Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been hard done in 2022. Taylor, a preseason MVP candidate on the heels of a great 2021, has dealt with underperformance and injury issues. All week, his status for Week 9’s matchup with the New England Patriots had been up in the air.
Head coach Frank Reich provided an update on Taylor’s status on Friday to the media, and it wasn’t a good one.
Frank Reich: Jonathan Taylor will be ruled out for Sunday.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 4, 2022
Taylor has already re-aggravated the ankle injury.
Reich: "We gotta do what's right for the player."
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 4, 2022
“Jonathan Taylor will be ruled out for Sunday. Taylor has re-aggravated the ankle injury,” wrote ESPN’s Colts writer Stephen Holder in a series of tweets.
This isn’t the first time that Taylor has been dealing with issues this year as they persist in plaguing the talented running back. On the year, Taylor has 462 rushing yards and only one rushing touchdown to speak of. Certainly, it’s a step down from his 2021 season, in which he led the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and yards per game.
It’s a tough break for Taylor and the Colts. They do have Zack Moss following the Nyheim Hines trade earlier this week, who likely will back up running back Deon Jackson this Sunday.
Reactions trickled in after Reich’s announcement of Taylor’s continued absence from the field:
Throughout the week, Patriots players have referred to Taylor as one of, if not the best running back in the league. Looks like he'll be watching from the sideline on Sunday. https://t.co/TMJfrC67zP
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) November 4, 2022
Second straight week that the Patriots will get to face a team that missing its No. 1 RB.
Big blow for a Colts offense that’s been one of the NFL’s worst even with Taylor this season. https://t.co/k1pylxJgRD
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) November 4, 2022
Not dunking on anyone here but it's funny that common refrain from August was "you can't take CMC No. 1 overall in fantasy because of the injury risk, just play it safe with JT."
And now…
Chaos and unpredictability are the only two reliable constants we have. https://t.co/zdof2TmX7L
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) November 4, 2022
I know nobody cares about my fantasy team, but RIP to my fantasy team https://t.co/mHejvep09I
— Meredith Gorman (@MereGorman) November 4, 2022
my fantasy football team hearing Jonathan Taylor is ruled out this week: pic.twitter.com/ZJ3fefZZOi
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) November 4, 2022
Also, remember when Jonathan Taylor was the safest RB and Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley were too injury prone?
RB is a demanding position that is very physical. They're all elevated injury risks! That's always been the point
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) November 4, 2022
