The Colts’ first act with Jonathan Taylor came with a plot twist

Long ago, before movie trailers routinely spoiled the plot of their movies, they instead would provide a sense of mystery and unknown. One that sticks out in particular is the first trailer for 1997’s “The Fifth Element.”

It didn’t give you a lot of info: Bruce Willis was a star, it was a sci-fi flick about the future, and there were other characters shown whose roles were vague. But it looked promising.

Now, trailers routinely reveal the entire plot. For that missing sense of mystery, we turn to the fantasy outlook of the 2023 Colts. We didn’t have a lot of info: running back Jonathan Taylor was on the roster but we didn’t know if he would play, they drafted a quarterback of the future but we knew little about how he would perform, and there were other players whose roles or impact were vague. But it looked promising.

After Act 1 of the 2023 Colts, let’s get a review.

The Colts’ star, Taylor, hasn’t been in many scenes. He was a financial holdout, er, sorry, we mean on the physically unable to play list with an ankle issue for the first four games. When he returned Sunday (plot twist: right after he got a contract extension), he got just seven touches and played just 15 percent of the offensive snaps.

We expected more usage, so perhaps there was more legitimacy to the injury than we believed. But that is irrelevant now. Our concern isn’t Taylor’s ankle, it is his future usage. Good news: The Colts didn’t pay Taylor to then not use him. So anything other than him retaking the role a the team’s bell-cow running back would be a “Sixth Sense”-level shocker.

But when will our fantasy hero step up to save the season? Alas, a good hero story always requires hurdles.

Zach Moss, who filled in nicely during Taylor’s absence, had his best game in Week 5 — 22-for-165 and two touchdowns rushing. But Moss would need to continue to produce like that to fend off a Taylor takeover, and that just isn’t something we expect.

If you have Moss, scout your league to see if anyone has yet to figure out how this movie ends, then try to trade Moss to them. Or, shop him to whomever has Taylor, selling Moss as a handcuff.

But don’t forget the other story threads. The biggest one: Rookie franchise QB Anthony Richardson suffered a right shoulder injury, and his timeline for recovery is uncertain.

Betting on the NFL?

If you need a replacement, hunt the waivers for Matthew Stafford, Joshua Dobbs or Richardson’s backup, Gardner Minshew, or maybe even Zach Wilson.

But chances are, you weren’t relying on Richardson as your fantasy QB, and your concerns are more associated with how his absence impacts the wide receivers.

We think that storyline has a happy ending. We like the outlook for Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs better with Minshew.

The Madman doesn’t think there are many more Colts twists ahead — which doesn’t make for a good movie, but really helps you manage your fantasy interests.

Thank you, sir

Roschon Johnson RB, Bears

With RB Khalil Herbert likely out multiple weeks, that should give the rookie Johnson more carries, but monitor his concussion protocol progress. D’Onta Foreman would be our next target.

DeAndre Hopkins WR, Titans

Went 8-for-140 on Sunday. Looks like he is finally in sync with QB Ryan Tannehill. Time to get him in your lineup, but only trade for him if you get a discount for his previous struggles.

Trenton Irwin WR, Bengals

Presumed Tee Higgins rib injury benefactor Tyler Boyd got less action than Irwin on Sunday vs. the Cardinals. Put Irwin on radar as a temp fill-in if Higgins remains out.

Logan Thomas TE, Commanders

Has criminally low roster rates — particularly at such a thin position. If weak at TE, get and use Thomas while you can, before his injury history pays a visit.

No thank you

Rhamondre Stevenson RB, Patriots

We’re quite surprised he is getting so much competition for carries from geriatric Ezekiel Elliott. But Stevenson hasn’t done himself any favors with terrible performance. We’re OK bailing on all Patriots fantasy exposure.

Emari Demercado RB, Cardinals

James Conner’s knee injury isn’t thought to be serious, so Demercado would be just a short-term filler. If Cards do need him, the Week 6 clash with the Rams isn’t ideal.

George Pickens WR, Steelers

He is a good player, coming off a really good game, but he plays on a bad offense. Of his 74.9 PPR points this season, 23.2 have come on two plays (which happen to be his only TDs). That is 31 percent of his total fantasy production. Too much feast-or-famine for our tastes. Sell high.

Kyle Pitts TE, Falcons

Finally, we get the type of Pitts game we want (7-for-87). But still too much Jonnu Smith (6-for-67), and we can’t forget the previous two-plus seasons of disappointment.