Following the tragic season-ending injury to running back Marlon Mack in Week 1, the Indianapolis Colts will be looking for a way to split the backfield workload amongst the remaining backs.
With second-round pick Jonathan Taylor set to replace Mack on early downs and Nyheim Hines continuing to work as a pass-catcher, the Colts are looking at somewhat of a timeshare.
But head coach Frank Reich went into a bit of detail on how that split will work moving forward.
“As far as Nyheim (Hines), yeah we will continue to mix him in. He’s not just a third-down back in our eyes even though he is really good on third down,” Reich told the media Wednesday. “Jonathan will get the bulk of the carries, but Nyheim and Jordan Wilkins will be the change of pace.”
The Colts are going to be using both Taylor and Hines plenty throughout the game. They finished Week 1 with a combined 14 receptions on 14 targets. Taylor will get more work between the tackles, which was evident during the second half against the Jaguars.
For fantasy football purposes, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Taylor have a baseline of a 60% rush share and 10% target share in the offense. Without Mack there, that floor should be expected for the Wisconsin product.
But the Colts are also still very high on the talents of Hines. He made it clear he’s a massive part of the offense with eight targets in Week 1. He wound up scoring twice as well, both through the air and on the ground.
Though he may not have the build of a bellcow, the Colts still see Hines as a three-down back.
“As far as Nyheim, yeah we will continue to mix him in. He’s not just a third-down back in our eyes even though he is really good on third down. We think he is a very productive player on first and second down,” said Reich. “He’s a three-down back. He’s good in pass protection. He’s a great runner and then on first and second down you can still utilize him in the pass game.”
The Colts are likely to lean a bit heavier on the run if they can in Week 2 against the Vikings, and it should be expected that both Taylor and Hines will see sufficient work week in and week out.
