Jordan Wilkins creates question marks about Jonathan Williams’ waiver wire value

The Indianapolis Colts lost running back Marlon Mack to a broken hand in Week 11, and uncertainty reigns in Week 12. Jonathan Williams replaced Mack after the injury, but now Jordan Wilkins might be working his way into the mix. It makes for a difficult decision if you’ve got high waiver wire priority and a running back need.

After Williams replaced Mack, he put together an impressive outing. He rushed 13 times for 116 yards and added a 31-yard reception. His rushing total benefited from the Colts taking a big league and being able to dominate the game script.

Now, Wilkins re-enters the picture. He injured his ankle in Week 10 and was ruled out last week. He felt like he was making progress and thinks he’ll be ready to go for Thursday Night Football this week against the Houston Texans, per beat writer George Bremer. He was listed as limited on the Tuesday injury report after sitting out Monday’s practice

Williams is going to be a popular waiver wire add, but Wilkins raises some concerns about what kind of workload Williams will see. I suspect Williams will be the starter on Thursday, but if Wilkins is active, it will lower Williams’ ceiling. He’s still a decent play against a shaky Texans defense, but recognize that it’s a bit of a gamble. Williams already loses passing down work to Nyheim Hines, so it’s a question of how much work Wilkins takes from rushing opportunities.

I think Wilkins could eventually replace Williams, but my guess is not this week.