But let’s not lose track of the exciting Taylor comeback that happened last year. Taylor jumped back into our fantasy lives in October, empowered by a contract extension and finally healthy again. He didn’t get a start until Week 7, but the explosiveness returned. Over his final eight games, Taylor racked up 704 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He rumbled for 188 yards and a score against Houston in the season finale.

If you survey the running back board for that 11-game sample, Taylor checks in as the RB15 in half-point PPR scoring. But keep in mind Taylor missed three games with a thumb injury, limiting his cumulative numbers. If you pivot to a points-per-game rank, Taylor jumps to the RB3 slot, trailing just Kyren Williams and Christian McCaffrey.

Blue Horseshoe was a blue-chip stock down the stretch.

But let’s not lose track of the exciting Taylor comeback that happened last year. Taylor jumped back into our fantasy lives in October, empowered by a contract extension and finally healthy again. He didn’t get a start until Week 7, but the explosiveness returned. Over his final eight games, Taylor racked up 704 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He rumbled for 188 yards and a score against Houston in the season finale.

If you survey the running back board for that 11-game sample, Taylor checks in as the RB15 in half-point PPR scoring. But keep in mind Taylor missed three games with a thumb injury, limiting his cumulative numbers. If you pivot to a points-per-game rank, Taylor jumps to the RB3 slot, trailing just Kyren Williams and Christian McCaffrey.

Blue Horseshoe was a blue-chip stock down the stretch.

All the fantasy arrows are pointed up for Jonathan Taylor

Taylor’s global ADP is just outside the first round (somewhere in the 12th-overall range) right now, but Yahoo drafters are more bullish. Taylor’s current Yahoo ADP tag is 9.9 overall, the fourth running back off the board. I applaud the aggressiveness in the Yahoo market. Hero RB is a preferred build of mine (get that one anchor back, while fortifying the other positions), and Taylor has enough upside to be the best fantasy back in football this fall. I’d love to build my fantasy roster around Taylor and a handful of impact wide receivers.

Taylor certainly has the infrastructure to succeed. The Colts’ offensive line carries a top-10 ranking on most clipboards. Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen is seen as an offensive wizard, someone who knows how to put his impact players in positions to succeed (note the seven Taylor touchdowns over his final six games). And the Indy offense certainly has more upside this season with second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson returning to action.

Gardner Minshew was a respectable backup who kept the Colts competitive in Richardson’s absence last season, but his ceiling was always muted. The Colts will likely be in the playoffs if Richardson takes a second-year leap. And we generally want our fantasy backs tied to winning teams, riding with as much leverage as we can.