Heading into Week 5, whether Jonathan Taylor is playing on Thursday Night Football has been a big point of emphasis for fantasy football managers. Let’s look at the latest updates regarding Taylor’s ankle injury and the fantasy ramifications of his status.
Is Jonathan Taylor Playing Tonight?
Taylor is not playing on Thursday Night Football in Week 5. Despite reports on Monday that Taylor’s scans had come back negative, the Indianapolis Colts RB was not able to get ready to play on the short week. Taylor was not able to make it onto the practice field at all for the Colts this week, and he was ruled out in their final Week 5 injury report.
The focus for Taylor now switches to Week 6 and ensuring he is ready for that game. Given there was hope early in Week 5 that he might be on the field on Thursday, he should have a good chance to be active in Week 6. Meanwhile, the focus for fantasy managers switches to what this all means for Indy’s backfield in Week 5. Let’s take a look at who might benefit in Indianapolis this week.
What Should Fantasy Managers Do in Taylor’s Absence in Week 5?
The obvious upgrade in value comes with Nyheim Hines, who climbs to be a low-end RB2 in our Week 5 fantasy RB rankings. However, it would be a mistake to be overly optimistic about Hines’ value for Week 5 just simply based on Taylor’s absence. Hines is unlikely to take on Taylor’s full workload of 20 rushing attempts and four targets per game. So far this year, Hines has just eight total rushing attempts and 19 targets. We should expect his opportunities to rise from an average of 6.8 per game to the 10-15 region.
This matchup with the Broncos is tough to decipher. Through the first four weeks, only six teams have allowed fewer points to the RB position than the Broncos’ 15.8 fantasy points per game in half-PPR. However, Josh Jacobs had a huge day against them, leading the Raiders RBs to a 34.4-fantasy-point performance. That performance indicates potential for Hines to succeed if he can see enough work.
The other aspect that works in Hines’ favor is a lack of a clear backup option. Deon Jackson is the third RB on the depth chart, but he has just 15 rushing attempts in his career. However, when we look at the body types of the Colts’ backs, Jackson most closely resembles Taylor. Therefore, we could see Jackson taking over for Taylor on some early downs and in short-yardage or goal-line situations. That potential for goal-line work for Jackson makes an intriguing deep-league dart throw this week. We are strictly talking about 20-team leagues, but the chance he finds the end zone is enticing.
The other back we could see is Phillip Lindsay. However, his play type is similar to that of Hines, meaning he could play a backup role. Consequently, it is incredibly tough to start Lindsay in any league because we simply do not know what role he will play for the Colts this week.