Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona Cardinals running back Stepfan Taylor has a golden opportunity heading into the 2014 NFL season. After spending his rookie year buried in the depth chart, the second year back has a chance to compete for the short-yardage role and serve as the No. 2 behind Andre Ellington. The No. 2 role would still allow Taylor to gain a lot of playing time and experience that he missed out on in his limited role last season. According to Cardinals beat writer Darren Urban, Cardinals GM Steve Keim would like to employ multiple running backs in 2014.
The increased playing time will give fantasy football owners a chance to see a truly great talent that hasn’t been unveiled to the casual football fans yet. During his days at Stanford, Taylor became the most decorated running back in school history, running for 4,300 yards and 45 touchdowns. The numbers posted by Taylor during his college days, should indicate that he can excel at the NFL level given the proper amount of reps. Considering that the Cardinals brass won’t want to put too much of a workload on Ellington, Taylor should be able to make an impact in some way.
Given the fact that he will be a No. 2 running back for his team which will cap his fantasy value, Taylor may not hold too much allure heading into fantasy drafts. However, he is someone who is certainly worth taking as a valuable depth player. The running back doesn’t have a massive frame, but he is a fantastic downhill runner who can exhibit more power than his size shows. As far as his value goes, heading into the season he should be considered a RB-3 with massive upside.
Alexander Muir is a writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @AmuirAlex, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on your network on Google.
