Colts vs. Jaguars: Week 6 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Gardner Minshew, Jonathan Taylor, Zack Moss, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr., Calvin Ridley

Welcome to our Colts vs. Jaguars fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em matchups analysis article for Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season.

Read our matchups analysis, player breakdowns, and lineup recommendations for the matchup and set those winning lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

Spread: Jaguars -4.0
Implied Total: Colts (20) vs. Jaguars (24)
Pace: Colts (4th) vs. Jaguars (13th)
Colts Off. DVOA: 16.0% Pass (15th), 3.8% Rush (8th)
Jaguars Off. DVOA: 20.3% Pass (11th), -7.8% Rush (17th)
Colts Def. DVOA: 9.5% Pass (20th), -10.5% Rush (17th)
Jaguars Def. DVOA: 3.5% Pass (13th), -24.4% Rush (5th)

Matchups We Love

Jaguars WRs

Zay Jones returned to action only to leave the game injured again. Fortunately for anyone who had to start him, he made a beautiful touchdown catch before exiting. The Bills are dealing with a banged-up secondary, which Calvin Ridley exploited repeatedly. He destroyed man coverage, especially on third downs. He, Jones, and Christian Kirk all had eight targets, but he certainly made the most of his with 122 yards. It's an ideal matchup for outside receivers, which favors Ridley and Jones if active; otherwise, Kirk would benefit from the inexperienced Colts secondary. If Jones is out, both Ridley and Kirk are top-24 options; otherwise, Kirk drops to the top 36.

Travis Etienne Jr. (RB, JAX)

We mentioned that Etienne Jr. has the ability to make explosive plays, which he did. He had two breakaway runs (15-plus yards) for a combined 66 yards. He has the ninth-highest share of his team's rushing attempts (52.5%) and the 15th-largest target share (10.9%). Tank Bigsby has just 15 carries on the season and has yet to catch a pass. Etienne is a true workhorse that can rip off big runs at any time. He's a top-12 back against Indy.

Evan Engram (TE, JAX)

Ridley eating up so much production impacted Engram's output, but the eight targets are worth pursuing. He's still one of only a handful of reliable tight ends in terms of role and volume.

Matchups We Hate

Trevor Lawrence (QB, JAX)

Lawrence's yard total went up to 315 plus he added 31 yards on the ground, but he only threw one touchdown, and more importantly, he couldn't take care of the ball. He committed three fumbles, including one the offense recovered, and tossed an interception. His carelessness kept Buffalo in the game for a lot longer than they had any right being in it.

Not only is it a negative for fantasy points, but it also dissuades the coaching staff from putting too much on Lawrence. We've seen this in Dallas with Dak Prescott. Turnovers were an issue so they've slowed down the pace of play and run the ball more. The matchup is there if you want to take a shot, but with multiple touchdowns in only one contest, there are likely streaming options with more upside.

Other Matchups

Colts RBs

Jonathan Taylor signed a huge contract hours before kickoff, or at least that's when the news broke. One of the reports surrounding it was that the Colts were going to ease Taylor back, which makes sense given the money they agreed to (three years, $42 million, $26.5 million guaranteed). As a result, Taylor only played 15% of the snaps, opening the door for Zack Moss to shock the world with 195 total yards and two touchdowns against one of the best run defenses. While the workload will inevitably shift in Taylor's direction as the season progresses, it seems unlikely he'll operate as a workhorse back that dominates the touches. Most backfields in the NFL are committees to an extent, which seems the probable outcome in Indy.

The other major news is the shoulder injury to Anthony Richardson, who will miss at least four weeks after being placed on Injured Reserve. Gardner Minshew's already made a start this season and come in twice to finish a game that Richardson was hurt during. It's good news for the backfield in the fact that he won't take away rushing attempts or goal-line work, adding more upside to the position. The Colts rank sixth in run-blocking, according to PFF, meaning they're capable of overcoming the matchup. Both Moss and Taylor are top-24 backs with Moss as the safer option and Taylor with the ceiling.

Colts WRs

Similar to the backfield, the switch to Minshew means a boost in volume for the receiving corps. Both Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs showed an ability to produce with Minshew at the helm. It's not the first time either, as they were both productive in Week 3 when he led them to an overtime victory over the Ravens. Jacksonville gives up about 262 passing yards per game and eight passing touchdowns on the season. It's not a fantastic matchup, but there'll be sufficient production for these two to succeed as top-30 receivers.

Notable Injuries

Jelani Woods (hamstring)
Anthony Richardson (shoulder)
Mo Alie-Cox (concussion)
Zay Jones (knee)

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