Jonathan

Taylor

Every Colts player suffered from a tale of two halves because of Daniel Jones’ knee and torn Achilles injuries. Taylor rushed for 1139 yards and 15 touchdowns in the first 10 games of the season. He didn’t crack 100 yards in any single game afterwards, adding just three more touchdowns to the total ledger. He was the PPR RB3 overall through 17 weeks, but there is some uncertainty about how he’ll hold on to that with Jones’ mobility likely compromised in 2026 -- not to mention Jones’ impending free agency, or the idea that the Colts might move on from their coaching staff. The talent has always been there for Taylor to play like this. If the Colts can give him solid quarterback play again, he should be in the top-5 RB mix in 2026.

He lost a second score to a holding penalty, the Colts ended that drive with a Philip Rivers touchdown pass to Mo-Alie Cox. The Jaguars were essentially sitting on Taylor carries the entire game — it’s not like Rivers could threaten them over the top — and they’ve got a good enough rushing defense that Taylor was left trying to bounce plays outside for big plays. Taylor managed just nine carries for 19 yards in the second half. The Colts don’t have a major reason to play him in Week 18 against the Texans, but it isn’t completely out of the question that he tries to catch James Cook for the rushing crown after coming into today trailing by 43 yards. Colts will be tough plays against a Texans defense with something to play for in Week 18.

Taylor struggled throughout behind an injury-ravaged offensive line against a defense many before him had found success against. He salvaged his fantasy outing with a touchdown plunge from one yard out in the fourth quarter to bring the team within seven points, a deficit they ultimately fell short of overcoming. The Colts could also be turning back to rookie Riley Leonard under center moving forward now that they are eliminated from the playoffs, something that could dent his fantasy upside over the final two weeks of the regular season.

Abdullah was very much involved as a pass catcher, though he only ran six pass routes and saw a target on five of those routes. Jonathan Taylor, meanwhile, logged 18 routes and saw four targets from check-down artist Philip Rivers, 44, who made his first start since 2020 on Sunday against Seattle. With short-area pass catchers set to feast with Rivers under center, Abdullah could have some value in deeper formats next week against the 49ers.

Taylor was predictably the centerpiece of the Colts offense with 44-year-old Philip Rivers under center for the first time since 2020. The Colts had 29 rushing attempts and 27 passes in this one. Rivers peppered the team’s short-area pass catchers with targets: Tyler Warren led the way with six targets, Taylor had four targets, and veteran RB Ameer Abdullah had five targets, leading the Colts with five grabs for 32 yards. That’s a little deceiving considering Abdullah ran a mere six pass routes on the day. Taylor logged 18 routes. Taylor is the one Colts player who might survive the Rivers experience. He gets the 49ers in Week 16.

Taylor scored on Indianapolis’ second drive and was at 6/22/1 before Daniel Jones (Achilles) left the game. Afterwards, the Jaguars easily keyed on the star running back to contain him. The MVP season now in tatters, Taylor is surviving the RB1 line on volume and touchdown equity, but without Jones (and more importantly, with sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard under center) it’s hard to imagine he carries the same sort of league-winner upside at this point. Firing into Seattle’s top-notch defense in Week 15 won’t be an easy call for every fantasy manager, but Taylor still belongs on the RB1 line.

He took all but one running back snap for the Colts in a must-win divisional game. Taylor’s biggest play was a 33-yard screen catch with plenty of offensive linemen out front. He didn’t hit the big run, and the Texans were able to stuff him a few times, with six carries for one yard or less on the day, including a minus-5 yard run in the red zone that basically forced a Colts field-goal attempt. The Jaguars await in Week 14, and Taylor is too good to take off the RB1 line, but the past few weeks have shown that teams will sell out to stop him and take their chances with Daniel Jones.

Kansas City sold out to stop Taylor on early downs and let Daniel Jones try to beat them with his arm on third downs. That resulted in Taylor’s second-worst game of the year by rushing yards and left him with just 3.6 yards per carry. Jones, in turn, posted his worst game by both passing yards (181) and averaged 5.8 yards per attempt. Taylor’s box score today is eerily similar to his box score from the Colts’ Week 9 loss to the Steelers. Pittsburgh bullied Jones and managed to keep Taylor in check, effectively shutting down the Colts’ offense. The blueprint appears to be set for stopping the Colts. Even if the team isn’t as successful in the back half of the season, Taylor is going to get fed and remains a home run threat on every play. He will remain at the top of the running back ranks for his Week 13 date with Houston.

Taylor was stifled by the Steelers in Week 9, running for a season-low 45 yards in a loss. He took out his frustrations against the Falcons with a historic performance, highlighted by an 83-yard sprint to the end zone late in the fourth quarter to give the Colts the lead. The game eventually made its way into overtime, where Taylor put a bow on his blowup with an eight-yard touchdown to bring home the win. This is Taylor’s fourth game of the year with three rushing touchdowns and his fifth with three touchdowns in total. It goes down as a career-high in scrimmage yards for Taylor, who is now the frontrunner for the Offensive Player of the Year award. As you may have guessed, Taylor will sit atop the RB1 ranks when he returns from Indy’s Week 11 bye.

Fresh off back-to-back three-touchdown performances, Taylor found little room to operate in Sunday’s defeat. Taylor’s longest play of the game came on a nine-yard run in the third quarter, but the Colts’ six turnovers put a cap on any potential scoring opportunities for the bell cow back. Taylor saw Daniel Jones dive into the end zone for a one-yard score on the team’s opening possession, and the lone garbage time touchdown the Colts scored went to Josh Downs on a four-yard throw. it was a disappointing game for all involved, but Taylor will obviously be on the RB1 radar next week when the Colts face the Falcons in Germany.