Jonathan Taylor's sneaky final stretch in 2024, plus more key takeaways from Jamey Eisenberg's Colts outlooks

Plus, Anthony Richardson still has massive upside if he starts

It's a fun time for us as our CBS Sports staff is doing all the player outlooks for the upcoming season. Those are the blurbs you read on each player's page and, more importantly, the information you see in the draft room.

We invest a significant amount of time in these outlooks and conduct thorough research. The goal, as always, is to help you prepare for your draft -- and win your league.

With that in mind, we wanted to break out some of the best research items we found on each player so you can start preparing now. When your draft is happening, especially if it's live, you might remember something you read here and don't have to panic when you're on the clock.

I have the AFC South outlooks, and here are some of the interesting things that stood out to me about the Texans, Colts, Jaguars and Titans. For example, Joe Mixon was among the NFL leaders in touches per game, all the Colts receivers were better with Joe Flacco than Antony Richardson, Brian Thomas Jr. was an absolute monster to close 2024, and Tony Pollard's stats popped when Tyjae Spears was out.

In this article, we'll focus on the key takeaways from doing the Colts outlooks. 

If you want to find out my key takeaways from breaking down the NFC South outlooks, head here. 

What will happen in 2025 with these teams? Let's find out. Here are five interesting notes on each roster.

Colts

1. Did you know: Anthony Richardson was on pace for 2,963 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and 808 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns based on the 10 healthy games he played in 2024.

Our view: Richardson is flawed as a passer, especially with a career completion percentage of 50.6. But his rushing ability is what helps his Fantasy stock if he can be a starter for a full season. He's competing with Daniel Jones for the starting job, and it doesn't help that Richardson has a shoulder injury that will sideline him for June's minicamp. We'll be watching this quarterback battle closely in training camp, but Richardson is our choice to win the starting job. There's still plenty of potential for Richardson to be a standout Fantasy quarterback, but he has to prove it first -- in Fantasy and reality. I'm still hopeful that this could be a breakout season for Richardson if he remains the starter all year. He's worth a late-round flier in all one-quarterback leagues and a mid-round pick in Superflex and two-quarterback formats.

2. Did you know: Jonathan Taylor closed last season on an impressive run with three games in a row with at least 25 PPR points, while averaging 30.8 PPR points per game over that stretch.

Our view: Taylor should be considered a borderline top-10 running back, and he's worth drafting toward the end of Round 2 or beginning of Round 3 in all leagues. He's not going to boost his value in the passing game since he just had a career-low 18 receptions for 136 yards and one touchdown on 31 targets in 2024, especially with either Richardson or Jones at quarterback. But Taylor was dominant on the ground last season with 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns on 303 carries, and he should once again be the catalyst of the Indianapolis offense. We'll see if he shares touches with new backups in Khalil Herbert or rookie D.J. Giddens, but it's hard to envision Taylor coming off the field much when healthy. Taylor should offer a safe floor with still incredible upside, especially if he can somehow increase his reception total in 2025.

3. Did you know: Michael Pittman averaged just 10.4 PPR points per game last year, which was his lowest total since his rookie year in 2020.

Our view: Pittman battled a back injury in 2024, but he's expected to be fully healed for training camp. The biggest issue for Pittman is the quarterback play for the Colts, and we'll see who wins the job out of Richardson or Jones. In 2024, Pittman had six games with at least 12.5 PPR points, and five of them came when Joe Flacco played. Jones is likely the better quarterback to boost Pittman's Fantasy value, but Richardson could be improved this year after spending time with Josh Allen's private quarterback coach in the offseason. Pittman also has to compete with Josh Downs and Tyler Warren for targets, but Pittman could still be No. 1 on the team in that category. If he surprises us then he could emerge as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues -- he averaged 15.7 PPR points per game in 2023 -- but that likely depends on the quarterback play for the Colts. We're hopeful that Pittman can bounce back and play at a high level again in 2025, but he's only worth drafting with a late-round pick in most leagues.

4. Did you know: Last year, Downs set a career-high by averaging 13.1 PPR points per game. He finished the season with 72 catches for 803 yards and five touchdowns on 107 targets in 14 games, and he had seven games with at least 15.1 PPR points. 

Our view: Four of the best outings for Downs last season happened in games where Flacco appeared, which seems to be a common theme for the Colts receivers. We'll see if Richardson or Jones win the starting job in Indianapolis, but Downs should only be drafted with a late-round pick with the hope that he can outperform his Average Draft Position. There's another prominent pass catcher now on the roster with Warren, and targets could be a problem for Downs, especially on a run-first offense. We're hopeful Downs can emerge as a weekly No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, but you're better off drafting him as a key reserve with the potential for him to crack your starting lineup during the season.

5. Did you know: Tyler Warren had 104 catches for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024 at Penn State. The Colts tight ends of Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Andrew Ogletree and Will Mallory last year combined for 39 catches, 467 yards and two touchdowns.

Our view: Warren is an elite talent, which is why Indianapolis selected him in the first round of the NFL Draft. He's a difference maker, and Warren can easily lead the Colts in every receiving category based on his pedigree. Now, he has to share targets with Pittman and Downs, who are standout players, as well as Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell. And we know the Colts' quarterback situation could be messy. Warren is a great late-round pick as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy tight end, but it's a good idea to pair him with a second tight end on Draft Day. We're hopeful Warren can be a top-10 Fantasy tight end, but keep expectations in check early in the season until Warren proves himself as a must-start option in all leagues.