Seth McGowan Looks Like the Jonathan Taylor Handcuff — But the Depth Chart Says Otherwise

If Jonathan Taylor misses a game, who is the Colts running back you actually want?

The official depth chart says DJ Giddens.

The preseason usage says Seth McGowan.

That's exactly why this is worth talking about before fantasy drafts end.

McGowan, a seventh-round rookie, started all three Colts preseason games.

In the finale, he played every snap with the starting offense before Indianapolis began rotating its backups.

Giddens didn't enter until later.

That's a strong signal.

But it isn't the only signal.

The Official Depth Chart Still Favors Giddens

As of now, Indianapolis lists:

Jonathan Taylor

DJ Giddens

Seth McGowan

at running back.

We shouldn't ignore that.

Teams don't always treat unofficial depth charts as gospel, especially in August, but it is still information.

Giddens also missed time this preseason with a hamstring injury.

That helped create opportunities for McGowan.

So the fairest conclusion isn't that McGowan has definitively won the RB2 job.

It's that he has made the competition much closer than the depth chart makes it appear.

McGowan Took Advantage of Every Opportunity

McGowan was selected 237th overall in the seventh round.

That draft capital doesn't guarantee anything.

What matters now is how Indianapolis is using him.

He started the preseason opener.

He started again while Giddens was sidelined.

Then, when Giddens returned for the finale, McGowan still got the first opportunity with the starters.

That last part is the important one.

If the Colts viewed McGowan purely as a temporary placeholder, they could have immediately reinstalled Giddens ahead of him once he was healthy enough to play.

They didn't.

McGowan remained first in the actual game rotation.

Why This Handcuff Matters

Jonathan Taylor carried an enormous workload last season.

Indianapolis has spent the offseason talking about finding reliable depth behind him.

That's not because the Colts want Taylor off the field in every key situation.

He's still the centerpiece.

The reason fantasy managers care is what happens if Taylor misses time.

Taylor's backup would inherit touches in an offense that already knows how to build its running game around one primary back.

That makes the No. 2 spot valuable even if it doesn't carry much standalone value in Week 1.

Giddens Still Has a Real Case

It would be easy to overreact to preseason snaps and completely write off DJ Giddens.

I don't think we should.

Giddens was a fifth-round pick in 2025.

He has a year in the Colts system.

And he remains listed second on the official depth chart.

His hamstring injury disrupted his preseason and prevented us from seeing a normal competition from start to finish.

Maybe Indianapolis still trusts him more in pass protection.

Maybe his role grows once he's fully healthy.

Maybe the depth chart is telling us exactly what the Colts think.

That's possible.

But if that's true, McGowan's usage becomes harder to explain.

Preseason Usage Usually Matters More Than a Label

For fantasy football, I care most about who is actually playing.

Depth charts can lag behind reality.

They can reward veterans.

They can list players based on previous standing.

Game rotations require coaches to make a decision.

When the first-team offense took the field, McGowan took the snaps.

That's why I'm leaning toward him.

Not because the competition is over.

Because the most recent evidence we have favors McGowan.

This Isn't a Standalone Flex Play

There is an important distinction here.

Tyjae Spears can potentially have standalone fantasy value while sharing a backfield.

McGowan probably can't.

As long as Jonathan Taylor is healthy, the Colts aren't likely to give their backup enough touches to make him a weekly fantasy starter.

This is a pure contingency bet.

You're drafting McGowan because of what his role could become if Taylor misses time.

That means roster format matters.

In a shallow 10-team league with a short bench, I don't need to force him onto the roster.

In deeper leagues, best ball or formats where handcuffs are heavily drafted, he becomes much more interesting.

My Fantasy Read

If I have to choose one Colts backup today, I'm taking Seth McGowan.

But I'm not pretending the situation is settled.

The official Colts depth chart still lists DJ Giddens second.

McGowan's preseason usage tells a different story.

He started all three games.

He handled every snap with the starters in the finale.

He stayed ahead of Giddens even after Giddens returned.

That's enough for me to lean McGowan.

The key is price.

Don't draft him like he already owns a future starting job.

Draft him like a cheap bet on the most recent information we have.

Right now, the snaps are telling us Seth McGowan is closer to Jonathan Taylor than fantasy managers expected.