RADIO
Jonathan Taylor 2022 NFL Player Outlook: The Consensus No. 1 Pick In Fantasy Drafts
3 years agoThis season will be running back Jonathan Taylor's third with the Indianapolis Colts and in the league. In his first season, there was a glimpse of promise. Last year that promise became a reality. In his rookie season, Taylor had 232 rushing attempts and 1,169 rushing yards while averaging five yards and gathering 11 touchdowns. On the receiving end, he had 39 targets with 36 receptions and 299 receiving yards. He also had one receiving touchdown. Last season Taylor increased his attempts by 100, his yards by 642, his yards per attempt by .5, and his rushing touchdowns by seven. Taylor finished the season as RB1 in standard fantasy football leagues. He rushed for 1,811 rushing yards, 5.5 average yards per attempt, four fumbles, 18 touchdowns, hauling in 40 receptions for 360 receiving yards, five drops, and two receiving touchdowns. Taylor finished the 2021 season RB1. He and his fantasy managers are looking for him to be the first running back to repeat as the overall number one in fantasy since Priest Holmes accomplished that feat in 2003. Let that sink in. It has been 18 years since an RB1 went -back-to-back. To return to RB1 prominence, you must have a few things, including opportunities. Taylor's rushing market share in Weeks 1-9 was 74%, which increased to 94% in Weeks 10-17. Taylor was one of the few running backs to touch the ball an average of 20 times a game. The least amount of rushing attempts in 2021, Week 3, 10 attempts against the Tennessee Titans. His most attempts were 32 in Weeks 11 and 13, against both the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans. Taylor isn't in a running back by committee situation. Nyheim Hines played 17 games in 2021 with 56 rushing attempts and a 31.3% snap share. His threat to Taylor's production is not in the running game but may exist in the passing game. There Taylor finished last season with 51 targets and 40 receptions for a 10.6% target share. Hines collected 57 targets and 40 receptions for an 11.4% target share. And yet, Taylor still finished as RB1 in standard fantasy leagues. Can he be played against any match-up? Last season against the Buffalo Bills, the Bills went into the game against Taylor, having given up the fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. In the three games before Taylor, the Bills had only given up 42.9 combined points to running backs. The 23-year-old had 51.9 in half PPF fantasy points in the one game against the Bills. He finished the game with 32 rushing attempts, 185 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown, and 204 receiving yards. So, yes, you can play him against anyone. And once he gets the ball? Per statmuse.com, in 2021 Taylor averaged 5.5 yards after contact (behind only Rashaad Penny 6.3, who only played 10 games). He also had 488 yards before contact, the most in the league. Is he durable? Yes, and that goes back to his college games. In his three years in college, Taylor ran for over 2000 yards from scrimmage and had over 300 rushing attempts. In his two years in the NFL, he has not missed a game (knock on wood). The Colts will play the AFC South twice: The Titans were first against the run game (83.5 rushing yards per game allowed), Jaguars were 22nd (125.1 rushing yards per game allowed), and the Texans were 31st (142.2 rushing yards per game allowed). Taylor has another big season in store for him and is the consensus No. 1 overall pick in upcoming fantasy drafts.
