Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football Rankings from PFF

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor may have had a down year in 2022, but he's expected to bounce back quickly according to early-fantasy football rankings.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) released their Top 300 Fantasy Football Player Rankings earlier this week, and Taylor remained in the top 10 at No. 10 and the fifth running back.

Taylor falls behind Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Bijan Robinson, and Saquon Barkley.

Ekeler is approaching 30-years old. Barkley is holding out after being tagged by the Giants, and Robinson has yet to take a snap in the NFL. Taylor may still be the safest pick in the top 10 at running back after McCaffrey.

It's a slight drop off for Taylor who took the top spot in the 2022 rankings from PFF after leading the NFL in rushing in 2021 by a large margin.

However, Taylor fell to 23rd in rushing last season with just 861 yards and four touchdowns. Battling injuries for the first time in his career, Taylor saw his total touches fall from 372 to 220 in 2023.

Fantasy players, like the Colts, are counting on Taylor to return to full health and be closer to 300 touches this season.

Taylor is the only member of the Colts to crack the top 50. Wide receiver Michael Pittman is the next Indianapolis player on the list at No. 73 as WR34.

Pittman had a career high in targets and receptions in 2022 with 141 and 99 respectively, but the Colts failed to get the ball down field to him. His 9.3 yards per catch were well below the 12.3 he had in 2021 and 12.6 he had as a rookie.

The Colts are hoping the return of the running game and a strong-armed rookie quarterback in Anthony Richardson can decrease the volume for Pittman, but increase the efficiency.

Speaking of Richardson, he's the last Colts' player to make the top 150. Richardson makes the list at No. 121 and QB15.

Richardson is listed ahead of more-established NFL quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers (131) and Russell Wilson (132) as well as fellow rookies Bryce Young (180) and C.J. Stroud (228).

If Richardson is able to put up better-fantasy numbers than players like Rodgers and Jared Goff (4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns), the Colts are going to have a rookie of the year favorite and a shot at the playoffs.

New head coach Shane Steichen will work to balance the offense to feature Taylor and the running game. That should increase Taylor's fantasy value while taking the early pressure off of Richardson.

Richardson will be part of a strong-ground attack which will open up more deep shots for Pittman who was an extension of the running game last year.

A strong running game to feed the passing game sounds simple in theory, and the Colts are banking on that formula in 2023.