting them in over someone who has been a solid RB2 all year with that OL.  Sharks?
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I'm having a similar struggle with Laird and Mixon. I realize industry projections can lag behind the "new normal" a little bit but having Laird above these guys feels like oversteer...

 
steelwind said:
Am I over thinking this?   Week 15 and seeing the FBG rankings all have Montgomery and Laird over Mack.  It just doesn’t feel right putting them in over someone who has been a solid RB2 all year with that OL.  Sharks?
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As a Colt fan.  If Mack is healthy enough to play that is a bad ranking.

Montgomery has been terrible and Laird has played okay, but don't expect much out of him.

 
I didn't see any games last nor any highlights but did Mack look OK carrying the ball?  Any noticeable issues or should we assume he's one week healthier?  He had 13 carries but I think it was more of a shootout and he could have handled more carries if needed?  I'll be rolling him this week but a bit concerned about the NO run defense currently ranked #5 against the run.  That said, I think most teams do what they can to keep Brees and Co off the field so perhaps the game-plan calls for a heavy dosage of Mack?   Unless of course NO goes off and they are forced to throw the ball.

 
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xenon said:
I didn't see any games last nor any highlights but did Mack look OK carrying the ball?  Any noticeable issues or should we assume he's one week healthier?  He had 13 carries but I think it was more of a shootout and he could have handled more carries if needed?  I'll be rolling him this week but a bit concerned about the NO run defense currently ranked #5 against the run.  That said, I think most teams do what they can to keep Brees and Co off the field so perhaps the game-plan calls for a heavy dosage of Mack? 
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Mack has looked fine.  It is more about what the OL can do against the other teams.  They are an elite OL.  The problem has been they are a mediocre team this year and can't rely on the OL to win games with Brissett at QB.  I would start Mack against mediocre teams and lower with much confidence. The rest I would still start, but would be concerned they game script says run it fewer and on more predictable downs.

 
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Marlon Mack rushed 16 times for 95 yards and a touchdown in Indianapolis' Week 16 win over the Panthers.

Mack went over 1,000 rushing yards on the year for the first time in his career with a bruising 30-yard dash in the third quarter. He joined Frank Gore (2016) as just the second running back for the Colts to eclipse that mark in the last 12 seasons. All three available running backs for Indianapolis unsurprisingly scored as their defense forced three turnovers from rookie Will Grier and buoyed superb special teams into 14 points and a 38-6 walloping. Mack's lone touchdown was a one-yard rush up the gut following a 21-yard catch down the middle of the field from Mo Alie-Cox. Mack gets another elite on-paper matchup against Jacksonville's struggling front-seven in the Colts' regular season finale.
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The Indianapolis Star's Jim Ayello reports the Colts are working on an extension for contract-year RB Marlon Mack.

Mack is set to earn a little over $2 million in the final year of his rookie deal in 2020. Per Ayello, talks are expected to heat up later this month at the Combine. Mack turns 24 next month and is coming off his first 1,000-yard season as the offensive centerpiece in an Andrew Luck-less group. He posted a 247-1,091-8 line across 14 games. Mack will likely be looking for $8 million-plus per year.

SOURCE: Indianapolis Star

Feb 3, 2020, 7:05 PM ET
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Speaking Sunday, Colts owner Jim Irsay denied reports that the team is working on an extension with contract-year RB Marlon Mack.

Irsay could just be splitting hairs, as the Indianapolis Star reported earlier this month that talks would "heat up" at the Combine. That's this week. Mack has proven to be a perfectly-ordinary early-down back. He doesn't get much more than what's blocked, though there's a lot blocked in Indy. The 2017 fourth-rounder is still young, turning 24 in March.

SOURCE: Mike Chappell on Twitter

Feb 23, 2020, 2:46 PM ET
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Faust said:
Speaking Sunday, Colts owner Jim Irsay denied reports that the team is working on an extension with contract-year RB Marlon Mack.

Irsay could just be splitting hairs, as the Indianapolis Star reported earlier this month that talks would "heat up" at the Combine. That's this week. Mack has proven to be a perfectly-ordinary early-down back. He doesn't get much more than what's blocked, though there's a lot blocked in Indy. The 2017 fourth-rounder is still young, turning 24 in March.

SOURCE: Mike Chappell on Twitter
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I think Mack is a better version of Joesph Addai, but not by much.

 
MARLON MACK RB, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Colts OC Nick Sirianni said the RB room is a ‘1-1 punch’ with Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor.

Mack's starting job is on life support, but we shouldn't necessarily expect Taylor to fully take over this backfield immediately. Nyheim Hines even has earned some dark-horse appeal in this new-look offense that will feature Philip Rivers under center considering he possesses an Austin Ekeler-esque skill-set thanks to his demonstrated ability to thrive as a true WR in the slot or out wide, but he almost assuredly won't see enough snaps to provide anything resembling consistent fantasy production. A good sample size to try and predict this backfield's splits might just be Weeks 14-17 from last season after Mack returned from injury. Mack led the way with 45-55% snap splits in neutral game-script situations, but Jordan Wilkins consistently saw 30-40% snaps, and Hines pitched in 10-20% with a ceiling of much more when the Colts were forced to throw the ball. Expect Taylor to get the majority of this backfield's touches when everything is said and done, but it'll likely be a lot closer to 200 than 300.

