Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said the 1.02 Justin Jefferson anchor naturally funnels an early-third Jonathan Taylor, creating what he called a "specifically strong" best-ball combo. Taylor is slipping into the 3.01-3.04 range because of last season’s injury and the Colts’ uncertain offensive outlook, but Pat views that slide as a buying window. He likes Jefferson’s bankable WR1 production paired with a discounted work-horse who averaged 19.3 touches and 99 scrimmage yards per healthy game under Shane Steichen. Pat noted that the Jefferson start still gives drafters access to other falling RB2s such as Josh Jacobs or Bucky Irving, but Taylor’s ADP discount, top-five weekly ceiling and December dome schedule (at ATL, vs DEN, at TEN) make him his preferred partner. He is intentionally overweight on Jefferson-Taylor teams in BBM6 despite the field likely catching up once summer camp optimism drives Taylor’s price back into Round 2.

Jakob Sanderson said drafters should keep scooping Jonathan Taylor at the 2/3 turn because the supposed goal-line threat from gimmicky tight end Tyler Warren is overblown. Sanderson noted that any offense is still far likelier to score by handing it to its All-Pro back than to a converted H-back, and while the Colts may toy with tush-push packages, Taylor’s elite breakaway speed lets him finish drives from anywhere on the field, reducing reliance on one-yard plunges in the first place. He reminded listeners Taylor erupted for 30-plus points in Week 17 last season—proof of the nuclear single-game upside needed to win Underdog’s playoff weeks. In half-PPR scoring, a modest 20-catch projection is less damaging, so Sanderson is not downgrading him for declining pass-game work. The only real concern is the ankle that has shortened three straight seasons, but Sanderson still views Taylor as “one of the best rushers in the league” and wants meaningful portfolio exposure rather than drafting scared.

Jakob Sanderson explained that Daniel Jones is the "best of both worlds" for Jonathan Taylor. Jones is mobile enough to keep the RPO game and zone-read looks that fuel Taylor’s efficiency, yet he isn’t the sledgehammer goal-line threat Anthony Richardson was. That should translate to more red-zone carries for Taylor without sacrificing rushing lanes. Sanderson also thinks Jones’ underneath, ball-control style will lengthen drives and increase total play volume—something the Colts lacked with Joe Flacco’s statue pocket presence and Richardson’s boom-bust series. While Sanderson is roughly market-weight on Taylor, he views the RB as firmly in the same tier as Bucky Irving and expects a return to 20-touch workloads, double-digit touchdowns, and the home-run scores that only Taylor’s long-speed can provide.

Pat Moore opted for Jonathan Taylor in the mid-second round, explaining that Underdog’s half-PPR format nudges running backs up the board relative to full-PPR sites. Moore said he would have gone WR/WR on a full-PPR platform but believes Taylor’s three-down workload and touchdown equity score better in half-point scoring. Locking in an anchor RB early also lets him push the position for several rounds while the expected receiver avalanche unfolds, giving the roster better overall balance without sacrificing upside.

Ryan Noonan suggested grabbing Jonathan Taylor at 30-35-1 for OPOY, tying the bet to his earlier Shane Steichen Coach-of-the-Year stance. Noonan argued that if Indianapolis pushes to 11-6 in a wide-open AFC South, voters will reward the engine of the offense. Taylor averaged 146 scrimmage yards in games where he topped 70 % snaps under Steichen last season, and Anthony Richardson’s running threat forces light boxes—Taylor saw eight-man fronts on just 11 % of carries, lowest among backs with 100 rushes. Noonan projected a 320-touch workload with double-digit goal-line carries after the Colts quietly lost only a single offensive-line starter in free agency. History shows running backs on double-digit-win teams own three of the last seven OPOY trophies; at 35-1, Noonan called Taylor “the last number on the board with true three-down bell-cow juice.”

Comparing two second-round staples, Davis Mattek said Jonathan Taylor is a far superior advance-rate pick than Brock Bowers in Underdog’s Eliminator. Mattek believes Taylor’s 90th-percentile season features 350 touches because the Colts’ depth chart (Evan Hull, Tyler Goodson, and a UDFA) offers no real competition. Running backs scoring 25-plus weekly points gain more ground in half-PPR than tight ends, and Taylor has already banked a 21-TD campaign on his résumé. By contrast, Mattek warned that even Bowers’ median projection involves multiple 4-50 lines that do not separate in half-PPR; tying up first-round capital at TE also forces drafters to thread needles at RB and WR later. He advised scooping Taylor and hunting for cheaper tight-end upside instead.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said the Jonathan Taylor–Justin Jefferson start is a combo he will "never pass up" because Taylor is still going in the low-20s but "could be going at 17" once summer steam hits. Pat is scooping Taylor every time he sees him after the 1-2 turn, arguing you can get unique elsewhere while banking what he views as a soon-to-disappear discount on a proven three-down back tied to an Anthony Richardson offense that finished 3rd in red-zone rush rate before Richardson’s injury. Pat already holds 28% exposure to teams with both Jefferson and Taylor and plans to keep pushing that number until the market corrects.

