Despite having one year remaining on his rookie deal, Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor decided to formally request a trade after he was unable to secure a long-term contract extension.
After a trade failed to materialize and he was subsequently placed on the PUP list, when should fantasy football managers draft Taylor? Let’s take a closer look.
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Jonathan Taylor’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
I’ll start by saying this… Jonathan Taylor is one of the best running backs in the NFL, but this situation has turned into a fantasy football nightmare for the 2023 NFL season.
The Colts’ next best opportunity to deal their All-Pro RB could be before the NFL’s Oct. 31 trade deadline. If no deal by then, Colts could tag Jonathan Taylor and try to trade him again this off-season. But there is no end of this drama currently in sight. https://t.co/Z5hbBMuQ1p
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2023
This situation that has played out over the past few weeks has seen a bit of everything.
Public Twitter spats… contested injury reports… cryptic social media activity… it has all been very concerning.
Yet, many fantasy managers kept drafting Taylor in the second or third round of drafts with the expectation he would be on an NFL football field for the start of the 2023 NFL season.
Unfortunately, the organization decided to place Taylor on the PUP list after they were unable to secure a trade with their desired compensation… which means Taylor won’t be taking the field for the Colts… or any team that trades for him for the first four weeks of the NFL season.
This is devastating news for those who invested one of their first three picks in Taylor. And with no trade finalized, it’s far from a certainty that Taylor will return to the field in Week 5.
Is Taylor a Good Fantasy Pick?
There’s no denying that when Taylor is on the football field, he’s on the short list of players who have a legitimate ceiling of the RB1 overall in fantasy football.
But if you are asking me if Taylor is a good fantasy football pick right now… My answer at the moment is a resounding no.
MORE: Jason Katz’s Must-Have Fantasy Running Backs!
Taylor’s contract dispute, lingering ankle injury, and rocky relationship with his own team make him far too risky of a draft-day investment. My advice is to simply let one of your league-mates take the risk in your fantasy draft.
- PFN Consensus Ranking: 77th overall
- ADP: 12th overall