DJ Giddens

Jonathan Taylor was an absolute blender through the first ten weeks of last season, racking up 1,139 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns before a Daniel Jones Achilles tear sent the Colts’ offense into a tailspin. With Jones coming off a major injury and Michael Pittman now in Pittsburgh, Taylor will be running into stacked boxes in 2026.

Taylor is 27 years old, entering the final year of his contract, and Indy has to decide if they want to pay a running back a third massive contract. Remember, the last negotiation between Chris Ballard and Taylor got incredibly icy, and Taylor now has 1761 career touches on his tires. If the Colts stumble out of the gate and sense that a rebuild necessary, they could see Taylor as a valuable trade asset.

Solak points out that the Chicago Bears make almost too much sense as a landing spot, because while D’Andre Swift is an adequate primary back, Taylor is the true, volume-heavy RB1 who would hyper-charge an ascending Caleb Williams offense.

Despite DJ Giddens‘ draft capital and incumbency, reports surprisingly suggest that Seth McGowan could challenge for the immediate backup role behind Jonathan Taylor. While neither player holds standalone value, they remain intriguing contingency stashes in deeper leagues in the event of a Taylor injury.

The bottom line is Giddens was a more prolific and athletic prospect, and McGowan had a tumultuous college career. Stashing Giddens should be prioritized over McGowan in fantasy football dynasty leagues.

The Indianapolis Colts selected Seth McGowan, a 223-pound back who pairs a scorched-earth 109.7 Speed Score (67th-percentile) with a massive 42.5-inch vertical (98th-percentile). McGowan found success against SEC competition with 12 rushing touchdowns and a solid 28.0% College Dominator Rating.

In dynasty formats, McGowan should be viewed as a potential elite handcuff to Jonathan Taylor, as he will compete with DJ Giddens for the backup role.

Early reports out of Colts’ training camp indicate that fifth-round rookie running back DJ Giddens is solidifying his odds of becoming the RB2 behind Jonathan Taylor. Currently battling with Khalil Herbert and Tyler Goodson for the role, Giddens provided the first big run of the day, cutting back against the grain for an explosive run. Head Coach Shane Steichen says, “he’s kind of a glider, but he’s got good burst, good vision.”

Giddens continued to make plays even if they weren’t flashy. Looking like a natural receiver, he made several catches out of the backfield without a drop. Fantasy managers who own shares of Giddens should be excited about the early camp news, as the Colts are a run-centric team, and any missed time from Taylor will have the backup being a coveted piece in any format.

Author: Dane Madoche(@FF_DaMaddog)

DJ Giddens was an exciting pre draft prospect this year, one of the many running backs touted as a “changing of the guard” at the position. As with many of the backs in his cohort, Giddens failed to get either good draft capital or a decent landing spot — or neither in his case. The Colts have one of the few true studs at RB in Jonathan Taylor, and a very high quality backup in Khalil Herbert, nevertheless the team is committed to giving Giddens a fair shake in the rotation.

Giddens has the prototypical tools you look for in a running back, a 6ft, 212 lb frame who ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and measured out with a 95th percentile burst score – he also has back to back productive seasons at Kansas State, running 1226 and then 1343 yards with plenty of catches on his profile. The big impediment to Giddens starting the season as the 3rd down back this year is his pass blocking, but the Colts suggest that if he improves in that area he could earn that role.

Author: Lukasz Stec (@Lukasz_FF01)