Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor injured his ankle back in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite his high ankle sprain being described as mild, he’s now missed three consecutive games. Is Taylor likely to miss a fourth? What is the latest on his injury?
Is Jonathan Taylor Playing in Week 8?
Football is an inherently dangerous game. At this point in the season, just about every player is feeling it somewhere. That makes Wednesday practices largely meaningless, as teams often give veteran players a light workload or the day off to aid in recovery.
However, Wednesday practices do matter for players who are coming off missed games. Typically, a player will not return from a multi-week absence without getting in three practices, even if they are limited.
Last week, Taylor did not practice at all, but he did indicate he was feeling a lot better.
“I’m feeling so much better,” he said. “This week, I’m continuing, especially tomorrow, to have more work with the trainers and rehab so that I can get back on the field. I’ve been itching.
“Of course, thankfully, nothing super major like I’ve dealt with in the past. But, you know, especially with those high ankles, you want to make sure that you nip that in the bud from the jump, because if not, those things can linger. And you don’t want that lingering when you’re playing championship football in November and December.”
The Colts are understandably being cautious with Taylor. We’ve seen him attempt to return too quickly from this exact injury in the past, costing him even more time, so it’s encouraging to hear that he’s keenly aware of the importance of not rushing back.
Finally, though, we do have good news. Taylor is back on the practice field for the first time since before getting hurt.
#Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is practicing for the first time in three weeks. Here he is cutting a little bit during a drill. pic.twitter.com/ZzDvqiDvzE
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 23, 2024
It’s very likely that Taylor will be listed as limited, and while it’s no guarantee that he’ll play, this is a very encouraging sign for his Week 8 availability.
I expect Taylor to make his return against the Houston Texans this Sunday.
Taylor’s Week 8 Fantasy Football Outlook
It’s been a definite struggle for the Colts without Taylor.
In each of the past three games, they’ve started Trey Sermon, who epitomizes the term “plodder.” Completely lacking anything resembling burst or explosiveness, Sermon has plodded his way to 2.8 yards per carry this season.
Last week, the Colts showed signs of getting fed up with Sermon’s lack of ability, giving sophomore Tyler Goodson more looks at his expense. Going forward, I would expect Goodson to operate as the RB2, serving not only as the primary handcuff to Taylor, but as the passing-down back in the role that previously belonged to Sermon.
With that said, neither running back will be even remotely useful in fantasy this week, assuming Taylor is back.
It’s a very difficult matchup for Taylor against a Texans defense that is allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. However, Taylor is good enough that matchups only matter as it pertains to expectation — you’re never benching him.
As long as Taylor is active this week, he belongs in fantasy lineups.