Evan

Hull

With Jonathan Taylor out for Week 6’s matchup against the Titans, it makes sense for Indianapolis to add depth in the backfield with Hull. Trey Sermon will operate as the lead back with Tyler Goodson as the No. 2.

In the end, second-year pro Hull never appeared to really be in the mix for No. 2 duties behind Jonathan Taylor. Trey Sermon won the competition and Hull fell behind Tyler Goodson. Although he’s still only 23 years old, it’s a poor career development for a player who is no longer a worthy dynasty league stash.

Goodson entered the game ahead of RB Evan Hull, who rushed nine times for 30 yards and caught 1-of-1 targets for minus-three yards. Goodson may have a leg up on Hull for the No. 3 role behind injured No. 2 RB Trey Sermon (hamstring).

A former third-round pick of the 49ers in 2021, Sermon hasn’t seen much work as a pro, appearing in just 25 games during his three-year career while rushing for 78-346-1 over that span. With Zack Moss now in Cincinnati, Sermon, who joined the Colts last season, has a chance to earn a meaningful role heading into this season. Jonathan Taylor will still handle the large majority of the Colts’ touches, but whoever ends up as his backup could make for a solid stash in fantasy leagues. Sermon rushed for 88 scoreless yards on 17 carries in a Week 15 matchup against the Steelers last season and averaged a solid 4.6 YPC on the season.

We knew Hull suffered a season-ending knee injury during Week 1 of last season but never knew the specifics of the injury. Per Erickson, a “root tear” of the meniscus is “a tear at the spot where the meniscus attaches to the bone,” which is “a far more serious injury than a typical tear to the body of the meniscus.” Erickson adds that a normal tear may have only cost Hull half of the season but that the second-year running back spent eight weeks on crutches last season. In fact, Hull wasn’t cleared to return to full football activities until a few weeks before OTAs. Last season, Hull was a favorite late-round target by Zero RB drafters. Now, he’s expected to compete with Trey Sermon for RB2 duties behind Jonathan Taylor, with Sermon seemingly having the inside edge on the competition thus far.

Bowen asked Colts head coach Shane Steichen about Hull’s status on Friday. We don’t have the exact quote from Steichen, but Bowen’s interpretation of the update gives Hull a bleak outlook. The rookie running back went down with a knee injury in Week 1. If this is the end of Hull’s season, he will enter training camp in 2024 looking to secure the backup role in Indy.

Due to a knee injury suffered in Week 1, Hull will be out at least four games. The move made room for the Colts to put Jake Funk to the active roster from the practice squad. With Jonathan Taylor still out, the Colts are now down to Funk, Deon Jackson and Zack Moss at the running back position.

Hull exited Week 1’s matchup against the Jaguars and did not return to the field. The rookie fifth-round pick managed just two offensive touches on the day, and worked well behind incumbent Deon Jackson. Anybody who opted to stash Hull early in the season can drop him.

Jackson, the centerpiece of the Colts offensive game plan, was horrendous from start to finish. It’s difficult to remember a more inefficient running back performance, as Jackson took handoff after handoff from Anthony Richardson and did absolutely nothing with them. Forced into a heavy workload because Evan Hull (knee) was sidelined, Jackson’s role as primary back has to come into serious question before Indy’s Week 2 game against Houston. Jake Funk appeared to be a far superior option to Jackson late in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars.

The rookie suffered a knee injury in the first half after catching his lone target for six yards. Hull played behind Deon Jackson, who was ineffective, to put it kindly. Jackson is the only remaining healthy back in the Indy backfield with Hull banged up and Zack Moss (arm) inactive. Jackson could be a priority waiver pick up this week depending on the severity of Hull’s injury.