We have a bit of bad news and then a glimmer of hope heading into Week 5. Jonathan Taylor is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. The Colts have been vague about this injury, to say the least, but there is still talk about him suiting up for Week 5. I am not confident in that, but until we are sure that he will not be playing, he is going to be included in my rankings, even if his production should dip. We are stuck in the weirdest range of Taylor suiting up this week or going on IR, and that should have fantasy managers feeling uncomfortable. Taylor is a tough player, so I would not be surprised if we get the worst of the possible scenarios where he plays this week and reaggravated his injury, leaving fantasy managers with one-half of JT before he eventually heads to IR. It is a situation to monitor throughout the week, as I don’t have the medical expertise and can’t be in the locker room. It comes at a terrible time, as Taylor was on a tear the last three weeks.
In a trend that is wreaking havoc this season, another elite running back, Bijan Robinson, was banged up last week. Robinson is dealing with a hamstring injury that will likely limit him in this Thursday’s matchup against the Buccaneers. If he can manage a full practice before Thursday, his ranking in this article will stand for me. If he remains limited, he will drop to my RB19 on the week. The reality is that Tyler Allgeier has not gone away, and he is a more than capable backup. If they are both active with Robinson less than 100%, Allgeier would jump to my RB20 right behind Robinson.
Finally, some hope! Nick Chubb is practicing, and while he has three weeks before he has to be activated, it is hard not to get excited about Chubb’s potential when he returns. Don’t expect a 70% rush share right away, but he could be a worthy RB2 if he is used in 50% of the running back snaps with how efficient he is as a runner. It also helps that the Browns need him desperately.
We have a few other players of note this week. Derrick Henry showed us he’s still “King Henry” once again in Week 4, and Week 5 could be more of the same against the Bengals. The offense has completely shifted to making Henry the focal point of their game plan. Sure, this may change in negative game scripts, but it is not a situation they are going to be in often. D’Andre Swift had the best game of his career last week against the Rams. He was leading the way on the ground and through the air. I don’t point chase, so its important to note that for Swift, the matchup is the reason he is in the top tier at the position. He should come back to earth and be a mid-range RB2, but in Week 5, he should be heading towards another BOOM week.
The one player who could jump up rankings if he gets some full practices in this week would be Joe Mixon. It is a less than ideal matchup, but he would land in the RB18-22 range this week if he did suit up. Make sure to monitor news out of Houston before the game.