Who Should I Start? Jonathan Taylor or Rico Dowdle

Sunday, December 28, 9:25 PM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor did not have his most efficient day in his team's 23-17 Week 17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he was able to volume his way to solid production. Taylor recorded 21 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown and also hauled in three receptions for 14 yards on six targets. The 26-year-old has now recorded 1,924 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns on 353 touches across 16 games in 2025. While Taylor's numbers for the season are excellent, he's struggled with efficiency throughout the second half of the season. Including Week 17, he's averaged fewer than four yards per carry in five out of his last six games. Still, the Colts' offense remains built around Taylor, as he's recorded at least 18 touches in every game but two this season. Indianapolis will travel to Houston to take on the Texans in Week 18.

Friday, January 30, 12:35 PM

ESPN's David Newton writes that unless Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle wants to "return at a bargain price," he "appears headed to this third team in three seasons." General manager Dan Morgan said he had a good meeting with Dowdle after the season, but Dowdle was unhappy with the way the year ended -- he had seven carries for 10 yards in the Week 18 regular-season finale and only five carries for nine yards in the Wild-Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The 27-year-old has produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and was Carolina's leading rusher (1,076 yards), but he'd likely be in a committee backfield again with Chuba Hubbard if he were to re-sign. Hubbard is locked in through the 2028 campaign on a four-year, $33.2 million deal he signed in 2024. "I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries]," Dowdle said.