Tag: tyler goodson

Fantasy Football: 10 running backs to target on the waiver wire

Tyler Goodson and Ray Davis highlight this week’s list of running backs to target on the fantasy football waiver wire.

Several key injuries (and players returning from injuries) are shaking up the NFL — and fantasy football lineups — going into Week 8.

At quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa (27%) is expected to return after recovering from his concussion. In Cleveland, the Browns are expected to turn the offense over to Jameis Winston (1%) after losing Deshuan Watson to an Achilles injury. Drake Maye (14%) is also worth a look at QB.

At wide receiver, Jauan Jennings (46%) will be a popular target this week after the 49ers lost Brandon Aiyuk to a torn ACL. Elsewhere at the position, Romeo Doubs (37%) has turned heads with consecutive big games.

At tight end, Hunter Henry (28%) and Taysom Hill (21%) will be among the top targets to consider on the waiver wire ahead of Week 8.

Today, though, we’re focusing on the running back position. We’ve put together a quick list of ten running backs to consider on the fantasy football waiver wire this week.

Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Wire Targets

1. RB Ray Davis (15%): Even with James Cook back in the lineup, Davis still got five carries and a target, turning those touches into 41 rushing yards and a touchdown and a one-yard reception. He won’t reach the end zone every week, but Davis offers flex value even when Cook is healthy.

2. RB Tyler Goodson (10%): It remains to be seen if Jonathan Taylor (ankle) will be able to return this week. In his absence on Sunday, it was Goodson, not Trey Sermon, who led the Colts’ backfield with 14 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown.

3. RB Alexander Mattison (43%): Mattison dominated the Raiders’ backfield on Sunday with 26 touches that he turned into 123 yards.

4. RB Jaylen Warren (46%): Najee Harris is still the guy in Pittsburgh, but Warren got 12 carries and three targets in Week 7. He’s worth flex consideration in a shared backfield.

5. RB Tyrone Tracy (48%): Even with Devin Singletary back in the lineup, Tracy remained a key part of New York’s offense. Game flow didn’t allow for much rushing from the Giants, but Tracy got one more carry (six to five) and two more targets (three to one) than Singletary on Sunday.

6. RB Sean Tucker (11%): Rachaad White is back and Bucky Irving remains the RB1b, but there’s still a role for Tucker in the backfield. He got five carries and two targets on Monday.

7. RB Kendre Miller (8%): The Saints weren’t able to get anything going against Denver’s defense on TNF, but Miller got six carries (compared to Alvin Kamara’s seven) and three targets (compared to Kamara’s seven). Kamara is obviously still the star in New Orleans, but Miller might have some standalone value going forward.

8. RB D’Ernest Johnson (15%): Tank Bigsby (69%) is dominating right now, but there’s still a role for Johnson. He got nine carries and four targets this week.

9. RB Trey Benson (18%): Benson is a claim-and-stash option in case James Conner is ever unavailable this season.

10. RB Blake Corum (18%): Similar to Benson, Corum is a valuable handcuff behind Kyren Williams.

Bonus RBs: Nick Chubb (83%), Tank Bigsby (69%), Jonathon Brooks (60%), Bucky Irving (66%) and Tyler Allgeier (54%) are already rostered in most leagues, but double check just to make sure they’re not still available in your league. 

Roster percentages for players listed in this article were sourced from ESPN. For more fantasy coverage, check out our fantasy football hub.

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Tough decisions at RB but Colts’ Tyler Goodson separates with ‘well-rounded’ skill set

Colts’ GM Chris Ballard said there were tough decisions at RB but Tyler Goodson separated himself from Evan Hull with a more “well-rounded” skill set.

Leading the way at running back for the Colts will be Jonathan Taylor, but general manager Chris Ballard likes what he saw from the trio of running backs behind Taylor this summer.

“Like the group,” said Ballard on Wednesday. “It was a really tough decision between–especially with Sermon getting hurt. But we really liked what Sermon was doing last year and in the offseason, and that includes we like some of the things Goodson did.”

Sermon carried the ball 35 times last season for the Colts, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. With the backup role up for grabs, Sermon came into the offseason the favorite for that job and solidified himself as the backup option rather quickly, bringing an added hard-nosed running style to the backfield.

