Dallas running back Javonte Williams and Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor each produced 6.7 full-PPR points in Week 8. Cortex’s current Week 9 projections also place them close together: 17.9 for Williams and 17.5 for Taylor when the Cowboys visit the Colts on Sunday, November 8. But treating them as interchangeable would miss what their recent performances tell us.
Williams needs better returns from an established workload
Williams carried 24 times for 56 yards against Arizona, one week after gaining 155 yards on 25 carries against Philadelphia. His rushing workload barely changed; his return on those carries fell from 6.2 yards to 2.3. That is a different problem from losing his role.
The weakness for PPR managers is his limited recent receiving contribution. Across his last three games, Williams caught three passes for 10 yards. Those catches and yards supplied just 1.3 PPR points per game. When rushing efficiency falls and he does not score, his receiving work has offered little compensation.
Sunday offers a reason to expect better rushing production, rather than simply assume a rebound. Cortex’s unit comparison favors Dallas’s run blocking against Indianapolis’s run defense. The Colts also allowed Jacksonville 183 rushing yards last week and have traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Dallas guard Tyler Smith’s ankle remains a relevant personnel check: he was limited Wednesday and Thursday.
Taylor has more receiving support—but fewer recent carries
Taylor’s Week 8 result came from eight carries for 23 yards, four catches for 24 yards, and a lost fumble in Indianapolis’s 42–7 loss at Jacksonville. His receiving work supplied 6.4 points before the fumble deduction; the rushing contribution was only 2.3. The same final fantasy score as Williams therefore came from a very different combination.
Across his last three games, Taylor had eight catches for 96 yards on 12 targets. That receiving production supplied 5.9 PPR points per game, compared with Williams’s 1.3. Taylor has the stronger recent receiving cushion, but that does not make his total scoring floor secure. He had 47 carries over those games, compared with Williams’s 60, and his latest eight-carry game shows why opportunity still matters.
Dallas’s struggling run defense gives Taylor a favorable opponent. However, Cortex’s unit comparison rates Indianapolis’s run blocking below Dallas’s, and the Colts have traded guard Quenton Nelson. The defender across the line is only half the matchup; Taylor also needs his own offense to sustain enough rushing opportunities to exploit it.
The lineup decision
Williams is the better-supported rushing rebound; Taylor has the stronger receiving safety net. Williams’s slightly higher projection is consistent with his larger recent carry workload and the stronger Dallas run-blocking matchup. His risk is that limited receiving work leaves him more dependent on rushing yards and touchdowns.
Taylor’s catches offer another source of PPR production, but managers should not turn that into an automatic “safer player” label after an eight-carry game. The useful Sunday checks are whether Indianapolis restores his rushing workload and whether Williams converts his established workload into better gains—not simply whether either player finds the end zone.
As of the latest Thursday reports, Williams was not listed with an injury, and Taylor returned to full practice after Wednesday rest. Friday game designations were not yet available when this draft was prepared.
Use Cortex for your own lineup comparisons
Explore Cortex’s free NFL game coverage, then go deeper with NFL Premium’s Fantasy Spotlight and Rookie Watch, including player projections, recent production, and matchup context. NFL Pro adds the full eligible player pool and direct two-player comparisons, so you can examine the differences behind similar projected scores.
Sources and scoring
PPR calculations here award one point per reception, six per touchdown, one point per 10 rushing or receiving yards, and deduct two for a lost fumble, without yardage bonuses. Projections are the current Cortex forecast, not guarantees.*
Unit comparisons use Cortex’s current Week 9 snapshot; game statistics and personnel reporting are linked below. Roster availability and injury statuses change frequently; check injury reports prior to committing.