While it appears Jonathan Taylor is the man again at running back for the Indianapolis Colts, has he produced enough to completely eliminate Zack Moss from consideration on your fantasy football team? Let’s break down these two running backs as we approach Week 10.
Should You Start Jonathan Taylor or Zack Moss This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Taylor is the player to start. His projected 16.1 points include 80 rushing yards, four receptions, and 20 receiving yards. That projected stat line outperforms the consensus projections for Moss (9.6 points).
MORE: Fantasy Week 10 RB Start/Sit
My ranking for these running backs aligns with the consensus. Taylor is simply seeing more time on the field than Moss, and his ability to catch passes gives him the edge.
Fantasy Outlook for Taylor This Week
Taylor saw the most time on the field last week vs. the Carolina Panthers, playing on 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps. He also had the most touches (23) he has had all season, so all signs are pointing to Taylor staying No. 1 on the Colts’ RB depth chart for the rest of the season.
Now, the production wasn’t exactly there last week for a guy receiving a season-high in touches. While he tied his season-highs for both rush attempts (18) and receptions (five), those resulted in only 47 rushing yards — on 2.6 yards a carry — and 22 receiving yards.
He did pick up his second touchdown of the season, which is certainly a positive. Also positive is the opponent, the New England Patriots. While New England ranks 11th in rush defense — 100.8 rush yards per game allowed — the Patriots gave up 124 rush yards on the ground in their loss last week to a Washington team with a weak running game.
Everything continues trending upward for Taylor, so at this point, if it’s a choice between the two, he seems like the smart pick to start on your fantasy team.
Fantasy Outlook for Moss This Week
Throughout this turnover from Taylor to Moss in the Colts’ backfield, it’s still worth pointing out that, with Moss, we’re still talking about the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 615 yards.
The problem is Moss just isn’t seeing the time on the field or getting much work out of the backfield. While Taylor was enjoying a season-high with his 23 touches last week, Moss was on the field for only 13 offensive snaps and had seven touches — both season-lows.
Even in limited duty the previous week against the New Orleans Saints, Moss was still productive, with 66 rushing yards and a touchdown. However, if last week is the plan going forward, Moss simply isn’t going to have enough opportunities to be a factor on your fantasy team.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer projects Moss to finish with 58 rush yards, with two catches for eight yards.
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