SOURCE: Kevin Bowen on Twitter

May 11, 2020, 11:25 AM ET
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JohnnyU said:
I think Mack is a better version of Joesph Addai, but not by much.
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They're really quite different players though.

Addai was used much more extensively in the short passing game then Mack has been and if I remember right he was also the third down back.

Mack seems to be used significantly less as a receiver and is also often replaced on third downs by Nyheim Hines or Jordan Wilkins. Mack is much more explosive as a runner then Addai ever was though and I think a bit better at breaking tackles.

 
I've had Mack as a keeper the last few years and have been pretty happy with it at the start of each season because of the strength of the Colts' offensive line and generally strong offense (Luck retirement was a pleasant surprise 😁).

Mack is a bit of a confounding player.  When I take some time to analyze end-of-season numbers, extrapolating to a 16 game season, he's right in the RB2 discussion.  Somehow, he doesn't quite feel like it during the season.

I feel like I've been valuing him based on the Colts O-line (not a bad thing) more than as an RB himself.

I could see Mack having a really valuable fantasy season based on his ADP.  Taylor seems to be all the rage, and even a 50/50 split with what that offense could be could yield strong RB2 territory.

 
rschroeder1 said:
I've had Mack as a keeper the last few years and have been pretty happy with it at the start of each season because of the strength of the Colts' offensive line and generally strong offense (Luck retirement was a pleasant surprise 😁).

Mack is a bit of a confounding player.  When I take some time to analyze end-of-season numbers, extrapolating to a 16 game season, he's right in the RB2 discussion.  Somehow, he doesn't quite feel like it during the season.

I feel like I've been valuing him based on the Colts O-line (not a bad thing) more than as an RB himself.

I could see Mack having a really valuable fantasy season based on his ADP.  Taylor seems to be all the rage, and even a 50/50 split with what that offense could be could yield strong RB2 territory.
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I think there's a really wide range of outcomes.  

Taylor is much more talented.  

But Mack has been solid--pacing for ~1200 yards on the ground per 16 games the last 2 seasons.  He's averaged 9 TD's the last 2 seasons despite missing 6 games.  Most importantly, he doesn't fumble much.  He fumbled zero times last year.  Taylor lost 5 last year--against college competition.  In the NFL, ball security may slow his transition to being the starter/keep him off the field.  

If Taylor figures it out--it could be a 60-40 split for Taylor this year.  Mack doesn't give you much in the passing game, so forget that.  Hines may actually benefit a lot from playing the 3rd down role with Phillip Rivers at QB.  

It'll be a situation to monitor to see how it shapes up.  All that said, if I'm getting Mack several rounds later, I like the value.

 
jm192 said:
I think there's a really wide range of outcomes.  

Taylor is much more talented.  

But Mack has been solid--pacing for ~1200 yards on the ground per 16 games the last 2 seasons.  He's averaged 9 TD's the last 2 seasons despite missing 6 games.  Most importantly, he doesn't fumble much.  He fumbled zero times last year.  Taylor lost 5 last year--against college competition.  In the NFL, ball security may slow his transition to being the starter/keep him off the field.  

If Taylor figures it out--it could be a 60-40 split for Taylor this year.  Mack doesn't give you much in the passing game, so forget that.  Hines may actually benefit a lot from playing the 3rd down role with Phillip Rivers at QB.  

It'll be a situation to monitor to see how it shapes up.  All that said, if I'm getting Mack several rounds later, I like the value.
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One thing I can't figure out with Mack:  as you said, when you look at the end of season numbers, the stats look fine.  But having owned him in a keeper league the last few years, there are so many games of 8 carries, 35 yards.  Part of this is assuredly game flow this past season with the loss of Andrew Luck.  But Mack seems to be a bit boom or bust, unfortunately.  That worries me with the addition of Taylor.

That being said, I agree with you that Mack's ADP may make him a better target than Taylor.  Anecdotally, I see a lot of Taylor hype right now.

 
I was surprised Indy took Taylor. The running game was not a problem for them. But I guess they loved Taylor and decided to move in that direction.

 
MARLON MACK RB, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Colts coach Frank Reich admitted "there’s definitely inherent respect for the starter returning" when asked about the team's backfield and RB Marlon Mack.

Reich and company have consistently mentioned all three ball carriers, Mack, Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, when asked how the backfield will play out. The "inherent respect" line is telling, as teams typically do give the veteran first dibs at claiming and retaining the starting job. It might take a misstep, injury or simply for Taylor to outplay Mack to unseat the veteran and receive the predominant portion of the workload. Even Nyheim Hines can't be forgotten, as the head coach went out of his way to bring up Danny Woodhead's name, a player who caught 80 passes one season under Reich. The term "role-playing starter" was used, which is a new oxymoron for us.

