Though Colts RB Marlon Mack fought through injuries to begin 2018, he finished on a dominant tear upon his Week 6 return. From here on, Mack ranked 5th in rush attempts (173), 7th in rush yds (785) including the 2nd most with playoffs (979), 2nd in TDs (10), first in 1st down rushes (57), and 8th in total FPs (165). Moreover, the Colts were 10-0 when Mack touched the ball 14+ times, and 0-3 when he did not. Thankfully, both HC Frank Reich and GM Chris Ballard recognized his dominance, stating Mack can “absolutely” be a featured back in this explosive offense. Despite Reich’s committee-rich history, Mack seems ready to buck the trend. His surer “Usage” sends his fantasy stock soaring.
Specifically, Reich acknowledged how much the overall run game improved when Mack was in: “You look at the production he had… We just got so much better in the run game as the year went on. A lot of that obviously started up front, but Marlon kind of hit a groove and was doing his thing. So we just look to continue to build that with Marlon.”
Ballard echoed Reich’s sentiment, gushing, “We think a lot of Marlon Mack. We think he can play on all three downs. We think he can carry the load.”
This is some high praise from both the guy crafting the Colts roster, and the one who’ll decide how to utilize them. Consequently, Mack seems likely to dodge a “Le’Veon Bell” sized bullet, while also separating even further from Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins, regardless of game script. Thus, he’s deservedly soaring up to No.29 overall – above Aaron Jones and Sony Michel – on The Wolf’s latest Big Board.