The attention at the position then turned to the third-string running back spot on the depth chart–a competition between Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull. Ultimately after seeing how training camp and the preseason unfolded, the Colts chose to roster Goodson because of his more well-rounded skill-set at this time.

“We still like Hull,” added Ballard. “At the end of the day, Goodson just did a little bit more–a little more well-rounded right now. But look, Hull’s still going to be definitely in the mix with us.”

Both Goodson and Hull add a pass-catching element to the Colts’ running back room, however, where Goodson was able to separate himself in the preseason games was as a ball carrier.

Goodson flashed a bit more juice with the ball in his hands, averaging 4.1 yards per carry over the preseason, including averaging 5.1 yards per attempt on his final 19 carries during the final two games.

Hull averaged 3.4 yards per rush in the preseason and outside of a 14 yard run against Arizona, didn’t find the same steady success that Goodson did. After being released, Hull was signed back to the Colts’ practice squad.

Taylor will, of course, handle the bulk of the carries at the position, but in general, the run game is going to be very important for the Colts’ success on offense this season.

For one, the combination of Taylor and Anthony Richardson in the backfield together will create a massive challenge for opposing defenses. But on top of that, a strong run game can be a quarterback’s best friend, keeping the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations.

“I think it’s a good, well-rounded group,” said Ballard. “And I think we’ve got a–Jonathan, who I think’s a superstar.”

WATCH: Tyler Goodson scores Colts’ first touchdown vs. Cardinals

Watch as Colts’ running back Tyler Goodson scores the first touchdown for the team in their preseason game against Arizona.

The Indianapolis Colts were able to put up points first against the Arizona Cardinals on a touchdown run by Tyler Goodson in the first quarter.

On first-and-goal from the Arizona eight-yard line, Sam Ehlinger handed the ball off to Goodson. Initially, between the tackles, there was nowhere for Goodson to go, but credit to Goodson’s vision and burst, he was able to jump-cut outside and won the race to the end zone.

Of course, Jonathan Taylor will be the Colts’ starting running back and will handle the workload, but Trey Sermon seems to have the backup role secured–although he has been sidelined this week with a hamstring injury.

The third running back role is up for grabs, however, between Goodson and second-year back Evan Hull.

As was the case during the preseason opener against Denver, it was Goodson who got the first touches over Hull, but during joint practices, it was Hull who saw the bulk of the backup reps.

In the early going of this game, Hull has seen some touches as well. The two appear to be alternating series.

Both backs are very capable as pass catchers out of the backfield, so consistency as a ball carrier and the ability to hold up in pass protection may be deciding factors in who ends up as the third back on the roster.

Colts’ training camp roster preview: RB Tyler Goodson

Next up in our Colts’ training camp roster preview is RB Tyler Goodson. Here is a look back at Goodson’s 2023 season and what’s ahead in 2024.

Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.

Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.

I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is running back Tyler Goodson. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.

2023 Season Review

Spending most of the season on the practice squad, it was a small sample size that we saw from Goodson last season, but in those limited touches, we did see the playmaking potential he adds to the running back position.

On just 13 carries, Goodson would have three of those rushes go for 10-plus yards, including two that went for at least 15 yards. In total, he would average an impressive 6.7 yards per carry.

Goodson would also catch six passes for 34 yards, but unfortunately, one of those targets was a crucial dropped pass on fourth down in the Colts’ win-and-in Week 18 matchup with the Houston Texans.

“This doesn’t define me as a player,” Goodson said after the loss via ESPN. “It definitely motivates me. I work too hard to not make that play, and it’s going to haunt me for days and days and days until I get back in that position to make that same play.”

2024 Season Preview

Goodson will not only be competing for a roster spot this summer but the competition for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor will be one of the more intriguing competitions to take place during Colts’ training camp.

Competing with Goodson will be Trey Sermon, who impressed during minicamp, as well as second-year back Evan Hull.

“Those guys, there’s some great opportunities ahead of those guys to get carries, to get playing time, to earn that game action,” Jim Bob Cooter said.

“We think we know those guys pretty well, but it’s our second year going here and different guys arrived at different times last year, so we’re kind of excited to get a full camp with these guys and find out more about them and obviously complement JT, who’s going to be so huge for us this year.”

Goodson continuing to showcase that big play ability with the ball in his hands will be important, but where he can potentially standout is in the passing game, where he’s already made an impression on Cooter and the coaching staff.

