Jonathan Taylor

Fantasy Upside

Taylor had a rough stretch in the middle of last season, but his end-of-year stats ended up very solid. He wound up with 232 carries and 36 receptions, for a total of 1,468 yards and 12 touchdowns. If Taylor continues the pace he finished last season with – first among running backs at 25.1 fantasy points per game after Week 12 – then he has a legit chance to be the RB1 this season. Taylor plays behind an offensive line that Justin Edwards ranks third in the league heading into next season and should benefit from a full offseason as the clear RB1.

Fantasy Downside

There’s really not a lot of downside to Taylor, but the main threat to his status as an RB1 is Nyheim Hines’ activity in the passing game. The Colts like to use their versatile third-down back regularly. Without a tremendous amount of receiving upside, it’ll be hard for Taylor to keep pace with some of the other elite backs. 36 receptions last year is something to build on though, and this should be considered a minor concern when considering Taylor’s potential this season. Marlon Mack’s return from injury on a one-year deal might eat into Taylor’s workload, but most likely, Mack will be considered a handcuff after Taylor ended last season on such a high note.

2021 Bottom Line

If Taylor stays healthy, he should get the kind of workload fantasy owners salivate over and the Colts’ offense has a chance to be sneaky good. Taylor will cost a pretty penny in all league formats, but he might be worth it. We have him ranked just outside our top-five running backs, which makes his 1.07 ADP feel just about right.