Who Should I Start? Jonathan Taylor or Jonathon Brooks

Monday, February 16, 12:59 PM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was off to a fantastic start to the 2025 season, but a midseason quarterback change weakened the offense and reduced his upside. The superstar running back was the overall RB1 in PPR leagues from Weeks 1 through 10, scoring an absurd 17 touchdowns during that span. He also had four three-touchdown games over a span of eight weeks. He was slightly less productive after the bye, and his productivity took another step backward when Daniel Jones (Achilles) tore his Achilles in Week 14. He still scored at least 12 points in four of his five games with Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard, but he was more of a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 during that span. He can get back into the high-end RB1 tier with Jones healthy. In fact, he's an intriguing buy-low in dynasty leagues, and managers in redraft leagues should feel comfortable selecting him somewhere between picks 5-10 if Jones returns healthy for Week 1 of the 2026 season.

Sunday, February 15, 4:39 AM

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) has been dealt some very unfortunate injury luck since entering the NFL. Brooks tore his ACL in November 2023 while still at Texas, causing him to fall to the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The injury cost him the first few weeks of his NFL career, but he debuted in Week 12 of the 2024 season with a very small workload. He ultimately played just three games that season before suffering another ACL tear, and he has been sidelined ever since. Brooks' recovery timetable suggests that he should be healthy for the 2026 season. It's fair for fantasy managers to have their doubts about Brooks, given that he has just 12 touches through two years, but we can't forget how productive he was at Texas. Additionally, he should benefit from a clear path to productivity in Carolina. Rico Dowdle is expected to depart in free agency and Trevor Etienne had an underwhelming season, resulting in a wide-open competition for the No. 2 running back role behind Chuba Hubbard. If healthy, Brooks could be the favorite for that role. He'd presumably be eased back into action, but he has top-40 running back appeal if he's healthy for Week 1.