Jonathan Taylor has had a whirlwind of a career, from MVP to an injury-plagued season, contract disputes, and now more injuries. As a dynasty football manager, how does one navigate such an elite talent while not being able to utilize him to his full potential fully? This question and many more will be answered in the following paragraphs.
Jonathan Taylor’s Future in Fantasy
The future for Jonathan Taylor is one of mixed rays of sunshine and cloudy rain clouds. The former 2021 MVP has always had the talent and ability to put up monster numbers week in and week out. But this comes at a price of not playing for chunks of the season due to injuries. When on the field, healthy and ready to go, there are few out there who compare to Jonathan Taylor in raw talent and ability.
It would be safe to put Saquon Barkley and potentially Bijian Robinson in this elite field in the future. There is also the fact that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is a big runner and not so keen on letting his elite running back do his job and run the ball. That might’ve led to Anthony Richardson’s own injuries, but that is a whole other article in and of itself.
In short, there is no clear future for Jonathan Taylor to remain at the elite level if both the injuries persist and his quarterback prefers to run the ball himself. But while that is bleak, Jonathan Taylor can regain his former MVP glory.
Jonathan Taylor Outlook Past 2024
The 2024 season is beginning to look like the 2023 season where the injury bug seems to be biting hard. If Jonathan Taylor can shake the ankle injury, then there is hope of salvaging this season, and why that is important is to show that the 25-year-old still has value and a few good years left in him.
Looking into the future a healthy Jonathan Taylor has two, maybe three more years of being fantasy-relevant at a top level. But a keen eye needs to be taken into account for health. No matter how good the skill and ability is of Jonathan Taylor, it does no one good for anyone if he is consistently on the sidelines.
It is also a small window of opportunity, but growing is that his backup, Tyler Goodson, has been holding his own over Trey Sermon, showing that there may be less playing time in the future for Taylor when he returns from injury.
Jonathan Taylor Value
The value of Jonathan Taylor is a hard one to zero in on. On one hand, it is hard to argue against his stats of over 100 total yards each game he has played this season, minus the season opener against the Houston Texans. So there is clear elite value there.
On the other hand, he will be missing at least three games this year and he missed more than that last year, thus creating a track record of becoming unreliable healthy-wise. But what does this mean if you own or looking to own Jonathan Taylor on your fantasy team?
Every situation is different, but as a whole, here is the crystal ball view. If you have running back depth, and playoff odds are not good, then sell while the iron is hot and Jonathan Taylor has value.
Get multiple first-rounders, multiple years of first-rounders, or equally elite wide receiver(s). If you are in the hunt and can afford to wait out the injury to have Jonathan Taylor for the playoff run, then the suggestion is to buy. The leverage with the injury bug is super heavy and don’t sell all of next year’s crop of picks for a shot at the title. Be prepared to spend heavily but only you know your playoff odds and how much a potential healthy Jonathan Taylor can tip those odds.
