Cutting Through the Noise, Week 12

Photo: Douglas DeFelice, USA Today Sports

Each week in Cutting Through the Noise, we will take an objective look at one of the most polarizing players in Dynasty Fantasy Football as decided by the Footballguys Dynasty Discord. We will use the Footballguys consensus rankings to gauge where the player is currently valued.

Jonathan Taylor

RB1 and Overall No. 4

Jonathan Taylor was one of the best running backs in college football from the moment he suited up for Wisconsin. He started as a true freshman and led the team all three seasons. He didn’t quite edge out Melvin Gordon III for the most productive back in Wisconsin history, but Taylor did average over 2,000 yards. In his final season, he turned 320 rushes into 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also caught 26 passes which just barely reaches the receptions threshold we look for in dynasty prospects. Taylor finished fifth in Heisman voting behind Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, and Chase Young.

Taylor ran an impressive 4.39 second 40-yard-dash at a whopping 226 pounds. He entered the 2020 draft as the most well-rounded prospect since Saquon Barkley, though the league had wised up to waiting to draft running backs since then. We knew we may not see a running back in the first round, but draft night came as a shock when Kansas City elected to break the running back seal with the 32nd overall pick and it was not Taylor. Not only did the Chiefs pass over Taylor, but they skipped over the consensus top-3 backs to draft Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Taylor was passed over once more with the Lions' selection of DeAndre Swift before finally being drafted with the Colts’ second of two second-round picks.