Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is away from the team again. The team announced that he "returned to Indianapolis to continue his rehab, however he had a personal matter arise." The Colts also called the absence excused. Just like you, we'll keep watching this situation and hoping for some resolution. All the reported ankle rehab certainly can't be a good thing for Taylor's outlook.
Colts HC Shane Steichen announced Tuesday morning that they've named QB Anthony Richardson the regular-season starter. It's not a surprising move, but it's noteworthy that Steichen announced it after just one preseason game. Whether that signals more confidence in how far along Richardson already is or just a desire to commit to him earlier doesn't really matter. Richardson also doesn't need to be as "good" at football as most QBs to contribute fantasy value. Even with sack yardage subtracted (per college stat practice), Richardson still averaged 54.5 rushing yards per game across 12 starts in his only full season as Florida's starter. Combine that with a big arm and displayed aptitude for throwing deep, and you have a QB with immediate upside into the top 12. Check our fantasy football QB rankings to see where Richardson lands after this announcement.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is back with the team. "He remains on PUP and his stance has not changed," Rapoport says. "But he has returned." The report says Taylor left the team for "additional rehab on his ankle." If that's the whole truth, it doesn't bode well for his injury risk headed into the season. Taylor gets a "high risk" designation from our Injury Predictor. Of course, he also comes with a high fantasy ceiling if fully healthy and should operate as a workhorse. Taylor has moved down our RB rankings through this saga. He's an upside pick in Round 3, though.
Colts HC Shane Steichen says we should expect to see RB Jonathan Taylor back on the field soon. "He should be back this week," Steichen said Sunday, according to NFL.com. "Do I know the exact date that he'll be back? No. But he should be back." Taylor, of course, has been quarreling with the team over his contract. There have also been reports that he's still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but it's tough to tell how true that aspect is. Fingers crossed we find out this week. Taylor has moved down our RB rankings since the start of training camp. But he has also made it into the third round in ADP recently.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson will start Saturday's preseason opener vs. the Bills, HC Shane Steichen said. That's certainly not a bad sign for Richardson's chances of earning the Week 1 starting nod. The rookie has seemingly had more ups than downs in camp so far and remains a high-ceiling fantasy pick.
Colts HC Shane Steichen said Tuesday that RB Jonathan Taylor is still working his way back from right ankle surgery early in the offseason. Steichen wouldn't say if Taylor, after a trade request, is rehabbing at the team facilities. And he also wouldn't say whether Taylor will practice in training camp. “Yeah, I’d like to see that," Steichen said. "We’ll see how it all plays out though.” It'd be a concern if Taylor truly wasn't 100% recovered from surgery that happened over six months ago. But it's possible that he's just milking the injury amidst this squabble with the team. We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson had two of his best practices of camp over the weekend, according to The Indianapolis Star's Joel Erickson. “You get repetitions, you do things more and more, and you’re going to get more comfortable,” HC Shane Steichen said. “I think he’s gaining confidence in the system, gaining confidence with his teammates. When you have that, and you have the talent that he has, it’s usually a good thing.” Although not exclusively with the starters, Richardson has been getting lots of first-team work and seemingly has a good chance to win the Week 1 starting job.
Colts TE Jelani Woods is sidelined with a hamstring injury. No word yet on how long he’ll sit out, but Indy signed two free-agent TEs (Nick Eubanks and Michael Jacobson) on Saturday. We’ll let you know when Woods returns.
Per beat writer Kevin Bowen, the Colts have “mixed and matched a lot” with their TEs in training camp. Bowen mentioned a “rotation” of Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Drew Ogletree, and Kylen Granson. “It’s difficult to see much separation so far,” Bowen concluded. We remain intrigued by Woods given his combo of size and athleticism. But this is a good reminder that he still needs to earn a role. The 24-year-old posted 25-312-3 as a rookie.
The Colts activated rookie TE Will Mallory from the PUP list on Monday. He missed time because of a foot injury, one that popped up at rookie minicamp. The 24-year-old is a dynasty long-shot.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson underwent surgery on Sunday to correct his nasal septum, the team announced. Richardson will miss Monday's practice but is expected back on Tuesday. The missed reps for the rookie aren't ideal, but this ultimately figures to be a non-factor when it comes to Richardson's 2023 fantasy outlook.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor responded -- via Twitter -- to reports Indianapolis is considering the non-football injury list after he reported back pain upon arriving to training camp. Taylor said: "1.) Never had a back pain. 2.) Never reported back pain. Not sure who 'sources' are, but find new ones." It sure seems like we're building toward Taylor not playing for the Colts again. We'll keep watching this saga.
