Who to consider starting with Jonathan Taylor OUT vs. Broncos on TNF

The Indianapolis Colts will take on the Denver Broncos for Week 5’s edition of Thursday Night Football on Thursday, October 6. The Colts are playing on a short week which is bad news for star running back Jonathan Taylor. He had suffered an ankle injury in last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans and just didn't have enough time to recover. He has been ruled out for Thursday’s game leaving the question, who to pick up in his absence?

Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich addressed this during a talk with the media on Monday. He said that while Nyheim Hines will likely get more work as Taylor’s backup, Phillip Lindsay would also factor into the mix. Lindsay has spent time on the Colts practice squad and hasn't played for the team yet this season. The main impetus for playing Lindsay seems to be the revenge game narrative, as the running back had spent the first three years of his career with the Broncos. He finally left the state of Colorado and spent time with both the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins in 2021 before landing on the Colts practice squad.

When it comes to your fantasy football decisions, Hines seems like the safer bet for your lineup. He is already used in pass-catching situations for the Colts, and they figure to be playing down for a lot of this game. Hines has filled in fine for Taylor in the past and is the safer bet to start. If you are desperate and have to start Lindsay, you can, but keep in mind that this is the Thursday game. There should be a lot of other viable options that you can use in later games. If you head to the waiver wire, look for Philadelphia Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell, New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram, Houston Texans RB Rex Burkhead, Washington Commanders RB JD McKissic and Denver Broncos RB Latavius Murray. They are all rostered in fewer than 40% of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.