When trying to project the Indianapolis Colts backfield, it can be a difficult task given the mystery of how the workload will be split between Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor.
With Mack as the starter and Taylor as the shiny new piece, there are those who believe Mack will fend off the rookie and those who believe it is only a matter of time before Taylor takes over.
Our fantasy friends over at The Huddle are in the latter group and have projected Taylor take over the backfield in a big way. They have him finishing with 1,020 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns while catching 20 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown.
Taylor should split the work with Marlon Mack, and he’ll be a hot RB3 option in drafts that could rise higher.
This is a bit of an extreme projection. Mack will be the starter to begin the season and given what he’s shown in training camp, it might not be a while until Taylor earns more reps. There is certainly a world where Mack is the lead back for the entire season, especially given what he’s shown as a receiver in camp.
Taylor is rising fast in terms of average draft position for fantasy football. The upside in drafting him is there, but it would be relatively surprising if the split between Mack and Taylor is as big as projected.
The Colts are expected to lean heavily on the run game behind arguably the best offensive line in the NFL, which means there is always a chance Taylor explodes for a massive rookie campaign.
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