RB Jonathan Taylor, IND (1 Viewer)

[travdogg]

Have we ever had a season where such elite RB talent was also paired with elite running QB talent?

Taylor/ARich
Saquon/Hurts
Henry/Jackson

2012 had:

Lynch/Wilson
Gore/Kaepernick
Morris/RG3
McCoy/Vick, though both got injured that season

 

[Faust]

Colts' Jonathan Taylor is healthy and motivated

 

[Payne]

Colts' Jonathan Taylor is healthy and motivated

Should be in the conversation with CMC, Breece and Bijan in my opinion.
Only concern is Richardson, but I think the staff is going to try and protect him near the GL.

Offense will run through JT as it should.

 

[RaidersAreOne]

Colts' Jonathan Taylor is healthy and motivated

Should be in the conversation with CMC, Breece and Bijan in my opinion.
Only concern is Richardson, but I think the staff is going to try and protect him near the GL.

Offense will run through JT as it should.

Similarly to Lamar/Henry in Baltimore, I think a running duo of Richardson/Taylor is going to drive D's crazy.

 

[Chardo1]

Can anyone give examples of a dominant RB who had 2 straight disappointing seasons, then rebounded back to dominance?

 

[FarFromHome]

Can anyone give examples of a dominant RB who had 2 straight disappointing seasons, then rebounded back to dominance?

Well. 1st disappointing season he got hurt and missed time. 2nd was the hold out drama. Not trying to make excuses, just trying to point out that their was some understandable context. It wasn't his lack of ability. I have zero concerns about Jonathan Taylor. Might be the safest rb in the league. He plays 17 games he could lead the league in rushing. Again.

 

[Chardo1]

Can anyone give examples of a dominant RB who had 2 straight disappointing seasons, then rebounded back to dominance?

Well. 1st disappointing season he got hurt and missed time. 2nd was the hold out drama. Not trying to make excuses, just trying to point out that their was some understandable context. It wasn't his lack of ability. I have zero concerns about Jonathan Taylor. Might be the safest rb in the league. He plays 17 games he could lead the league in rushing. Again.

I know the context. There's always context. Everyone who had two down years had context. But has anyone resumed dominance after back to back down years?

 

[RaidersAreOne]

Yeah JT is about to dominate.

 

[Judge Smails]

Wish I felt the same. I know he’ll get carries. Question is what does that 20 carries convert to with Richardson. Especially with TD’s

 

[Big Nate]

Can anyone give examples of a dominant RB who had 2 straight disappointing seasons, then rebounded back to dominance?

Well. 1st disappointing season he got hurt and missed time. 2nd was the hold out drama. Not trying to make excuses, just trying to point out that their was some understandable context. It wasn't his lack of ability. I have zero concerns about Jonathan Taylor. Might be the safest rb in the league. He plays 17 games he could lead the league in rushing. Again.

I know the context. There's always context. Everyone who had two down years had context. But has anyone resumed dominance after back to back down years?

He also had a contract dispute and eventually got paid. Another offseason to get healthy and he should be good to go. It took him a bit to get going last year due to injury and holding out but still ended up with 8 TDs and put up some good fantasy points. For those that started him in the Championship game last year he put up 17pts. His games last year points wise were pretty good considering he missed the first half of the season.

 

[RaidersAreOne]

I think the fact Moss is gone too is huge for JT. The Colts didn't have to make JT the lone weapon in the backfield as Moss was typically going off in his own way.

 

[Payne]

My only concern about drafting him is the lack of a solid handcuff.

 

[joey]

My only concern about drafting him is the lack of a solid handcuff.

Interesting. That fact doesn’t affect my thoughts on JT. Hell, I might take him at 1.6 in my 0.5ppr old school redraft league

 

[Buckna]

Can anyone give examples of a dominant RB who had 2 straight disappointing seasons, then rebounded back to dominance?

Well. 1st disappointing season he got hurt and missed time. 2nd was the hold out drama. Not trying to make excuses, just trying to point out that their was some understandable context. It wasn't his lack of ability. I have zero concerns about Jonathan Taylor. Might be the safest rb in the league. He plays 17 games he could lead the league in rushing. Again.

I know the context. There's always context. Everyone who had two down years had context. But has anyone resumed dominance after back to back down years?

