Jonathan Taylor has only gone over 100 total yards once this season.
It’s still a very small sample size, but most of us have not been impressed with what we’ve seen out of Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Jonathan Taylor. The two-time Doak Walker Award winner with the Wisconsin Badgers has not been great at breaking tackles like he did in college. Thus far, he has only gone over 100 total years just once this season. Will that change in Week 6?
The Fantasy Footballers are split on if Taylor will go for over 100 combined yards on the ground and through the air vs. the Cincinnati Bengals at home on Sunday afternoon. While Jason Moore likes the Colts’ matchup vs. the Bengals, Andy Holloway and Mike Wright have been less than impressed in what they’ve seen out of Taylor in his rookie season out of Wisconsin.
Check out The Fantasy Footballers for all their advice.
With Marlon Mack going down Week 1 to a season-ending injury vs. the AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars, one would have expected Taylor would quickly emerge as the featured back in Indianapolis. Typically, running backs are able to make the leap from college to pro very quickly. However, Taylor is still losing touches to Nyheim Hines and third-stringer Jordan Wilkins.
Jonathan Taylor hit his stride later in the season for the Indianapolis Colts.
The only time Taylor has broken the 100-yard threshold came back in Week 2’s dominating win over a bad Minnesota Vikings team. He had 26 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown on the ground, as well as two catches for nine yards out of the backfield to give him 110 combined yards for the day. The next closest 100-yard performance of his came in Week 1 vs. Jacksonville with 89.
So who will Taylor get over 100 combined yards vs. the Bengals at home on Sunday? This season, Taylor is averaging 17.8 total touches per ball game, as well as 82.8 total yards from scrimmage per game. He’s averaging 4.7 yards per touch, too. Ultimately, he’s not that far away from getting to 100 total yards in a game each week. He needs two more touches and one big gain each week.
Essentially, Taylor needs roughly 20 total touches per game to have a realistic chance of getting to 100 total yards a contest. He is catching the ball very well out of the backfield with one fewer reception than targets. Hopefully, the pro game starts to slow down for him a bit. If he can get a 20-yard run or 10-yard reception out of the backfield, it’ll go a long way towards getting to 100.