Seth McGowan Fantasy Stats

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan has emerged as one of the more appealing handcuff stashes in fantasy football, with a clear path to increased opportunities if Jonathan Taylor misses time. The 6-foot, 223-pound rookie has established himself as Indianapolis' primary backup, while DJ Giddens has yet to play an offensive snap this season. McGowan has recorded 17 carries for 61 yards and three receptions for 10 yards through five games, including five rushes for 16 yards and one catch for three yards in Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played 26.1% of the offensive snaps in that contest after reaching a season-high 29% in Week 4. Taylor continues to dominate the backfield, playing 82.2% of Indianapolis' offensive snaps through five games, leaving McGowan with little standalone fantasy value. However, the rookie's size, established position on the depth chart, and limited competition behind him make him an attractive insurance option. Taylor managers should strongly consider rostering McGowan, while those in deeper leagues can justify stashing him before an injury potentially sends his waiver value soaring.

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan appears to have fully wrested control of his team's RB2 job away from DJ Giddens, the other RB on the roster aside from starter Jonathan Taylor. Giddens dealt with a knee injury in Week 2, but was a healthy scratch for Week 3, as the coaching staff decided to make Taylor and McGowan the team's active running backs. There is essentially zero chance that McGowan will push the coaching staff to hand him more touches at the expense of Taylor, who's one of the best backs in the league. But the rookie would step into a large role if Taylor got injured, meaning he should be added by fantasy managers who want to handcuff Taylor and in deeper leagues where all RB2s are rostered. McGowan is a nice lottery ticket in an offense that was highly productive last season before quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon. He's been active and starting for the first four games, but likely still needs time to heal. McGowan could see 20 or more touches in games that Taylor misses. He carried the ball six times for 31 yards and caught one of his two targets for seven yards in a dominant win over the Washington Commanders in Week 4 while Giddens sat on the sideline, so it's obvious McGowan is the target to pickup off waivers.

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan saw the most action of the season during the Week 3 win over the Houston Texans. McGowan rushed the ball four times for 14 yards in the two-point victory. The 24-year-old has seen a minimal role in the backfield over the first three weeks of the season. His role is unlikely to grow much with Jonathan Taylor being the workhorse back in Indy right now. The rookie back is still one of the more interesting handcuff options around the league. McGowan could be one injury away from being the starter in an offense that loves to run the ball. He's worth stashing in deep leagues and dynasty formats on the chance that Taylor misses time.

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan has barely seen the field over the first two games of the regular season. Heading into Week 3, McGowan has registered two carries for zero yards and one reception for zero yards. The 24-year-old is unlikely to have standalone value while Jonathan Taylor is healthy. Taylor is the workhorse back, and McGowan only saw the field for six percent of the offensive snaps last week. He remains worth stashing because he could see a significant role if Taylor ever goes down with an injury. Fantasy managers shouldn't bother starting McGowan in any formats ahead of the Week 3 matchup against the Houston Texans.

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan has barely touched the ball through two games, but his spot on the depth chart is what keeps him interesting. McGowan caught one pass for no gain in Week 1, then had two carries for no yards against Kansas City. Jonathan Taylor has handled 43 carries and seven receptions over that same stretch, so there is no standalone role to chase. McGowan is still listed directly behind Taylor, though, and DJ Giddens has been inactive for both games. The rookie has played just 11.1% of the offensive snaps, which makes this a pure contingency bet. RotoBaller includes McGowan among its high-upside handcuffs and ranks him 52nd overall on the Week 3 waiver board, with an add recommendation in 14-team leagues. He is not worth forcing onto a shallow roster, but deeper-league managers looking for a direct backup to one of the league's busiest backs can justify stashing him now.

A seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan has begun his first NFL season in a reserve role behind superstar Colts back Jonathan Taylor. As long as Taylor remains healthy, McGowan is highly unlikely to see a fantasy-relevant workload. In the Colts' 41-23 Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the 23-year-old recorded zero carries and one catch for zero yards on one target. Still, McGowan cemented his status as the Colts' RB2, as he was the only back besides Taylor to see the field against Baltimore. Taylor has recorded over 700 touches since the start of the 2024 season, and he appears to be on his way to another massive workload in 2026. If he were to go down with an injury at any point, McGowan could immediately vault into fantasy relevance. In deeper leagues, McGowan could be worth targeting on the waiver wire for his handcuff appeal.

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan took a long route to his current spot behind Jonathan Taylor. Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star detailed the difficult road McGowan traveled after his career at Oklahoma ended following a 2021 arrest, with stops at Texas College, Butler Community College, New Mexico State and Kentucky before the Colts drafted him in the seventh round this spring. The football climb continued once he arrived. McGowan impressed Indianapolis with his physical running and receiving ability during camp, and he has now moved ahead of DJ Giddens on the current depth chart after opening the preseason behind him. That makes the rookie considerably more interesting for fantasy. Taylor still dominates this backfield, so there isn't much standalone value to chase right now. McGowan has nevertheless gone from a seventh-round flier to the Colts' No. 2 back, giving him real handcuff value if his role is ever forced to grow.

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan is more of a bench swing than somebody fantasy managers should expect to use anytime soon. The seventh-round rookie made the 53-man roster after rushing for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns at Kentucky last season, and the Colts liked the physicality he showed throughout the preseason. There is still somebody in his way before Jonathan Taylor, though. Indianapolis currently lists DJ Giddens second on the depth chart and McGowan third, leaving the rookie without much of a standalone role heading into Week 1. The good news is that the Colts kept only three running backs on the active roster, so an injury could change things quickly. McGowan is rostered in just 1% of Yahoo leagues and sits in the 14-team range on the current waiver list. That's where he belongs for now. Deep benches can take the shot, but managers in standard leagues do not need to force it.

Indianapolis Colts backup running back Seth McGowan is projected to win the handcuff job to lead back Jonathon Taylor according to The Athletic's James Boyd. In an August 29 article, Boyd wrote, "McGowan has clearly won the second-string job thanks to his physicality and reliable hands out of the backfield." The seventh-round pick out of Kentucky in the 2026 Draft, McGowan stands at 6-foot-1 and is 223 pounds offering big-time size out of the backfield but as Boyd points out he can catch the ball as well and thus be involved in the passing game. McGowan had two catches for five yards each in the three preseason games and rushed 17 times for 64 yards. With McGowan seeming to prove himself as the backup to Taylor look for him as a very late round pick or a potential early season waiver wire option.

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan rushed for 20 yards on five carries during Saturday's preseason contest against the Detroit Lions. He also had a five-yard reception in the loss. McGowan finished the preseason with 74 scrimmage yards across three games, and he might have done enough to win the backup job behind Jonathan Taylor. Entering the summer, the backup competition was between McGowan and DJ Giddens, a 2025 fifth-round pick who had 96 rushing yards last year. In addition to out-producing Giddens this preseason, McGowan is younger, although he has slightly lower draft capital as a seventh-round pick. It's important to note that both running backs are merely competing for a handcuff role here, as Jonathan Taylor is the undisputed every-down back in Indianapolis. Taylor was responsible for a whopping 86.6% of the Colts' running back carries last year, and he figures to achieve a similar mark in 2026. If McGowan is confirmed as Taylor's backup, he'll still be avoidable in shallower redraft leagues, and he'll be a mere stash in dynasty and deeper redraft formats.