The Colts have been without star running back Jonathan Taylor ($7,500) since Week 4, when he suffered an ankle injury against the Steelers. Taylor was able to get in a limited practice on Wednesday and return to a full session on Thursday. He practiced again on Friday and is “tracking well” to play in Week 8, per Shane Steichen. Should you get him back in your fantasy lineups? Let’s take a look.
Before the Injury
Taylor had carried a sizable load for the Colts through the first four games of the season. He averaged 18 carries per game and produced 87.3 rushing yards per game. He had 100-plus yards on the ground against the Packers in Week 2 and the Bears in Week 3. He was on track to hit that number again before getting injured with 88 yards against the Steelers.
In each of his four games, Taylor produced double-digit fantasy points as one of the key contributors in the Colts’ offense. He had a high mark of 29.5 fantasy points against the Bears in Week 3 and averaged 19.7 fantasy points per game.
Against the Texans in Week 1, he only had 48 rushing yards on six carries, but still saved his fantasy day with a touchdown.
Week 8 Outlook
He will return in that same matchup against Houston, but he still has a pretty high floor if he’s ready to take back on his full workload. The Texans have been solid against the run, allowing over 100 yards to running backs only twice this season.
Taylor wouldn’t quite be in my top 10 running backs in Week 8’s fully loaded RB rankings since it isn’t a great matchup, but he would rank right around No. 15. He’s also a little pricey in DFS contests like the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], but that’s because of his high ceiling and typically good volume.
In this road game in Houston, Taylor and the Colts are five-point underdogs, and the star running back is -120 to score a touchdown, the second-shortest odds in this contest behind only his counterpart Joe Mixon ($7,700).
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