Who Should I Start? Jonathan Taylor or Rico Dowdle

Sunday, September 14, 9:09 PM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor had a monster game in his team's Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos. The 26-year-old logged 25 carries for 165 yards and also caught two passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. Across the first two games of the season, Taylor has now recorded 313 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 48 total touches. The Colts' offense has been surprisingly effective so far overall, dropping 33 points on the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 and 29 on Denver in Week 2. Taylor is a must-start fantasy running back with high-end RB1 upside as long as he stays healthy and the Indianapolis offense remains competent.

Saturday, August 9, 4:08 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle showed a glimpse of his potential as a pass-catching threat in the team's preseason debut against the Cleveland Browns, recording one reception for 20 yards to go along with two rushes for seven yards. The 27-year-old running back is entering his sixth season in the NFL after spending his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys, which was riddled with injuries. Dowdle is clearly behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart, but could carve out a role in the Panthers' receiving or two-minute offense in 2025. Coming off an underwhelming 2024 season in Dallas, where high hopes for the lead back role didn't materialize (235-1,079-2 on the ground, 39-249-3 in the air), a move to a new location and a backup role could take some pressure off Dowdle and allow him to grow into his potential. Rotoballer currently projects him as RB55, but Dowdle could be a sneaky stash if anything happens to Hubbard throughout the season.