Jahmyr Gibbs vs Jonathan Taylor

“Without David Montgomery, Gibbs is set to smash. If you draft near the top of Round 1, perhaps this helps you decide between the two stud running backs.”

“It's been interesting to see the recent discourse about Jahmyr Gibbs as the RB1, though he's been my RB1 over Bijan Robinson for quite some time. However you feel about Gibbs vs. Robinson, one thing is for certain: the Lions have an insanely friendly schedule this year.”

“The star back for the Lions is one of the 2023 first-rounders on the books through 2027 thanks to his fifth-year option, with Detroit long expected to pursue an early extension. Gibbs is in line to handle an even larger workload than before without David Montgomery in the fold, and a recent projection from The Athletic's Austin Mock has Gibbs slotting in with a projected $19.9MM AAV and $46.7MM in guaranteed money, though Mock adds Gibbs is likely to land more than his projected figure.”

“Jahmyr Gibbs dramatically outperformed his expected rushing touchdown total last year, but that is just the norm for a player who has the explosive ability to score from anywhere. While nearly doubling expected rushing touchdown production would be a regression red flag for a lot of players, it is not for Gibbs because of his track record.”

“Detroit already paid Jack Campbell, who is now the NFL's second-highest-paid off-ball linebacker, and must decide on Jahmyr Gibbs' value and whether to let Sam LaPorta play out a contract year or reach an agreement now.”

“Gibbs has the clearest avenue he's ever had and is coming off a career-high 94 targets. With more touches, Gibbs could be one of the highest ceiling plays in fantasy football, and an auto-click if he makes it this far.”

“Another young running back who has seen things clear out behind him is Jahmyr Gibbs, with the departure of David Montgomery, and only Isiah Pacheco has been added to the running back room. Gibbs has had over 50 receptions in each of his three seasons in the NFL and averages 13 total touchdowns per season.”

“The idea behind "Stars & Scrubs" is to build your team primarily around a few star players. For example, you may be able to walk away with Ja'Marr Chase, Jahmyr Gibbs and someone like Christian McCaffrey, but this will leave you with a significantly lower budget for the remaining picks.”

“Gainwell ranked fourth among all backs in receptions in 2025, trailing only the dual-threat elites of Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.”

“Jahmyr Gibbs had a rough end to the fantasy football season last year, costing managers who leaned on him all year championships. Gibbs should return to fantasy prominence with a wonderful start to the NFL season. The Lions start the season facing the Saints, Bills, Jets, Panthers, and Cardinals.”

“Pianowski looked thrilled to land Gibbs fourth overall. The argument centered around Detroit's favorable projected schedule and the belief that Gibbs can anchor multiple roster constructions, including hero-RB builds.”

“Gibbs was already one of fantasy football's most efficient weapons. Now there's a legitimate path toward elite volume to pair with that efficiency. That combination is how overall RB1 seasons happen.”

“Jonathan Taylor was absolutely dominant for the first half of last season. According to teams synced with our FantasyPros tools, the Colts back led all players in playoff advance rate at 66.8%. Simply drafting Taylor gave you a two-in-three chance of making the playoffs.”

“Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in snap share last season (89%) and ranked second in opportunity share (84%). Without an injury, he isn't coming off the field.”

“Taylor is heading into a contract year, likely his last massive one, after turning 27 this offseason. He'll be motivated, have his quarterback returning, who might need to lean on the run game more, and once again has virtually no competition for touches.”

“Jonathan Taylor was absolutely dominant for the first half of last season, leading all players in playoff advance rate at 66.8%. However, from Week 12 onwards, he was the RB21, with an explosive run rate of 0.7% (41st).”

“Taylor is heading into a contract year, likely his last massive one, after turning 27 this offseason. He'll be motivated, have his quarterback returning, who might need to lean on the run game more, and once again has virtually no competition for touches. There's a very real world where Taylor is a top-two back this season.”

“Jonathan Taylor was absolutely dominant for the first half of last season. Had Daniel Jones not gotten injured, Taylor most likely could have stayed effective throughout the whole season.”

“Taylor was the fantasy RB4 in points per game, but from Week 12 onwards, he was the RB21, with an explosive run rate of 0.7% (41st) and ranking 36th in yards after contact, with just three rushing touchdowns.”

“If you had a tier of running backs with Jonathan Taylor and Omarion Hampton, but you can get Hampton cheaper, you'll then need to determine whether the difference moves you more toward targeting someone like Hampton or if the cost justifies taking Taylor.”

“They noted how dramatically his fantasy production shifted depending on the health and effectiveness of the Colts' offense, and questions about Daniel Jones' health, the passing game, and Taylor's long-term durability all contributed to skepticism about drafting him as a top-three running back.”

“While Jonathan Taylor still sits near the top of fantasy RB rankings, the conversation highlighted growing concerns surrounding his current draft cost. The hosts pointed to Taylor's heavy workload and dependence on quarterback play as reasons for caution.”

“Jonathan Taylor rushing yards Under 1225.5 CZR -115 (1 unit)”

“Taylor finished last season with massive rushing totals, but his year felt uneven due to a dramatic late-season drop-off. The FantasyPros crew pointed to quarterback instability and schedule imbalance as major factors behind the decline.”