Josh Downs Cleared To Play In Week 9
6 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (toe) logged his second consecutive full practice on Friday. He has been removed from the final injury report and will play in Week 9. The 23-year-old has posted mixed results this season, benefitting greatly from Joe Flacco while struggling to form a rapport with Anthony Richardson. Fortunately for Downs, Richardson was benched for Flacco earlier this week. Downs has 24 catches, 217 yards, and two touchdowns through parts of three games with the veteran quarterback in 2024, and he should continue to rank as a mid-to-low fantasy WR2 for Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.Source: Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. Will Play In Week 9
6 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) has been removed from the final injury report despite being limited in practice on Friday. The 27-year-old has posted mixed results this season, benefitting greatly from Joe Flacco while struggling to form a rapport with Anthony Richardson. Fortunately for Pittman, Richardson was benched for Flacco earlier this week. Pittman has 185 yards and two touchdowns through parts of three games with the veteran quarterback in 2024, and he should continue to rank as a mid-to-low fantasy WR2 for Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.Source: Indianapolis Colts
Joe Flacco A QB2 In Return To Starting Role In Week 9
6 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts will start Joe Flacco under center in Week 9 versus the Vikings. The 39-year-old played nearly three full games for the Colts in Weeks 4 through 6, tossing at least two touchdown passes in each of the games, totaling 716 yards with a 7:1 TD:INT. While the Vikings are tough against the run, they can be beaten through the air, allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to QBs on the season, with the last four signal-callers who faced them faring even better, averaging 298 yards passing and three TDs. In a game with a 46.5 over/under and the Colts as five-point underdogs though, it doesn't foretell of a high-scoring game for the Colts, so while Flacco is a massive upgrade over Anthony Richardson, he still looks like a low-end QB2 for fantasy this week with some slight upside.Source: ESPN
Jonathan Taylor Gets Tough Assignment Versus Minnesota In Week 9
6 months agoIndianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor returned in Week 8 after a three-game absence, going over 100 yards rushing with a touchdown, and does not have an injury designation heading into Week 9. Unfortunately for Taylor, it will be hard to keep the momentum going against a stout Minnesota rush defense. The Vikings have held running backs to 83.9 rush yards per game and 3.9 yards per rush attempt, both third-best in the NFL. However, seven different backs have recorded three or more receptions against the Vikings through seven games and Taylor is a capable receiver. In the only game in which he and Joe Flacco played together this season, Taylor garnered four looks from the veteran QB, hauling in three of them for 20 yards. Still, with Minnesota allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, the Colts may prefer to attack with their top wideouts, leaving Taylor as a back-end RB1 for Week 9.Source: ESPN
Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs Fully Practice On Thursday
6 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. (back) and Josh Downs (toe) both logged a full practice on Thursday according to James Boyd of The Athletic. This is a great sign as both wideouts were non-participants during Wednesday's initial practice session. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor their status during Friday's practice in case they face a setback. Pittman has been dealing with this back injury for a few weeks but has not missed any games. Downs has also been dealing with a lingering injury but has also not missed any time due to it. Both wideouts should be viewed as a solid options this weekend as they will face the Minnesota Vikings who have allowed the most PPR points to opposing wideouts this season.Source: James Boyd
Josh Downs And Michael Pittman Jr. Miss Practice Wednesday
6
months
agoIndianapolis
Colts
wide
receivers
Josh
Downs
(toe)
and
Michael
Pittman
Jr.
(back)
did
not
practice
on
Wednesday.
Both
players
have
been
battling
their
respective
injuries
for
several
weeks
and
have
missed
several
consecutive
Wednesday
practices.
Neither
playerread more...
