The Masking Tape Held On Jonathan Taylor, And The Colts Sold The Receivers Instead
The trade deadline passed Tuesday with Jonathan Taylor and Daniel Jones still in Indianapolis, while the 2-7 Colts traded receivers Keenan Allen to the 49ers and Josh Downs to the Chiefs. Neighbors, my Oct. 28 call hit, and it does your fantasy team very little good until you follow the targets.
Filed Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 9:03 AM CST from Southern Kentucky
Friends, the trade deadline passed at 3 p.m. Central on Tuesday, and Jonathan Taylor is still a Colt. On Oct. 28, I wrote, "Jonathan Taylor will still be a Colt when the trade deadline passes on Nov. 10."
That call goes on our calls page as a hit, and Chief's Oct. 31 call that Taylor would be traded goes on as a miss. Chief once told me I had never been to a pawnshop at closing time. The masking tape held anyway.
I am collecting quietly, because I have missed plenty lately. My Nov. 7 call said Taylor would get at least 15 carries against the Cowboys, and Taylor got 13. I was raised on Cleveland football, where one good afternoon never made anybody a prophet.
The Reporters Had It First
Stephen Holder wrote Tuesday morning that "it would take a significant shift for either Jonathan Taylor or Daniel Jones to end up being traded today." Before the deadline, Tom Pelissero reported that multiple teams offered "a second-round pick and more for Taylor", but "the Colts wanted a blockbuster offer to even consider it." They had sources, and I had a guess with a date on it.
Pelissero added, "Now the new GM can make a decision on Taylor's future after the season." Rapoport reported that the market for Taylor "never materialized." Adam Schefter's list of players not traded started with Taylor and Jones.
Afterward, Holder wrote, "Do I think they should have traded Taylor? Probably." Holder added that the media "probably conflated the number of teams with initial interest in Taylor with a willingness to hand over big compensation". I respect that.
Chief, in my warehouse years, the pallet that sat longest was always the one the owner priced high. Plenty of people walked the aisle, and nobody paid the number.
They Kept The Engine And Pulled The Wheels
Here is where the hit stops paying. Pelissero reported that Keenan Allen, a "six-time Pro Bowl WR", went to the 49ers for a 2027 sixth-round pick, and that Josh Downs went to the Chiefs with a 2027 seventh-round pick for 2027 fourth-round and fifth-round picks.
Pelissero noted, "Like Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner and Keenan Allen, Josh Downs was in a contract year." Holder wrote that "they only traded guys on expiring contracts. Clearly intentional."
Holder wrote, "Allen leads the Colts with 40 receptions, which is wild." Holder also wrote, "Josh Downs is really good." The receivers left on the active roster, per Schefter, are Deion Burks, Laquon Treadwell, Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Anthony Gould.
Reggie Wayne, the former Colts receiver who now coaches the position, posted "Might be time to dust off the old Reeboks" on Tuesday evening. That was the best line anybody wrote on deadline day, mine included.
Follow The Targets
Pelissero calls Taylor a "star RB" for good reason, but a fantasy manager gets paid when the thing moves. Over Week 8 at Jacksonville and Week 9 against Dallas, the Colts had 62 targets, per ESPN, and Allen and Downs drew 26. Tyler Warren drew 17, with 10 at Jacksonville and 7 against Dallas, the most of anyone still on the roster. Taylor drew 10. The five remaining receivers drew 8 combined.
When a team keeps the engine and sells the wheels, follow the load. It lands on whatever is still bolted to the truck.
Plenty of fans posted those five names in disbelief, and several called it an incomplete fire sale. Fantasy accounts crowned Warren the deadline's biggest fantasy winner. I like the targets and distrust the coronation, because one deadline does not make anybody a WR1 overnight.
The 2-7 Colts host the 1-7 Dolphins at noon Central on Sunday, and 17 of 62 is enough for me. Here is my call for the tracker, and I grade it after Sunday's game with the ESPN box score. Tyler Warren will lead the Colts in targets against the Dolphins on Sunday. Taylor, with 10 of those targets, is the risk, and I am taking it.
What I Am Doing About It
- I am starting Tyler Warren in every league I can. Warren drew those 17 targets with Allen and Downs still in the building.
- I am keeping Taylor in lineups with modest expectations. Taylor has 21 carries for 69 yards over the last two games, after 18 for 95 and a touchdown at Minnesota. My worry is that defenses stack the box with the receivers gone. In dynasty, I am not selling low while Taylor's future waits for the new GM, per Pelissero.
- I am treating Daniel Jones as a superflex matchup play only. Jones threw for 108, 144 and 180 yards over the last three games, per ESPN. Miami placed Malik Willis on injured reserve, per Schefter, and Sunday is set to be backup Kyle McCord's NFL debut, per Pelissero.
- I am not chasing the receivers left behind. Ashton Dulin's one catch against Dallas went for 55 yards and a touchdown. I want a route sheet before I spend a roster spot.
- I revisit after Sunday. The ESPN box score grades the Warren call.
Gordy's Verdict
Start Tyler Warren, keep Jonathan Taylor in lineups with modest expectations, and do not sell Taylor low in dynasty. Use Daniel Jones only in superflex. My call: Tyler Warren will lead the Colts in targets against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Chief’s Rebuttal
Unsolicited, as always
Gordy collected on a call and still sounded like a man reading the fine print on a warranty, so enjoy this one, friend, while it lasts. Folks, I lost the deadline call fair and square, and I will take that one on the chin. But Stephen Holder says Taylor played over 60% of the offensive snaps in each of the last two games, and the ESPN box scores show 9 catches on 10 targets over that stretch. With Allen and Downs gone, their targets can roll to the running back as easily as to Warren. On my old lot, every customer who came in for the engine left asking about the wheels.
Keep Digging
The Colts Are Taking Calls On Daniel Jones, And The Tape Is Back On Jonathan Taylor
Three days before the trade deadline, Tom Pelissero says the most likely outcome for Jonathan Taylor is staying in Indianapolis, and Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport report the Colts have held trade talks on Daniel Jones. Neighbors, my Week 8 carry test came back ugly, and I still trust the masking tape.
The Masking Tape Came Off Jonathan Taylor, And The Colts Are Talking Price
Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported Saturday morning that the Colts are now open to trading Jonathan Taylor, and Tom Pelissero says they already turned down a 2027 second-round pick plus another pick. Folks, the masking tape lasted four days. I say Taylor gets traded before the Nov. 10 deadline.
The Colts Sold Quenton Nelson And Taped A Not For Sale Sign On Jonathan Taylor
The 2-5 Colts traded guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers on Tuesday, and Adam Schefter says ownership does not want to trade Jonathan Taylor. Neighbors, the best man in front of the running back just left, and I think the running back stays.