The Athletic's James Boyd says rookie RB Seth McGowan has "clearly" earned the No. 2 RB role in Indianapolis. He even projects 2025 fifth-rounder DJ Giddens as a cut.
What They're Saying: Giddens Might Get Dumped
Boyd: "McGowan has clearly won the second-string job thanks to his physicality and reliable hands out of the backfield. It feels weird to cut Giddens ... for [Ulysses] Bentley, a 2025 [undrafted free agent], but Bentley has been more available than Giddens, who dealt with a hamstring injury throughout training camp, and Bentley has arguably the best hands of Indy's running backs."
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We'll see about Bentley vs. Giddens for that roster spot, but the decision probably doesn't really matter for our purposes.
The projection on McGowan's role agrees with what Boyd said earlier this month, and he's an interesting prospect.
McGowan averaged a solid 5.1 yards per carry for his college career and a strong 11.0 yards per catch. He racked up 18 total TDs over his final two years, first outperforming Mike Washington in their shared 2024 New Mexico State backfield and then leading the RB production in a limited Kentucky offense last season.
McGowan followed that with a good Combine, including a 91st-percentile speed score at 6 feet, 223 pounds. He's an old rookie, set to turn 25 this October. That damages the long-term outlook. But McGowan looks poised to lead Indy's backfield should Jonathan Taylor go down.
So he's your target if you draft Taylor and like to secure the expected handcuffs for your top RBs. We don't particularly recommend that tact, because McGowan would still almost definitely present a dramatic production downgrade from Taylor. You should be able to secure better fantasy-reserve options.
