Fantasy Upside
Marlon Mack ran for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns last season in 14 games. He had 908 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games in 2018 and has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over the past two years combined. Mack is a hard runner with enough explosiveness to make big plays in the running game. Pro Football Focus had him tied for third in most runs of 20-plus yards in 2019. He’ll be playing in a contract year and is assisted by one of the best offensive lines in football. Justin Edwards ranks the Colts offensive line as fourth-best in the league entering the season.
Fantasy Downside
Mack has a lot going against him. He isn’t very active in the passing game with just 17 targets last season. He has missed games every year he’s been in the league with injury. Most worrisome is the addition of Jonathan Taylor in the second round of the draft, a highly touted, wildly productive back out of Wisconsin who looks like a three-down player. Mack will need to earn every opportunity he gets this season, and his upside is likely limited to a time-share situation with the rookie in the fold.
2020 Bottom Line
With Taylor around and the lack of production in the passing game, it’s hard to put a ton of faith in Mack continue to get enough touches to warrant serious fantasy consideration. As such, his ADP has fallen to the eighth round. That’s pretty good value if he stays in a time share, but probably not worth gambling on when you can get other timeshare backs in that realm with more upside in the passing game such as James White and Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Still, Mack won’t go away without a fight, so there’s some hope that he cashes in one more quality season trying to secure a deal elsewhere in 2021.