Marlon Mack broke out for 126 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries while also chipping in with two catches for 33 yards and another touchdown on three targets Sunday in the Colts’ Week 7 win over the Bills. Mack supplied his first touchdowns since Week 17 of last season while setting career-highs in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage and touches. The second-year USF alum burned the Bills for a number of big plays, including a 29-yard touchdown off a screen pass from Andrew Luck during the second quarter. He added another score in the fourth, breaking loose for a 20-yard rushing touchdown. Mack was slowed by a hamstring injury early in the year but he hasn’t shown any ill effects the last two weeks, exploding for 252 yards (215 rushing & 37 receiving) on 34 touches during that span. Now firmly entrenched as Indy’s lead back, Mack will be in the RB2 discussion when the Colts travel to Oakland for Week 8.
For all the questions surrounding the Colts backfield preseason, Marlon Mack is sure looking like the answer for the foreseeable future. Andrew Luck had been throwing the ball at a record pace in 2018 with no semblance of a running game from the combination of Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. Mack returned last week from a nagging hamstring injury and was running wild with the ball for over 7 yards per carry. He continued that success averaging 6.63 yards this last game, and was even involved in the passing game catching two balls for 33 yards and a score. He looked fast, fluid and explosive in the game against the Bills. With Mack and the Colts set to take on the porous Raiders defense, he should absolutely be picked up in leagues that are crazy enough not to roster him already. He’s got a fantastic Week 8 matchup on the horizon.