First one that came to mind was Adrian Peterson who did it twice if you’re including suspension. Sometimes guys get injured

The only question for JT is can he stay healthy, he still produces like crazy when on the field. The only exception was when he missed the first part of last season and they eased him back in and gave Moss a bunch of touches JT’s first two games back.

 

[Big Nate]

My only concern about drafting him is the lack of a solid handcuff.

I have to ask about this as I rarely go into a draft thinking about "needing" to draft a cuff. Back-up RBs go all over the map and sometimes another manager will reach for one even if they don't own the starter. It's definitely not something I think about unless say the 'cuff is Monty who can likely be flexed any given week and is an RB1 if Gibbs is out.

I can think of a lot of starting RBs right now that the back-up is murky or could change depending on how the start of the season goes.

 

[Mitchie]

My only concern about drafting him is the lack of a solid handcuff.

Sermon was the clear #2 until he got injured, don't think his injury is that serious although it's a hammy so guess never know

 

[BIRDGANG52]

Wasn't he the consensus 1.01 as recent as back in 2022? I don't think he's torn his Achilles or an ACL or has any injury to note. I feel like he's being pushed down to 1.12 due to there being other comparable talented RB available early. McCaffrey, Hall, Robinson, Gibbs.

I know I'm not saying much because you can't control where you pick in the First Round, but I could see Taylor outscoring all those guys except maybe Christian McCaffrey. If you wanted to draft him at 1.06 or later, your team is going to be fine. More importantly to me, we've never seen him and Richardson on the field together and I think this is a situation where the sum is greater than the parts.


Indianapolis is going to be a problem this year and this guy will be in the discussion to be a Top 5 fantasy pick in 2025 drafts.

 

[Payne]

My only concern about drafting him is the lack of a solid handcuff.

I have to ask about this as I rarely go into a draft thinking about "needing" to draft a cuff. Back-up RBs go all over the map and sometimes another manager will reach for one even if they don't own the starter. It's definitely not something I think about unless say the 'cuff is Monty who can likely be flexed any given week and is an RB1 if Gibbs is out.

I can think of a lot of starting RBs right now that the back-up is murky or could change depending on how the start of the season goes.

Of the top tier RB's, he is the one who doesn't have a guy who can step in and produce. I like that with my RB1.

I am going to exclude CMC because I only do auction and I don't see me winning him.

Hall has Allen who seems like a guy who can step in and produce at least RB2 numbers
Bijan has Tyler who has shown he can step it up and produce
Even Barkley has Gainwell

I don't think Sermon can produce near the same numbers if Taylor is hurt.

 

[Payne]

Wasn't he the consensus 1.01 as recent as back in 2022? I don't think he's torn his Achilles or an ACL or has any injury to note. I feel like he's being pushed down to 1.12 due to there being other comparable talented RB available early. McCaffrey, Hall, Robinson, Gibbs.

I know I'm not saying much because you can't control where you pick in the First Round, but I could see Taylor outscoring all those guys except maybe Christian McCaffrey. If you wanted to draft him at 1.06 or later, your team is going to be fine. More importantly to me, we've never seen him and Richardson on the field together and I think this is a situation where the sum is greater than the parts.


Indianapolis is going to be a problem this year and this guy will be in the discussion to be a Top 5 fantasy pick in 2025 drafts.

I have pick 1.7 in the only non-auction league I play in and I'm very much thinking of taking Taylor over a WR.
I like my teams better when I go RB in the 1st round.

 

[Ilov80s]

I don't think Sermon can produce near the same numbers if Taylor is hurt.

agree Sermon isn’t good and has never been good outside of a 3 game stretch in college. He’s already hurt too I believe. My only worry with Taylor is Richardson stealing GL work and not checking down.

 

[Payne]

I don't think Sermon can produce near the same numbers if Taylor is hurt.

agree Sermon isn’t good and has never been good outside of a 3 game stretch in college. He’s already hurt too I believe. My only worry with Taylor is Richardson stealing GL work and not checking down.

This is fair. I think he will still get the carries to produce elite numbers. I also think the team wants to protect Richardson from both passing too much and running near the GL. Not saying it won't happen, just I believe they want to protect his health as much as possible.