“Goodie has come in and shoot, he plays fast,” added Cooter. “He’s running around out there, he gets open in the pass game, makes nice catches, has hit some nice runs in camp. Like I said, pads aren’t on, we aren’t running it a ton.”

Along with the obvious plays that need to be made when the running back has the ball, oftentimes a player’s ability in pass protection or contributing on special teams can be other key factors when it comes to determining the back end of the running back depth chart.

Although Taylor has shown he can handle a heavy workload, the backup running back role has become increasingly important over the years with teams mindful of how many touches they put on the shoulders on their lead running back.

Once the pads come on during training camp is when this running back competition will really begin to take shape.

You predict which Colts’ RB will win the backup competition

The backup running back competition will be an intriguing positional battle for the Colts, and you can predict who you think will win.

One of the more intriguing training camp battles that will take place this summer for the Indianapolis Colts is for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor.

Below, you can vote for who you think will win this competition.

Last season, this was a role filled by Zack Moss, who is now in Cincinnati. Moss would go on to record almost 800 rushing yards and nearly 200 more in the passing game, scoring seven touchdowns.

Competing for this playing time will be Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson, and Evan Hull. The Colts also have Xavier Scott and Trent Pennix on the roster at running back as well.

The potential front-runner for this spot could be Sermon, who ESPN’s Stephen Holder picked as the one Colts player who surprised during OTAs and minicamp. Sermon averaged 4.6 yards per rush on 35 carries with the Colts last season and brings a physical running style to the position.

Goodson had even fewer attempts than Sermon last season with only 13 carries, but he showcased his big play potential, averaging 6.7 yards per rush, with three of those carries going for 10-plus yards.

“Trey sure does get the ball to the right place a whole, whole lot,” said offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter via the team site. “Goodie has come in and shoot, he plays fast, he’s running around out there, he gets open in the pass game, makes nice catches, has hit some nice runs in camp. Like I said, pads aren’t on, we aren’t running it a ton.”

Hull’s rookie season was unfortunately cut short after he sustained a season-ending injury in the first game of the year. A fifth-round pick by the Colts last April, Hull averaged 5.0 yards per carry over his career at Northwestern and was a huge factor in the passing game with 110 targets during his final two seasons.

“Evan Hull has really on his way back from injury done a nice job coming in and getting himself back going into the flow of things,” added Cooter.

Overall, this is a very inexperienced group behind Taylor, with the trio combining for only 92 carries in their respective careers and 20 targets in the passing game.

The Colts could have looked to add to this position group to elevate the competition, but internally, they appear to be bullish about the group they already had on the roster.

“Those guys, there’s some great opportunities ahead of those guys to get carries, to get playing time, to earn that game action,” Cooter said.

“We think we know those guys pretty well, but it’s our second year going here and different guys arrived at different times last year, so we’re kind of excited to get a full camp with these guys and find out more about them and obviously complement JT, who’s going to be so huge for us this year.”

Cast your vote below for who you think will be Taylor’s running back coming out of training camp:

‘Great opportunities ahead’ in Colts’ backup RB competition

There are ‘great opportunities ahead’ for whichever of the Colts’ running backs can secure the backup role behind Jonathan Taylor.

One of the more intriguing positional battles that will take place for the Colts this summer will be for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor, a competition that won’t really begin to heat up until the pads come on.

“When the pads come on, the running backs really figure it out,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said via the team site.

Competing for this playing time will be Trey Sermon, Evan Hull, and Tyler Goodson. With Taylor appearing in only 10 games last season, Zack Moss would total almost 800 rushing yards for the Colts and another 192 as a pass catcher, scoring seven touchdowns.

Perhaps the front-runner for that role is Trey Sermon, who ESPN’s Stephen Holder selected as one player who surprised during offseason programs. On 35 rush attempts last season, Sermon averaged 4.6 yards per carry, adding another physical presence to the position.

Goodson’s opportunities were even more limited last season, totaling just 13 carries, but he showcased his big play potential, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, with three attempts going for 10-plus yards and two picking up at least 15 yards.

“Trey sure does get the ball to the right place a whole, whole lot,” Cooter said. “Goodie has come in and shoot, he plays fast, he’s running around out there, he gets open in the pass game, makes nice catches, has hit some nice runs in camp. Like I said, pads aren’t on, we aren’t running it a ton.”

