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Jonathan Taylor dominated Colts backfield work last season, ranking second league wide in opportunity share (carries plus targets, adjusted for games missed) and fifth in carries despite missing three full contests. But Indy needs a better backup plan than last year's Trey Sermon-Tyler Goodson combo. And fifth-round rookie DJ Giddens looks like the early leader to replace that pair. According to ESPN's Stephen Holder, though, Giddens also looks like a candidate to siphon some receiving work even when Taylor's healthy.
HC Shane Steichen: "He's kind of a glider. He's got good burst, good vision. The stretch-cut stuff on the outside zones have been really impressive last week and today in pads. Really looking forward to his progress."
Holder: "The Colts see Giddens as a potential third-down back who will bring the dual threat of running the ball and catching it out of the backfield with what Steichen described as 'natural' hands."
More from Holder: "Taylor ... remains the Colts' starter, but the passing game is considered one of his weaknesses."
Taylor caught a career-low 1.3 receptions per game last season. So he could lose some receiving work to Giddens and still beat that number, as long as the pass offense improves vs. 2024 -- and especially if Daniel Jones beats Anthony Richardson for the starting job.
We already have Taylor projected for just 37th among RBs in targets and receptions per game. So we're not too worried about Giddens' receiving impacting the starter's fantasy value.
The rookie, however, could rank among the league's top handcuff options if he continues down this path.
No one should bet on Giddens matching Taylor as a runner if pressed into duty. But he'd be a strong candidate to take on all -- or at least nearly all -- of Taylor's work should the starter go down. And if the rookie does hit the season with coaches even more confident in his receiving than in Taylor's, his case would only be stronger.
The potential for Giddens to act as a direct replacement for Taylor in the Colts' lineup makes him one of the few handcuffs I'd consider attaching to my starter (assuming I already have Taylor). And he presents plenty of upside as a late-round stash even if you don't have Taylor.
Giddens will need to hold off Khalil Herbert. But Herbert couldn't even get on the field for the Bengals last season after arriving via trade following Zack Moss' neck injury. Herbert's career is already trending downward heading into his age-27 season.
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