Running Back Trey Sermon looks to be Jonathan Taylor’s top back up for the Indianapolis Colts.
Former Ohio State running back Trey Sermon has struggled to get on the field in his short career, already on his third team entering his fourth season as a pro. He seems to have found a role as the top back up to star running back Jonathan Taylor, akin to the Zach Moss role from last season. Moss was able to capitalize on his chances when Taylor suffered some injury issues. Considering the work load Taylor was given by the Colts, it’s only a matter of time when something will be ailing Taylor. Sermon has never been a bell cow before, so he will have a good chance to show what he can do if Taylor goes down.
Trey Sermon is far from a sexy fantasy pick, but he has value as the back up to Jonathan Taylor. For what Sermon lacks in athleticism, he must be delivering what the Indy coaching staff wants from their stable of backs. The touchdown upside of this backfield may be limited due to quarterback Anthony Richardson’s rushing ability. All Jonathan Taylor owners should take Sermon as a late round handcuff pick, so you don’t lose out on wavier claims. Zack Moss was one of the top wavier wire claims last season when Taylor went down.
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It appears as though Trey Sermon will be the primary backup to Jonathan Taylor.
With over two weeks of organized team activities in the books, NFL roster battles have provided franchises with further clarity on — or at least a glimpse of — what their depth charts will look like come September. For the Indianapolis Colts, in particular, it appears as though the running back position is nearly set in stone. “While Taylor was away, it was quite clear that Trey Sermon is the next man up at running back. In terms of the passing-down back, Hull appeared to get the initial looks ahead of Tyler Goodson,” according to reports. These rumblings out of Indianapolis make a hierarchy of Taylor, Sermon, Evan Hull, and Goodson seemingly inevitable heading into training camp.
In terms of fantasy, none of these backs outside of Taylor merit any sort of consideration (barring injury). With Anthony Richardson returning at quarterback, Taylor should flourish as a top-five running back in an elite rushing offense. Should Taylor go down, though, Sermon could be a valuable handcuff for fantasy owners, although he has a much lower ceiling than the 2021 First-Team All-Pro. Hull and Goodson, meanwhile, can be ignored in all formats being that Sermon has cemented himself as the top backup.
The Colts are releasing Deon Jackson and elevating Trey Sermon to their active roster this weekend in a subsequent move.
Indianapolis has been going through a revolving door at Running Back while they wait for Jonathan Taylor to return from IR. Deon Jackson had the lead duties in week 1 but was very unimpressive and lost two fumbles. This led the Colts to lean heavily on Zack Moss in Week 2, where he amassed over 100 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown.
With Jackson being released, Moss is set to be the clear lead back for the Colts over the next 2 weeks until Taylor is first eligible to return in week 4. Moss played 98% of the snaps last week and should be expected to see similar volume, even with the news of Trey Sermon being elevated to the Colts active roster. With their Rookie Running Back, Evan Hull, set to miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus, it was a no brainer for the Colts to bring Sermon in for some additional depth.
For Fantasy Managers, Zack Moss is someone you can feel comfortable starting this week, as their isn’t much competition for touches in the backfield. With Anthony Richardson also ruled out, it helps improve the likelihood that Moss will be the rushing weapon of choice near the goal line. Fantasy Managers should be in no rush to pick up Sermon, and Deon Jackson is safe to drop at this time.