Hull, a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2023, suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. Hull averaged 5.0 yards per carry during his career at Northwestern and was a key part of the passing game, totaling 110 targets in his last two seasons.

“Evan Hull has really on his way back from injury done a nice job coming in and getting himself back going into the flow of things,” added Cooter.

The Colts would have to be mindful about tipping their hand based on their personnel, but with Goodson and Hull able to impact the passing game, one of them combined with Sermon as the lead ball carrier behind Taylor could provide Shane Steichen with options at backup running back depending on the opponent and the situation.

Overall, this is a fairly inexperienced trio, combining for just 92 career carries, with Sermon having 78 of them, and 20 total targets.

However, the Colts could have made an outside addition to this room this offseason and chose not to. The continuity of each of these players having a full year in Shane Steichen’s offense will hopefully provide a jumping-off point for them in 2024, helping to elevate the competition once the pads come on.

“Those guys, there’s some great opportunities ahead of those guys to get carries, to get playing time, to earn that game action,” Cooter said.

“We think we know those guys pretty well, but it’s our second year going here and different guys arrived at different times last year, so we’re kind of excited to get a full camp with these guys and find out more about them and obviously complement JT, who’s going to be so huge for us this year.”

PFF projects Colts’ starting lineup on offense for 2024 season

Pro Football Focus projected the starting lineup on offense for the Colts ahead of the 2024 season. Here is what stood out.

Pro Football Focus projected the starting lineup for each NFL team for the upcoming 2024 season. Here is who they believe will be starting on the offensive side of the ball come Week 1 for the Indianapolis Colts.

QB: Anthony Richardson
RB: Jonathan Taylor
RB: Tyler Goodson
WR: Michael Pittman
WR: Adonai Mitchell
WR: Josh Downs
TE: Mo Alie-Cox
LT: Bernhard Raimann
LG: Quenton Nelson
C: Ryan Kelly
RG: Will Fries
RT: Braden Smith

For the most part, this lineup is what you’d expect for a Colts team that saw very little roster turnover during the offseason. However, there are two position groups that do stand out.

The first is at running back, with Tyler Goodson listed as the backup behind Jonathan Taylor. The training camp battle for that role will be one of the more intriguing competitions to take place.

Goodson saw limited opportunities in 2023, but when he did, he showcased that juice he brings, averaging over 6.0 yards per rush. Although Goodson had a crucial drop in the Colts’ Week 18 matchup with Houston, he does bring added playmaking ability to the running back room.

Competing with Goodson will be Trey Sermon and Evan Hull. Sermon is the most experienced of the bunch with 78 career carries, 35 of which came last season, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt. Hull’s rookie season was cut short due to an injury in Week 1, but he brings ample pass-catching experience to the Colts backfield from his time at Northwestern.

“We got some young guys that came in, and Trey (Sermon) did a really good job when he came in and played for us last year,” said GM Chris Ballard after the draft. “So we got some guys on the roster that we like. We get (Evan) Hull back. Hull’s healthy, we get him back, so we get to see what he can do and he showed us some good signs last year.”

The other position that caught my attention was tight end, with Mo-Alie Cox listed as the starter. At this position in particular, where the Colts have built a tight end room with a wide variety of skill sets, the term ‘starter’ is a bit hollow, with multiple players contributing each week and playing time potentially dependent upon the opponent and game plan.

However, I can understand why Alie-Cox was listed as PFF’s starter, with his experience potentially carrying weight in this decision. Now, with that said, a fully healthy Jelani Woods could very much push for that role. With his size and speed he provides a dynamic presence at tight end to the Colts’ passing game.

“Finally getting to see him,” Shane Steichen said of Woods after last week’s practice via the Indy Star. “I mean, I saw him a little bit in training camp, he got the injury, but to see how long he is and how he can run, vertical threat, different things you can do with him. It’s good to have him out there.”

PFF projects who Colts’ RB2 will be behind Jonathan Taylor

The competition for the Colts’ RB2 will be one of the more intriguing battles this summer, and PFF projected who they think the winner will be.

The competition this summer at Colts’ training camp for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor will be one of the more intriguing battles to take place.

On the outside, there is already a differing in opinions when it comes to who is going to win that role.