The Colts are "considering" placing RB Jonathan Taylor on the non-football injury list, according to insider Mike Chappell. Taylor is currently on the PUP list. Chappell reports that Taylor suffered "some type of back injury while working out on [his] own in Arizona," which would presumably allow the Colts to move him to the non-football-injury list. The drama between these two sides is far from over. We'll keep you updated. We recently moved Taylor down the RB rankings.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has requested a trade following a meeting with team owner Jim Irsay on Saturday. For context, Irsay took to social media on Wednesday to comment on the current landscape of the RB market. He shared in a tweet that the current collective bargaining agreement "took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides," calling the attempts by RBs to negotiate for higher pay "inappropriate" and referring to actions by their agents as "selling 'bad faith.'" It's not difficult to see how this situation unfolded from there. Taylor is coming off a year in which he only appeared in 11 games due to an ankle injury that required surgery. He still had a pretty strong season, logging a 192-861-4 rushing line behind a Colts offensive line that ranked 22nd in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Line Yards. A potential trade would send shockwaves through both the NFL and fantasy football landscape wherever Taylor ultimately lands. For now, we're operating under the assumption he'll be in Indianapolis to open 2023. See where he sits in our current RB rankings.
The Colts have been giving first-team reps to TE Drew Ogletree in early practices -- along with second-year TE Jelani Woods. The latter we expected to climb in offensive prominence this season. Ogletree also arrived in last year's draft (Round 6) after a quiet college career that saw him total 82 catches across three years at Division II Findlay and then one at FCS Youngstown State. Ogletree generated some mild buzz in last year's training camp but suffered an August knee injury that landed him on IR. Expect Woods to remain the clear leader among Colts in our TE rankings, but the playing-time distribution will be worth watching throughout the summer.
Colts owner Jim Irsay told ESPN's Stephen Holder on Thursday that the team hasn't offered RB Jonathan Taylor a contract extension. That helps explain Taylor's frustration with the team -- and why he hasn't participated in training camp yet. “We love Jonathan, we need Jonathan," Irsay said. "Our hope is Jonathan has an outstanding year and that we have a good year as a team and then we get his next contract done. That's the hope. We think the world of him as a person, as a player. It's just timing. When your time comes to get paid, then you get paid.” We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation. For now, we're not projecting Taylor to sit out regular-season games.
Colts GM Chris Ballard suggested Tuesday that RB Jonathan Taylor landing on the PUP list has more to do with contract negotiations than his ankle. Ballard said he and Taylor were scheduled to have a "long conversation" on Tuesday. “Like I’ve always told you, you pay good players, you pay players that are going to help you win, regardless of the position,” Ballard added. It's worth noting that owner Jim Irsay said Taylor was "healed up" a few weeks ago. We'll continue to keep a close eye on Taylor -- both his health and contract situation. For now, we're not moving him in the RB Rankings.
The Colts plan to ease WR Michael Pittman into training camp after his offseason hip injury, according to the Indianapolis Star's Nate Atkins. "Pittman said he's completely over it, but they just want to be cautious bringing him back into the fold," Atkins writes. This doesn't sound like a concern, although missed reps aren't ideal as Pittman settles into a new offense with a new QB.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has been placed on the PUP list ahead of training camp. The former All-Pro back missed the last three games of 2022 with an ankle injury that required offseason surgery. We'll keep an eye on how quickly he'll be able to return to the practice field and ramp up action.
We knew WR Alec Pierce brought downfield speed when the Colts drafted him in Round 2 last April. His 12.2-yard average depth of target led the team in his rookie campaign. Pierce's 16.8-yard college aDOT says that number could rise even higher. And new QB Anthony Richardson specialized in deep passing as a collegian. According to Pro Football Focus, Richardson ranked 25th among 148 qualifying FBS QBs last year in total deep attempts (20+ yards downfield), 20th in deep-passing grade and 16th in deep-passing yards. We'll see about the pass-run split between the strong-running rookie QB and the new coaching staff. But Pierce is a low-risk option in best ball drafts at his later-round ADP. Read more about him and see where he sits in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.
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