Jonathan Taylor averaged over 2,000 rushing yards a season in his college career. Let that sink in. TWO-THOUSAND. Taylor was another back in the 2020 NFL Draft class that had an argument to be the first RB off the board. Taylor fell to pick 41 and the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts appeared to be a smash spot for Taylor as he could operate behind their impressive offensive line. The Colts had Marlon Mack, who finished with over 1,000 yards on the ground in 2019, and many were curious what the workload would like between the two.
2020 SEASON RECAP
Taylor was a roller coaster in 2020. Mack suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in the season’s opening game, which appeared to open a massive workload to the former Badger legend. Taylor produced double-digit PPR points in five of his first six games and appeared to be a train that was hitting maximum velocity.
And then the bye week happened. Taylor appeared to have vision issues during his first six games, and the coaching staff in Indy cut Taylor’s snap share to sub-33% in Weeks 8-10. Despite his hot start, Taylor had shown on film that maybe the game was moving too fast for him, and many big-name analysts in the industry were out on Taylor as a legitimate top RB option.
And then Taylor broke out.
In a big way.
From Week 11-16, Taylor never scored less than 15.4 PPR points and averaged a whopping 21.48 PPR points in his next five contests. Something clicked for Taylor, and it led to an explosion in Week 17 where Taylor eclipsed 250 yards rushing and found the end zone twice.
One of the biggest knocks on Taylor coming out of Wisconsin was his ability to catch the football. With receiving back Nyheim Hines locked into that primary role, Taylor was still able to catch 36 passes on 39 attempts, giving him the highest catch percentage of all RBs in the NFL in 2020.
Taylor missed one game in 2020, and with 232 carries, Taylor appears durable enough for the lead back role in Indy.
| Attempts | Yards | Rush TDs | YPC | Targets | Rec | Yards | Rec TDs | PPR Total | RB Finish |
| 232 | 1169 | 5.04 | 11 | 39 | 36 | 299 | 1 | 252.8 | RB6 |
THE WAY FORWARD
There was a point in 2020 where folks sold JT. I bet they regret that choice now. Jonathan Taylor exploded down the stretch and solidified himself as a first-round startup pick in 2021 dynasty drafts, regardless of Superflex or not. Taylor should be a first-round pick in 2021 redrafts as well. Taylor might have finished as a top 5 RB in his rookie season if he didn’t get into his three-week funk.
The Colts are expected to get a new QB in 2021, which may unlock running lanes for Taylor. Taylor is a home run in 2021 and beyond.
