Who Should I Start? Brashard Smith or DJ Giddens

Thursday, June 11, 6:49 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back DJ Giddens was a healthy inactive for almost half of his 2025 rookie season, and he failed to impress on the limited work he did receive, averaging only 3.7 yards on his 26 rush attempts. That said, the depth behind All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor is dangerously thin, and Giddens is reportedly in competition with 2026 seventh-round pick Seth McGowan for one of the most valuable handcuff roles in the league. While Taylor managed to play all 17 games in 2025, that marked the first time he'd done so since his breakout 2021 campaign, and as one of the last true bell cows in the league, whoever lands closer to him on the depth chart will be viewed favorably by the dynasty community. Giddens and McGowan share similar body types and skill sets, and it's entirely possible that the loser of their training camp battle will again become a healthy inactive on game days, but the most likely scenario in the event of Taylor's absence would be some sort of committee split. Should Taylor go down to injury, both players are likely to see an immediate value spike, so regardless of how their competition plays out, Giddens remains an end-of-bench stash in all but the shallowest of dynasty leagues.