NFL RB Index, Week 6: How six backfields should distribute carries moving forward

Jonathan Taylor is back! The Indianapolis Colts activated their star running back off the physically unable to perform list last week and signed him to a three-year, $42 million contract extension after a prickly few months between the player and team.

It's now time to focus our attention to the on-field aspect. With Taylor back in the mix, the Colts (3-2) must navigate dividing carries between Taylor and Zack Moss. Taylor is an elite playmaker when healthy, while Moss ranks third in the NFL with 445 rushing yards through five weeks -- despite having played in only four games. Having two stud running backs is a great problem to have, and the Colts will need to lean on them with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson missing time with a shoulder injury, but how should Indy distribute the workload moving forward?

It was no surprise to see Moss getting the majority of the work in Sunday’s win over the Titans, with Taylor slowly working his way back onto the field. Moss had the best outing of his career, rushing for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns, including a 56-yard sprint to the end zone for Indy's first points of the game. Taylor gained 34 scrimmage yards in his season debut, playing just 10 offensive snaps (16.4 percent).

I'm all for the Colts easing Taylor back into the lineup, but we should see an uptick in his usage over the next couple of weeks. Sure, Moss has produced in place of Taylor, averaging 111.3 rush yards per game in four starts, but his track record doesn't show that he can sustain that type of production. The fourth-year pro has never played more than 13 games in a season and prior to this year averaged just 32.9 rush yards per game. Taylor, on the other hand, has proven he can be the bell cow for