Who Should I Start? Jonathan Taylor or Michael Carter

Saturday, September 12, 1:52 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is a high-end RB1 to start the 2026 season against the Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 1. Interestingly, the Week 1 matchup featuring Taylor (1,585 rushing yards in 2025) and Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (1,595) marks just the fourth game in NFL history to open the season with opposing rushers who each surpassed 1,500 yards the prior season, according to Next Gen stats. Last year, the Ravens' defense ranked 18th against the run, and they will again be without defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) this Sunday, which bodes well for Taylor if he runs between the tackles. In 2025, Taylor had a 56% inside-the-tackles rushing rate, his lowest since 2021, and he faced a stacked box only 17.6% of the time, one of the lowest of all qualified rushers in 2025. Taylor, who led all running backs last year in rushing attempts (323), should dominate opportunities in the Colts' backfield, while also seeing some looks in the passing game. Last year, Taylor had a 15.9% target share and ran an average of 20 routes per game, which is a bonus for managers in PPR formats. Fantasy managers in nearly every format probably drafted Taylor in the first or early second round to be their RB1, and he is a must-start against the Ravens in Week 1.