Jonathan Taylor Injury Update: Tough Fantasy Decisions in Week 6

We have been waiting to hear the latest on Jonathan Taylor’s injury after fantasy football managers were without him on Thursday Night Football last week. With the Indianapolis Colts returning to the practice field ahead of Week 6, let’s take a look at the latest injury update for Taylor and assess the fantasy impact.

Update: The Indianapolis Colts ruled Jonathan Taylor out Saturday, and he will miss their Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nyheim Hines was also ruled out, so the Colts will have a three-man backfield consisting of Deon Jackson, Phillip Lindsay, and D’Vonte Price this week.

Jonathan Taylor Injury Update for Week 6

The news on Taylor’s injury is less than ideal, as he was listed as a non-participant by the Colts for their Wednesday practice. However, we did at least see Taylor out on the practice field working with the trainers, suggesting there is some level of improvement. It is odd that Taylor is still not able to practice, given that his tests were considered negative coming out of Week 4.

We will now need to keep an eye on his progress during the week. If Taylor cannot get back on the field for practice on either Thursday or Friday, then we may not see him this weekend.

The initial speculation on the injury was a high-ankle sprain, which would have a minimum two to four-week timeframe usually. Let’s examine the fantasy impact if Taylor is on the field and who benefits if he is not.

What Should Taylor’s Fantasy Managers Do in Week 6?

This week presents a tough situation for fantasy managers if Taylor is active. When he is on the field, it is close to impossible not to start him. Outside of Week 1, Taylor has had mixed outputs this year. He had a total of 63 yards in Week 2, 91 yards in Week 3, and 43 yards in Week 4. He has also not found the end zone since that first week.

Taylor’s numbers are weird. He has been making players miss, with career-best numbers of a broken tackle every 7.4 rush attempts. However, his yards after contact per rush is a career low at 1.4. Additionally, it has not even been like Taylor has faced a lot of stacked boxes. Per Next Gen Stats, his 8.64 percent rate of eight-plus players in the box is tied for the fourth-lowest numbers in the league.

MORE: Week 6 PPR Fantasy Football Rankings

With those struggles, it is then concerning that Taylor could be playing at less than 100 percent. If he is struggling to make players miss more this week, it could further reduce his efficiency.

The problem is that this looks to be a nice matchup for Taylor. The Jaguars’ are the ninth-best matchup for RBs, allowing 22.16 fantasy points per game to the position. In the last two weeks, they have allowed 38.7 points and 22.6 points for an average of around 30 fantasy points per game. Therefore, it would be close to impossible to sit Taylor if he is active.

Nyheim Hines and Deon Jackson Are Intriguing if Taylor Sits

If Taylor is inactive, the majority of the workload should fall on Nyheim Hines and Deon Jackson. Hines opened Week 6 in the concussion protocol, but with extra time to rest, was able to be limited in practice on Wednesday. That should put him on the path to being active in Week 6.

MORE: Week 6 Fantasy Football RB Start/Sit Recommendations

When Hines left the game in Week 6, it was Jackson who stepped up alongside Phillip Lindsay. While his output was not spectacular, Jackson did a solid enough job to a point where he should see more work this week if Taylor is out. However, his value would be limited to a 16-team flex option, while Hines has 14-team starting value and is a fringe flex option in 12-team leagues.