The Colts won't trade Jonathan Taylor, so you should

Colts ownership doesn't want to trade Jonathan Taylor. Fine. Trade him yourself. Indianapolis spent Tuesday shipping an eight-time Pro Bowl guard and a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle out of town for picks, and the one star it's holding onto is the one you should be shopping before your league does the math.

Here's the day. Quenton Nelson went to Seattle for a 2027 third and a 2028 fifth. DeForest Buckner went back to San Francisco for a 2027 fourth. Tom Pelissero says the two deals cleared more than $17.7 million in cash and cap space. ESPN says rookie Jalen Farmer is likely to take Nelson's spot at left guard. This is a 2-5 team that's lost three straight, fired its general manager last week and, per ESPN, is widely expected to reboot the roster this offseason. Adam Schefter said ownership doesn't want to move Taylor, and then listed him anyway as a possible trade target.

Now look at what Taylor's actually doing. He has 140 carries for 587 yards this season, per ESPN. That's 4.2 a carry, down from 4.8 for his career, and he did it with an eight-time Pro Bowler blocking for him. He's caught 17 balls for 178 yards. The guy who opened the holes is gone, and the replacement is a rookie who's been waiting on the bench.

What's holding Taylor's price up is the eight touchdowns. Touchdowns are the stat your league-mates see first, and they're the stat that moves around the most. You want to sell a running back while the scoring line looks like a workhorse and before the yards per carry starts showing up in everybody's lineup decisions.

I'll give you the other side, because it's real. Ownership protecting Taylor means his role isn't going anywhere. On a team that just dealt away veterans, he might get every carry he can handle, and volume is the thing I tell you to chase every week. One guard doesn't make a line, and ESPN described Farmer as a future starter, so maybe the drop-off is small. If you're contending this year and he's on a short deal in your league, riding him through December is defensible.

But dynasty owners aren't buying December. They're buying a back on a team that just told you, in the plainest language a front office has, that it's building for later. Taylor's role is safe. The environment around him got worse Tuesday, and it isn't getting fixed until a new general manager runs a draft. If he's on a multiyear contract in your league, this is the best his name will sell for until then.

Josh Downs is the other way around. Ian Rapoport says Downs has been the subject of trade talks, and Jordan Schultz says receiver-needy teams have called. I'd root for that trade if I owned him. Getting out of a selling offense is the rare rumor that can only help a receiver's dynasty value.

Your league-mate who loves Taylor's name will tell you the ownership quote makes him untouchable. Agree with him, and then ask what an untouchable running back is worth to him.

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