Fantasy Football Player Notes

Jonathan Taylor was the RB4 in fantasy points per game last year, but his season was a tale of two halves. With Daniel Jones (Weeks 1-13), he was the RB2 in fantasy points per game, averaging 21.7 touches and 132.1 total yards. After Jones was out of the lineup (Achilles), Taylor was the RB22 in fantasy points per game with 21.6 touches and 75.4 total yards per game. Last year, among 49 qualifying backs, Taylor was 17th in explosive run rate, 28th in missed tackle rate, and 13th in yards after contact per attempt. Jones is set to return this season, but the big question for Taylor and the Indy offense is how effective he'll be in 2026 coming off the Achilles injury. Taylor should see plenty of volume this season to return top 15-20 production in fantasy, but if you're drafting him with an RB1 price tag, it's fair to wonder if he can be a top three back this season, with his quarterback's play in question. Last year, Taylor was first in snap share, second in opportunity share, fourth in weighted opportunity, and second in red zone touches. I have more questions about his 2026 outlook than most, but he's still a solid pick in 2026, even with the questions about Jones.

Tyler Warren's rookie season got off to a fast start, but his production slowed down markedly late in the season, leaving us with a challenging evaluation for 2026. Over his first 10 games of 2025, Warren averaged 5.0 catches, 61.7 receiving yards and 11.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, with four touchdowns. Over his last seven games, Warren averaged 3.7 catches, 28.6 receiving yards and 5.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, with one touchdown. The net result: 76 catches for 817 yards and four touchdowns (plus one TD run) and a TE5 fantasy finish. Daniel Jones' late-season injuries might partly account for Warren's late-season slowdown, and Jones' health status might still be an issue early in the 2026 season. But the Colts traded away WR Michael Pittman in the offseason and didn't make any significant pass-catching acquisitions in free agency or the draft, bolstering Warren's 2026 target outlook. Warren might not be one of the elite fantasy TEs in 2026, but he should still be one of the first five tight ends off the board in this year's drafts.

Alec Pierce cashed in after a breakout season, leading the Colts in receiving yards in each of the last two years while continuing to dominate as one of the NFL's premier deep threats. The 26-year-old finished as the WR23 in fantasy points per game in 2025, posting 10 games with at least 65 receiving yards and clearing 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. With Michael Pittman Jr. traded away, Pierce enters 2026 as Indianapolis' top wide receiver, although target competition from Tyler Warren and Josh Downs remains a concern. His fantasy ceiling will largely depend on the health and effectiveness of Daniel Jones, but Pierce has already shown he can produce splash weeks regardless of quarterback play.

Josh Downs is good. PFF's 20th-highest graded WR in 2025. And for the second straight year...the Colts slot WR was hyper-targeted at a 24% clip. That led all Colts WRs and TEs in 2025. And he creates separation. Per Fantasy Points Data...Downs ranked 20th in average separation score. Downs has been limited because of a lack of high-end route participation, but a late-season route bump could suggest more of Downs in a full-time role in 2026....after the team traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers.

Although he tore his Achilles in early December, Daniels Jones says he expects to be 100% ready for Week 1 of 2026. Through the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season, Jones looked like an MVP candidate while guiding the Colts to an 8-2 start. He completed 69.9% of his passes over those first 10 games, averaged 8.3 yards per pass attempt, threw 15 TD passes and seven interceptions, and added five rushing touchdowns. Jones was QB5 in fantasy scoring over that stretch. But then Jones fractured his fibula, costing him some mobility and limiting his effectiveness as a passer, before the late-season Achilles tear. It's encouraging that Jones is upbeat about his recovery, but mobility is a big part of his game (both in real life and fantasy), and it's fair to wonder whether Jones will have anything close to his usual mobility. Jones has also been notoriously turnover-prone during his career. Monitor Jones' recovery closely in the run-up to the 2026 season.