I see Hurts as a much bigger threat to Saquon than I do Richardson to Taylor.
Combine that with all the mouths to feed in Philly and I don't see how anyone has Barkley ranked higher.

 

[Ilov80s]

I don't think Sermon can produce near the same numbers if Taylor is hurt.

agree Sermon isn’t good and has never been good outside of a 3 game stretch in college. He’s already hurt too I believe. My only worry with Taylor is Richardson stealing GL work and not checking down.

This is fair. I think he will still get the carries to produce elite numbers. I also think the team wants to protect Richardson from both passing too much and running near the GL. Not saying it won't happen, just I believe they want to protect his health as much as possible.

I see Hurts as a much bigger threat to Saquon than I do Richardson to Taylor.
Combine that with all the mouths to feed in Philly and I don't see how anyone has Barkley ranked higher.

I agree with that and would absolutely take Taylor over Saquon

 

[Big Nate]

My only concern about drafting him is the lack of a solid handcuff.

I have to ask about this as I rarely go into a draft thinking about "needing" to draft a cuff. Back-up RBs go all over the map and sometimes another manager will reach for one even if they don't own the starter. It's definitely not something I think about unless say the 'cuff is Monty who can likely be flexed any given week and is an RB1 if Gibbs is out.

I can think of a lot of starting RBs right now that the back-up is murky or could change depending on how the start of the season goes.

Of the top tier RB's, he is the one who doesn't have a guy who can step in and produce. I like that with my RB1.

I am going to exclude CMC because I only do auction and I don't see me winning him.

Hall has Allen who seems like a guy who can step in and produce at least RB2 numbers
Bijan has Tyler who has shown he can step it up and produce
Even Barkley has Gainwell

I don't think Sermon can produce near the same numbers if Taylor is hurt.

I'm with you on Allgeier

Shipley is making ground on Gainwell and it might be a timeshare so no guarantees you get a true cuff

Allen looks to be the cuff but it's not as clear with Davis, Abanikanda and even recently signed Deon Jackson in the mix. NYJ have a lot of back-ups and I find it odd they sign Deon as that means they aren't happy with someone.

Unless there is a clear cuff like Allgeier I don't worry about it. I'll just take good upside RBs later in the draft that could take over if the starter gets hurt. Don't always need to have your cuff and that sure doesn't make me change who I might draft in the first round or with a top draft pick.

 

[Chaka]

My only concern about drafting him is the lack of a solid handcuff.

I have to ask about this as I rarely go into a draft thinking about "needing" to draft a cuff. Back-up RBs go all over the map and sometimes another manager will reach for one even if they don't own the starter. It's definitely not something I think about unless say the 'cuff is Monty who can likely be flexed any given week and is an RB1 if Gibbs is out.

I can think of a lot of starting RBs right now that the back-up is murky or could change depending on how the start of the season goes.

Of the top tier RB's, he is the one who doesn't have a guy who can step in and produce. I like that with my RB1.

I am going to exclude CMC because I only do auction and I don't see me winning him.

Hall has Allen who seems like a guy who can step in and produce at least RB2 numbers
Bijan has Tyler who has shown he can step it up and produce
Even Barkley has Gainwell

I don't think Sermon can produce near the same numbers if Taylor is hurt.

At this point I think we know Gainwell isn't a thing.

Allen is a real question mark too.

I can easily see Trey Sermon being better than both of those guys. He won't match JT but he could still be productive like, say Zack Moss.

 

[joey]

Wasn't he the consensus 1.01 as recent as back in 2022? I don't think he's torn his Achilles or an ACL or has any injury to note. I feel like he's being pushed down to 1.12 due to there being other comparable talented RB available early. McCaffrey, Hall, Robinson, Gibbs.

I know I'm not saying much because you can't control where you pick in the First Round, but I could see Taylor outscoring all those guys except maybe Christian McCaffrey. If you wanted to draft him at 1.06 or later, your team is going to be fine. More importantly to me, we've never seen him and Richardson on the field together and I think this is a situation where the sum is greater than the parts.


Indianapolis is going to be a problem this year and this guy will be in the discussion to be a Top 5 fantasy pick in 2025 drafts.

I have pick 1.7 in the only non-auction league I play in and I'm very much thinking of taking Taylor over a WR.
I like my teams better when I go RB in the 1st round.

