PFF puts Jonathan Taylor among Tier 2 RBs in fantasy football
With training camp just over a week away for the Indianapolis Colts, fantasy football is not too far behind it as managers are preparing for another chance to chase a championship.
For those who are degenerates like me, who spend far too much time taking in fantasy football content, it has been a long offseason. Others took a break from the storylines and constant refreshing of our fantasy apps and are just now getting back into it.
As Andrew Erickson of Pro Football Focus released his fantasy football rankings for the 2021 season, running back Jonathan Taylor found himself in Tier 2 labeled “First/Second Round Priority.”
TIER 2: FIRST ROUND/SECOND ROUND PRIORITIES
The first tier included the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.
Taylor got off to a slow start in 2020 despite the injury to Marlon Mack in Week 1. He was the RB16 through the first 11 weeks of the season. However, the final five games of his rookie campaign were bonkers.
In that stretch (Weeks 13-17), Taylor finished as the RB1 in fantasy football—meaning no running back scored more fantasy points during that span. It helped him finish as the RB6 on the season in PPR leagues.
Many are hoping for a monster season from Taylor. Some are taking it to an extreme believing he can be the best running back in fantasy football. Others see more of a top-five running back in 2021 for fantasy purposes.
Over at The Fantasy Football Gurus, I went into great detail as to why Taylor is more likely not to finish as a top-five running back in fantasy football for the 2021 season. Conversely, Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle made the argument why Taylor should be viewed as one of the highest-rated running backs in fantasy football.
As outlined in my article over at The Fantasy Football Gurus, it may be hard for Taylor to crack the top-five because of projected regression in the passing game now that Carson Wentz is the quarterback. Taylor will see plenty of work on the ground to finish as a top-12—or what we call a fantasy RB1—but that projected lack of work in the passing game could make it tough for him to hit a high ceiling.
Taylor is still a strong selection in the back of the first round for fantasy football drafts and even though I may not buy into a top-five ceiling in 2021, he’s likely to be a strong fantasy asset for managers in Year 2.
