Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Jonathan Taylor

Tuesday, May 5, 7:38 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has the potential to bounce back as the overall RB1 in fantasy football during the 2026 season. Taylor was well on his way to the overall RB1 spot during the first half of last season. He ranked as the RB1 in PPR leagues from Week 1 to Week 10, and it wasn't particularly close; he was a full 25.1 points ahead of the RB2 during that span, Christian McCaffrey, and a full 89.9 points ahead of the RB4, Jahmyr Gibbs. Unfortunately, a slow second half (largely due to Daniel Jones' season-ending injury) derailed that trajectory. The good news is that Jones (Achilles) is trending toward playing in Week 1, and the Colts could also go a little more run-heavy after trading away Michael Pittman Jr. If Jones and Taylor can both stay healthy for the full year -- which is admittedly far from guaranteed -- then the 27-year-old could certainly be the highest-scoring running back and a league winner in redraft formats. There's a little less upside in dynasty leagues, though, given that Taylor is already 27 years old. Even if he does have a bounce-back year in 2026, he's almost certainly on the back half of his career. Most dynasty managers should hold Taylor for now. However, managers looking to win now in a championship window could consider trading for him this offseason, banking on the fact that last year's RB4 finishes even higher this year.