Fantasy Football Player Notes

After playing just a 70% snap share once in 2020, Jonathan Taylor surpassed that number in nine contests in 2021, including eight weeks during the team's last eight games. Taylor also led the NFL in red-zone touches (92), which was not that surprising considering he ranked fifth in that category as a rookie.

That elite goal-line usage helped separate Taylor from the pack as the bonafide No. 1 running back in fantasy football. No player came close to sniffing his amount of volume near paydirt. Taylor's 42 carries inside the 10-yard line were 12 more than the next-closest back (Damien Harris, 30).

Pairing Taylor's elite red-zone usage with his ascending role as a receiver - 11th in routes run and sixth in route participation in 2021 - makes him worthy of the 1.01 pick across all fantasy formats. No quarterback targeted running backs more than new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan did in 2021 - 8.6 targets per game.

Pittman got the true WR1 treatment from the Colts coaching staff in 2021, running a route on 96% of offensive dropbacks - third to only Cooper Kupp (WR1) and Ja'Marr Chase (WR4) through 17 weeks. He also finished the season tied for the league's eighth-highest target share (24%), which was 11 percentage points higher than the next closest Colt, Zach Pascal, at 13%.

He also made 18 highlight-reel contested catches - fourth most in the NFL. And his 31% target share from Weeks 13-18 cemented his place in Indy's WR1 chair heading into 2022.

With Matt Ryan under center Pittman has the volume potential to be a top-12 fantasy option. Ryan has a history of fueling top-end fantasy WRs like Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, making a top-five finish not all that crazy for Big Mike in 2022.

Don't forget that last season, Ridley as the Falcons' No. 1 receiver owned the sixth-highest target rate per route run and ranked second among all wide receivers in expected fantasy points per game (16.5).

Ryan's passing yardage per game fell from 286.3 in 2020 to 233.4 in 2021, and his TD rate and YPA cratered, too. In his defense, Ryan found himself in a bad situation with the Falcons, especially after the midseason departure of WR Calvin Ridley. A move to the Colts should help a bit. At minimum, Ryan should get much better pass protection from Indy's strong offensive line. But Ryan turns 37 this year, and the Colts are likely to be run-heavy. With zero rushing upside and consistently modest TD totals, Ryan has to put up big yardage numbers to be a worthwhile fantasy asset, and it seems unlikely he'll be throwing enough in Indianapolis for that to happen.

Alec Pierce earned solid Day 2 draft capital with the Indianapolis Colts, but I'd be hard-pressed to admit I like the landing spot with Matt Ryan. Pierce figures to slide-into that vertical field-stretching role for the Colts vacated by veteran T.Y. Hilton based on the rookie's speed and vertical profile from his college career at Cincinnati. But how valuable of a role is that with the team committed to both Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. as the clear touch hogs of the offense. Not to mention, Ryan's deep ball rate (9.1%) ranked 32nd out of 38 qualifying quarterbacks in 2021.

Probably too slow to ever become a coveted fantasy asset. Alie-Cox is hitting free agency this offseason. He'll turn 29 in September.