Jason Moore told listeners to draft Jonathan Taylor as a safe mid-range RB1 but stop dreaming about a Bijan-or-Gibbs type ceiling. Taylor’s final five games last season projected to an absurd 2,500 rushing yards and 20 TDs, yet Moore reminded everyone those explosions came against four bottom-five defenses (Titans, Giants, Patriots, Jaguars). He still expects Steichen to hand Taylor 22–25 carries a week, but flagged three red lights: Anthony Richardson’s scramble/goal-line prowess will siphon touchdowns and check-downs, Indianapolis lost veteran linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, and Vegas projects the Colts in the league’s bottom half for team scoring. Moore put Taylor’s odds of out-scoring Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Saquon Barkley at just 5 %, while calling him a 75 % bet to finish somewhere in the RB1 ranks. Draft him for volume-driven stability, not an overall-RB1 repeat.

Buck said he is comfortable selecting Jonathan Taylor ahead of second-round—and even some late first-round—receivers such as Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins and Brian Thomas. He walked listeners through the common 2-v-2: Justin Jefferson + Taylor versus Bijan Robinson + Ladd McConkey, arguing the former side wins in both median and ceiling because Taylor can still post 30-point spike weeks while elite wide receivers remain plentiful later. Buck expects Taylor’s price to stay flat all summer, citing persistent concerns about Indy’s QB situation and coaching stability, so drafters can “be at market” now without fear of overpaying. Despite Taylor’s limited receiving role, Buck believes a top-10 run-blocking line, proven 30-touch upside and a Colts offense “ready to run the air out of the ball” give him first-round level win-rate potential.

Davis Mattek pushed back on Taylor’s cost, noting he posted zero PFF rushing grades above 80 in 2024 and recorded career-worst marks in missed-tackles-forced rate and yards after contact. Taylor has essentially no receiving role — 18 catches last year, 19 the season before — because he plays with non-check-down QBs and a pass-catcher trio of Downs, Pittman and A.D. Mitchell plus a first-round tight end. Mattek reminded listeners that Taylor has already missed 19 career games and that uncertainty around the Colts’ quarterback (Daniel Jones vs. Richardson), coach and GM introduces tail-risk to the offense. With limited reception upside and durability concerns, Mattek argues Taylor’s RB8/second-round tag is unjustified compared to similarly priced wideouts such as Tee Higgins or lottery-ticket backs like Bucky Irving, making him a fade in 2025 best-ball drafts.

Buck said he is hammering Jonathan Taylor in the second round of Underdog best-ball drafts (19th overall, RB8) because the market is sleeping on an elite back. Taylor still finished RB5 in points per game last season despite an offense that cycled between Joe Flacco and Anthony Richardson and went 8-9. Buck highlighted Taylor’s spike-week lines — 26.6, 39.8, 26.0 and 24.5 fantasy points — plus end-of-year workloads of 29-218-3, 32-125-2 and 34-177-1. Indianapolis ranked fourth in PFF run-blocking grade and is “signaling to the high heavens” it wants to run regardless of whether Daniel Jones or Richardson starts. With a top-10 run-blocking line, a coaching staff committed to the ground game and proven breakaway talent, Buck believes Taylor should be going a full round earlier alongside names like Saquon, Bijan and Gibbs, making him a smash at current ADP.

Andy Holloway kept Jonathan Taylor at RB9 but flagged several red lights. Among 46 backs with 100‑plus carries, Taylor ranked 42nd in missed‑tackle rate, 44th in yards after contact per rush, and was stuffed more than any other runner on third‑and‑short. He also fumbled four times and has seen his target share shrink in consecutive seasons. While Taylor’s final five‑game pace of 2,458 rushing yards shows the upside of a true workhorse, Holloway worries Anthony Richardson’s low‑volume, run‑first tendencies and shaky accuracy will cap total plays and goal‑line chances. Holloway advised treating Taylor as a risky mid‑range RB1 whose ceiling is dependent on Richardson’s development and an unlikely bounce‑back in efficiency metrics.