Mike Clay of ESPN recently put together 2024 stat projections for each NFL team, and second on the Colts in carries and yards was Trey Sermon.

However, over at PFF, who recently put together its starting lineup projections for each team, they had Tyler Goodson listed behind Taylor.

In the little that we saw of Goodson last season, he showcased some juice with the ball in his hands, averaging 6.7 yards per rush on 13 carries. He also caught six passes for 34 yards–although one of those targets included a crucial dropped pass on fourth down in Week 18 against Houston.

Competing with Goodson will be Sermon as well as Evan Hull, who missed most of his rookie season with an injury. The Colts could have made an outside addition to the running back room in free agency or through the draft but chose not to, with GM Chris Ballard mentioning that he liked the depth of this position group.

Also, for what it’s worth, the first two names Ballard mentioned when discussing the backup running back position were Sermon and Hull.

“We got some young guys that came in, and Trey (Sermon) did a really good job when he came in and played for us last year,” said Ballard. “So we got some guys on the roster that we like. We get (Evan) Hull back. Hull’s healthy, we get him back, so we get to see what he can do and he showed us some good signs last year.”

Overall, this is a fairly inexperienced group behind Taylor, which is perhaps a reason why PFF suggested that this is a position that the Colts should still try to add to.

Between Sermon, Hull, and Goodson, the trio have just 92 combined carries in their careers, with Sermon accounting for 78 of them. In the passing game, these three have only 20 total targets.

Throughout the years, the backup running back has become increasingly important as teams grow more mindful of the workload they ask their lead-backs to handle.

In 2023, Zach Moss – who is now in Cincinnati – totaled nearly 800 yards and seven scores. Between a fully healthy version of Taylor and whoever RB2 ends up being, that’s a good chunk of production that will have to be replaced.

The running game for the Colts will play an important role in taking some of the pressure off of Anthony Richardson. Success on early downs opens up the playbook and keeps the offense out of predictable passing situations. It also helps to further stress opposing defenses through play-action and RPO opportunities.

5 reasons the Colts missed the playoffs

Here are five reasons the Colts missed the playoffs in 2023.

Playoffs weren’t even a thought for those outside of the Indianapolis Colts organization heading into the 2023 season.

But thanks to Shane Steichen’s coaching, the team had a chance to crack into the postseason late in the campaign. However, they came up short in their Week 18 matchup against the Houston Texans.

The reasons why they missed a chance for a Super Bowl run aren’t as negative as it was for this franchise a year ago, but there are still factors on why they found themselves on the outside looking in.

Resolving these issues will be key for the Colts moving forward if they want to compete starting in 2024.

Here are five reasons why the Colts missed the playoffs in 2023:

Colts’ Shane Steichen explains failed fourth-down call

Here’s what Shane Steichen said about the crucial fourth-down call.

The Indianapolis Colts saw their season slip away as the fourth-down pass from Gardner Minshew to Tyler Goodson hit the turf on what would have been a first down.

Facing a fourth-and-one at the Texans 15-yard line with 1:03 remaining in the game, head coach Shane Steichen dialed up a quick pass to the flat against a blitzing Texans defense.

The play call worked perfectly. Goodson was wide open to the flat with plenty of room for more to gain. The execution was far from perfect.

Minshew’s throw was just behind Goodson enough to force the running back to flip his body instead of working upfield. The pass still hit Goodson square in the hands—a ball he should have caught.

Instead, the ball fell to the turf, and the Colts watched their season end on a quick pass to the flat.

“The play we had up, we had to look for it. It was man-to-man coverage and just it didn’t work out,” Steichen said. “Felt good about (Tyler) Goodson in that situation. He’s a pass catcher for us in the backfield and it is what it is.”

Part of the several questions about the play surround the personnel. With the season on the line, why not trust Jonathan Taylor, the running back the team paid $42 million just a few months ago?

Steichen didn’t give much in the way of an answer about the personnel usage. Instead, he continued to back the mindset of making the correct call.

“Yeah, they were in a man-to-man defense. Felt good about the call,” Steichen said. “Yeah, I had full confidence in that play in that situation, and I went with my gut, and I saw the look and that’s what we went with.”

It’s a tough pill to swallow for Colts fans. They watched the season slip away on a play that should have been made.

And a lot of the offseason will be wondering what if…?

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