I’m sitting at 1.6 and thinking the same exact thing. It’s a 1/2 ppr league though fwiw, but I still like my mocks much better starting RB/WR than WR/RB. And with RBs moving up in ADP as we head to the seasons, all of these great RB values we’re seeing in the 3rd thru 6th rounds might be going a round higher in our local redraft leagues.

 

[Biabreakable]

Can anyone give examples of a dominant RB who had 2 straight disappointing seasons, then rebounded back to dominance?

Well. 1st disappointing season he got hurt and missed time. 2nd was the hold out drama. Not trying to make excuses, just trying to point out that their was some understandable context. It wasn't his lack of ability. I have zero concerns about Jonathan Taylor. Might be the safest rb in the league. He plays 17 games he could lead the league in rushing. Again.

I know the context. There's always context. Everyone who had two down years had context. But has anyone resumed dominance after back to back down years?

CMC did.

 

[RaidersAreOne]

I'm excited to see the Colts O with JT and Richardson finally in the backfield together.

 

[JohnnyU]

I don't love the matchup for Taylor or Pittman, but I'll go out on a limb and say the Colts will be able to rush the passer with Latu. I look for AR to do well rushing the ball and the Houston WRs will get theirs. I believe Collins had 140+ and 195 yards last year against the Colts. The Colts will stuff the run, but so will the Texans, with the exception of Richardson.

 

[Payne]

Is Sermon a "must have" on your bench as a Taylor owner?

 

[JohnnyU]

Is Sermon a "must have" on your bench as a Taylor owner?

No. Handcuffs are overrated, especially in shallower leagues and he's not exactly an attractive handcuff anyway.

 

[Payne]

Is Sermon a "must have" on your bench as a Taylor owner?

No. Handcuffs are overrated, especially in shallower leagues and he's not exactly an attractive handcuff anyway.

I love handcuffing my RB1. I swear by it. But this is kind of where I'm at with Sermon.
I don't see him like I do Mason, Charbs, Hall, Algeier, Lloyd, Corum, etc.

Just wanted to see how others felt.

 

[nittanylion]

Nope.

See recent discussion in Breece Hall Thread.

 

[Chaka]

Is Sermon a "must have" on your bench as a Taylor owner?

No. Handcuffs are overrated, especially in shallower leagues and he's not exactly an attractive handcuff anyway.

I love handcuffing my RB1. I swear by it. But this is kind of where I'm at with Sermon.
I don't see him like I do Mason, Charbs, Hall, Algeier, Lloyd, Corum, etc.

Just wanted to see how others felt.

IDK ATM I only see three RBs on the Colts roster: Taylor, Sermon and UDFA Tyler Goodson. IMO that indicates the Colts at least have reasonable confidence in Sermon as the primary backup.

I don't think he's a must roster right now, mostly because I don't see any stand alone value so I doubt anyone but the Taylor manager in any league would have any interest.

But I would certainly spend a chunk of my FAAB to get him if something happened to Taylor.

 

[Wigglytuff's Gruff]

Sermon is a bum. His role is to absorb some carries if Taylor needs a rest. He isn't going to get the keys if JT goes down, they'd bring someone else in if he got injured.

 

[JohnnyU]

Sermon is a bum. His role is to absorb some carries if Taylor needs a rest. He isn't going to get the keys if JT goes down, they'd bring someone else in if he got injured.

I actually like Goodson more than Sermon.

 

[FarFromHome]

Sermon is a bum. His role is to absorb some carries if Taylor needs a rest. He isn't going to get the keys if JT goes down, they'd bring someone else in if he got injured.

I actually like Goodson more than Sermon.

Interesting. Your like my beat writer for colts so i take that seriously. Hmmmm

 

[Big Nate]

Sermon is a bum. His role is to absorb some carries if Taylor needs a rest. He isn't going to get the keys if JT goes down, they'd bring someone else in if he got injured.

Maybe he is a bum, maybe it works out that way but it might not. I say this in many threads - every year there are weird things that end up shaking out that no one saw. As a JT owner I would stash Sermon just incase (roster/league dependent/dynasty etc). Again I'm not going out of my way to do it but I also didn't expect Moss to get the workload he did last year.

Never say never. Keep it in the back of your mind in case you need to react.

Kyren Williams wasn't expected last year either.