RELATED: 

Jonathan Taylor

, Nyheim Hines

SOURCE: 1075 The Fan

Jun 1, 2020, 3:19 PM ET
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Speaking Wednesday, coach Frank Reich reiterated Marlon Mack is the starting running back, but the Colts will "ride the hot hand" in the backfield.

As in, rookie Jonathan Taylor will very much be in the mix. We expect Mack to be given the opportunity to keep lead duties, but his leash is going to be extremely short, and the coaches won't be afraid to hand the reins to Taylor. Mack is currently being drafted as the RB24 in half-PPR formats with Taylor right behind him at RB29. At those numbers, we prefer Taylor much more, considering he's cheaper and more talented. Reich has also hyped Nyheim Hines a bit this offseason, but it's unlikely he becomes anything more than a deep-league PPR roster-filler.

RELATED: 

Jonathan Taylor

SOURCE: George Bremer on Twitter

Aug 12, 2020, 12:18 PM ET
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2020 Camp Chatter: Marlon Mack On Embracing Jonathan Taylor In Backfield, Catching More Passes

Excerpts:

Mack was always impressed by Taylor's performances at the college level, and said he can already tell the rookie is going to be a "beast" for the Colts.

"He's going to be a beast, man, and teams should be aware of him right now," Mack said. "So, just be ready for it."
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» He's ready for an even bigger role in terms of catching the ball out of the backfield: It's not like Mack hasn't been used at all as a pass catcher during his first three years in the NFL — his 52 receptions since 2017 are tied for the 53rd-most among NFL running backs over that span — but now that Philip Rivers is running the show on offense, there's a feeling that Mack's abilities as a receiver, as well as those of every other running back, could really be highlighted even more.

This is especially relevant for a guy like running back Nyheim Hines, whose 107 receptions since 2018 are the eighth most among NFL running backs, but Mack has definitely noticed more passes coming his way already in the first few days of training camp, and will be ready if and when that becomes a theme during the regular season.

"Phil, just when he came in, he just told every running back, 'Just be ready, man,'" Mack said. "He's just been getting it to everybody, and that's what I try to do is just be ready when he throws it to me."
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Marlon Mack-Jonathan Taylor RB tandem fits Colts, not fantasy football

Excerpt:

Mack will be the Week 1 starter at Jacksonville. Reich has repeatedly said he deserves to be that guy. There will be plenty of opportunities for touches for Taylor because, as All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson wears on his hat, the Colts like to "run the damn ball." They finished seventh in the league in rushing in 2019, and could finish higher this season with the addition of Taylor to go with Mack, Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkinsand the return of the entire starting offensive line.

“We’re going to continue to take the same approach that we have -- where it’s week in and week out, hot hand and all those things,” Reich said. “We’re expecting a big year from all of our backs but in particular, Marlon. He looks good. I feel good about how the backs complement each other. I really do. I feel like that’s a strong room for us. I feel like those guys are very unselfish. They are in it for each other. Marlon needs to be a leader -- the way he plays and we expect him to do that.”
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This is tricky/good/bad news all rolled in one lately.  I have Mack and Taylor and currently have Mack in my week 1 lineup.  But don't feel awesome about it.

 
Not saying it is not true because Mack is no slouch but how often do you see a situation like this where the Coach doesn't say he trusts the vet?

 
Colts RB Marlon Mack (ankle) was carted off the field in Week 1 against the Jaguars.

Mack went down prior to contact while attempting to turn upfield after hauling in a short catch over the middle. Phenom rookie Jonathan Taylor, who was being used behind Mack to that point, hauled in a 36-yard catch-and-go the moment he came off the bench. Mack is listed as questionable to return but is not expected to. Monday's MRI should give fantasy players a gilmpse as to how many games he could miss (if any) moving forward.

SOURCE: Joel Erickson on Twitter

Sep 13, 2020, 1:54 PM ET
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Colts placed RB Marlon Mack on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon, ending his season.

Mack hasn't been placed on IR, but it's coming. Nyheim Hines' Week 1 role indicates that in the short term, at least, the Colts' backfield will be split between Hines and rookie RB Jonathan Taylor. Hines outsnapped Taylor against the Jaguars 39 to 26. They both saw 15 touches, combining for 14 receptions in the Colts' Week 1 barn burner. Both deserve consideration as flex plays, though Taylor profiles as the better early-down back. Indianapolis in Week 2 plays the Vikings, fresh off giving up 158 rushing yards to Green Bay running backs in Week
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Have to feel for the guy - he is slated to be an UFA after this year and with Taylor clearly the future, probably wouldn't have a long-term role in Indy anyway.

He at least could have gotten some decent money to be part of an RBBC, but if he recovers fully, he'll probably wind up now having to take a one-year prove it deal.  

 
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