The Indianapolis Colts backfield will flow through star running back Jonathan Taylor, but it’s important to know who his backups are for fantasy football purposes.
While Taylor will see the bulk of the work as long as he’s healthy, fantasy football managers will want to keep an eye on Zack Moss, who projects to be Taylor’s handcuff.
In ranking the top handcuffs entering the 2023 season, Bleacher Report had Moss come in at No. 8.
Average Draft Position: 276
Backing Up: Jonathan TaylorIndianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss is purely a draft-and-stash handcuff heading into the 2023 season. The 25-year-old has never been a high-end producer during his time with the Colts and Buffalo Bills, and he may have to compete for playing time behind Taylor with rookie fifth-round pick Evan Hull (ranked 336th).
However, Moss gets an edge over Kelley and White because Taylor is coming off of an injury-hampered season. The sixth-ranked player on FantasyPros’ consensus list led the league with 2,171 scrimmage yards in 2021 but had just 1,004 yards in 11 games last season.
And with Taylor out of the lineup, Moss—who was acquired in a mid-season trade with Buffalo—did some decent work. In eight games with Indianapolis, he averaged 47 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.
Ideally, Taylor will be and stay healthy in 2023, but managers drafting him in the early first round should target Moss at the end of the draft for insurance purposes.
Moss was solid in his replacement work when Taylor was placed on the injured reserve list during the final month of the 2022 season. During the final three weeks, respectively, Moss finished as the RB32, RB32 and RB2 to close out the season.
The Colts added Evan Hull in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft, and Deon Jackson and Jake Funk also are fighting for roles in the backfield.
But the RB2 job is Moss’ to lose, and that will bring some value when fantasy drafts begin in August.
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