Is it likely Sermon is the guy? Probably not but we don't know 100%. Many scouts and film guys liked him. Steichen brought him in to PHI in 2022. Now they are both in INDY. The coach likes him obviously and he's moved up the depth chart.

I'm willing to stay open minded so I don't miss a potential opportunity.

 

[Payne]

I'm a little worried. Certainly, kicking myself for taking him over Saquon.

Taylor is non-existent in the passing game and will need 25+ carries to make up for it.

 

[Chaka]

I'm a little worried. Certainly, kicking myself for taking him over Saquon.

Taylor is non-existent in the passing game and will need 25+ carries to make up for it.

Zero targets is deeply concerning, that's for sure.

 

[Payne]

I'm a little worried. Certainly, kicking myself for taking him over Saquon.

Taylor is non-existent in the passing game and will need 25+ carries to make up for it.

Zero targets is deeply concerning, that's for sure.

Yeah, Richardson doesn't even look to check down. It's first option, maybe second option and RUN.

Was expecting to see more read options and at least 2-3 catches.

 

[JohnnyU]

I'm a little worried. Certainly, kicking myself for taking him over Saquon.

Taylor is non-existent in the passing game and will need 25+ carries to make up for it.

Zero targets is deeply concerning, that's for sure.

Yeah, Richardson doesn't even look to check down. It's first option, maybe second option and RUN.

Was expecting to see more read options and at least 2-3 catches.

One of those read options caused the Colts to waste time at the end, but I don’t see AR checking down to Taylor much this year.

 

[RaidersAreOne]

I ain't worried. He's going to get immense volume and is a great runner.

 

[Big Nate]

I'm a little worried. Certainly, kicking myself for taking him over Saquon.

Taylor is non-existent in the passing game and will need 25+ carries to make up for it.

JT played 96% of the snaps. Better days should be ahead with the passing game but you can't beat yourself up over who you should or shouldn't have taken at this point. It is week 1, lets see how things go over the next few weeks.

Maybe Barkley out performs JT all year and those managers will be happy but that doesn't mean JT can't have a good season too. He should get all the volume this year.

 

[taylormeetstheismann]

I ain't worried. He's going to get immense volume and is a great runner.

I’m with you. No sense thinking anything but the sky is the limit. He’s a blue chip player in his prime.

 

[Chaka]

I ain't worried. He's going to get immense volume and is a great runner.

Does 16 carries and zero targets in a close game from start to finish reinforce that belief?

 

[jm192]

I ain't worried. He's going to get immense volume and is a great runner.

Does 16 carries and zero targets in a close game from start to finish reinforce that belief?

FWIW

Houston had 76 offensive plays (32 pass, 40 rush, 4 sacks)
Indy had 43 (19 pass, 22 rush, 2 sacks).

Richardson had 3 pass plays go for a combined 171 yards. That takes away a lot of snaps, plays, rushing attempts.

I would think defenses want to limit the deep passes and make Richardson prove he can win underneath. If that comes true, Taylor should have more room to work in the coming weeks.

 

[Chaka]

I ain't worried. He's going to get immense volume and is a great runner.

Does 16 carries and zero targets in a close game from start to finish reinforce that belief?

FWIW

Houston had 76 offensive plays (32 pass, 40 rush, 4 sacks)
Indy had 43 (19 pass, 22 rush, 2 sacks).

Richardson had 3 pass plays go for a combined 171 yards. That takes away a lot of snaps, plays, rushing attempts.

I would think defenses want to limit the deep passes and make Richardson prove he can win underneath. If that comes true, Taylor should have more room to work in the coming weeks.

From your lips...

 

[taylormeetstheismann]

Indy had 43 (19 pass, 22 rush, 2 sacks).

Richardson had 3 pass plays go for a combined 171 yards. That takes away a lot of snaps, plays, rushing attempts.

That stat line just tells you there is nothing to worry about with JTaylor. 16/48 and a TD is a pretty good “off” day from my perspective.

 

[Dickies]

I'm a little worried. Certainly, kicking myself for taking him over Saquon.

Taylor is non-existent in the passing game and will need 25+ carries to make up for it.

I took both of them, but I did take JT first. I try not to overreact after the first week, but the reality is that he got 100% of the RB carries and got carries in the RZ, including a TD.