Joe Flacco, Indy's Starter Moving Forward
6 months agoIndianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen reported that quarterback Joe Flacco will be the team's starter moving forward. Indianapolis is going all-in on Flacco, who they believe gives them the "best chance to win right now." Steichen also noted they have not given up on second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson. Evidently, Indy has finally realized what was immediately apparent when Richardson went down with a hip injury in Week 4 -- the veteran QB is far and away the most competent signal-caller on this squad. The 39-year-old will be a massive boon to all Colts' pass-catchers and should help substantiate the offense overall for the remainder of his tenure as the starter. Among the 225 quarterbacks who have dropped back 250-plus times since the year 2000, Richardson ranks 222nd in completion rate (50%).Source: Mike Chappell
Joe Flacco Will Start On Sunday Night Football In Week 9
6 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts have named veteran quarterback Joe Flacco the starter for the Week 9 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. This move comes after the continuous struggles of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson despite the belief that he would take time to develop as a raw prospect out of the 2023 draft class. Through Richardson's first 10 starts, he has compiled a 5-5 record while completing just 50.2% of his passes for 1,535 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Flacco led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs in 2023 and has the chance to do the same for Indy in 2024. Flacco has appeared in four games this season, throwing for 716 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. He is now a must-add fantasy option in two-QB and Superflex leagues. His return to the starting lineup should provide a boost for wideouts Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr.Source: Adam Schefter
Colts "Not Quitting" On Anthony Richardson
6 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts will roll with veteran Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback on Sunday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings following the early-career struggles of Anthony Richardson. Richardson has started in just 10 games since being selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, completing 50.2% of his passes for 1,535 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He's racked up 378 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. The Colts are moving him to the bench, but that does not mean his time in Indianapolis is nearing an end. ESPN Colts writer Stephen Holder reporters a team source told him, "We are not quitting on Anthony. That will be the story, but that is not the case." Either way, this is somewhat of a surprising development since most viewed Richardson as a long-term project due to his lack of experience in college and the NFL. Fantasy managers might consider dropping Richardson in redraft leagues, but he remains a hold in dynasty formats.Source: Stephen Holder
Anthony Richardson To The Bench, Colts Will Start Joe Flacco
6 months agoIndianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has been benched, with Joe Flacco taking over as the starter. The veteran quarterback will start Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, his fourth this season. Richardson has struggled this season, completing only 44.4% of his pass attempts in six games. Many wonder if the team is giving up on the former No. 4 overall pick too quickly. However, fantasy players welcome the change at quarterback. Flacco has been significantly better for the Colts' pass catchers, especially Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs. Flacco is a must-add off the waiver wire in single-quarterback and superflex leagues. Meanwhile, Pittman and Downs have WR2 upside with the veteran under center. aSource: Tom Pelissero - NFL Network
Steichen, Non-Committal On Anthony Richardson As Week 9 Starter
6 months agoPer Arye Pulli of the NFL, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen would not commit to Anthony Richardson starting at quarterback in Week 9. "We're evaluating everything," proclaimed Steichen. Yikes. It's a rough turn of events for the second-year starter, but not exactly one that's a surprise. The former Florida Gator has had a tough go in his appearances this season, failing to complete more than ten passes in 4-of-5 contests that he's played the entire game. Alternatively, veteran Joe Flacco excelled in his three outings, tossing seven touchdowns to just one interception. Fantasy managers must track this developing story ahead of the team's Week 9 road matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. If the team does turn to Flacco, it'd be an instant boost for the outlooks of Indy's pass-catchers. Stay tuned.Source: Arye Pulli
Michael Pittman Jr. Held To One Catch In Week 8
6
months
agoIndianapolis
Colts
wide
receiver
Michael
Pittman
Jr.
(back)
was
able
to
corral
just
one
of
his
six
targets
in
Sunday's
23-20
loss
to
the
Texans,
gaining
a
measly
16
yards
in
the
contest.
Fellow
wide
receiver
Josh
Downs
was
theread more...
Josh Downs Goes Over 100 Yards, Finds End Zone In Loss
6 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs led his team's receiving corps in catches and yards in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Texans, reeling in four for 109 yards and a score. Downs was the only Colt to amass more than one reception in the contest with quarterback Anthony Richardson completing just 10 of 32 passes, and he nearly scored another touchdown but was down just shy of the end zone. The 23-year-old was also credited with 13 rush yards. Despite the solid effort, the former third-round draft pick will be volatile with such poor quarterback play and hard to trust on a weekly basis. In Week 9, the Colts will face the Vikings who have had seven wideouts record 78 or more receiving yards through seven games, so there's a chance he could have some Flex appeal, especially if Joe Flacco happened to be under center instead of Richardson.Source: ESPN
Jonathan Taylor Goes Over 100 Yards Rushing, Scores In Return
6 months agoAfter missing three weeks due to injury, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle) looked like his old self on Sunday, rushing 20 times for 105 yards (5.3 YPC) and a score while adding one catch for 12 yards in the 23-20 loss to the Texans. Neither Tyler Goodson nor Trey Sermon received a single carry in the contest as Taylor monopolized the rushing duties. The 25-year-old now has five touchdowns in five games played and has gone over 100 total yards rushing and receiving in four straight games he's participated in. The former second-round draft pick will probably be an RB1 again in Week 9, although Minnesota has limited backs to just three rushing touchdowns (two through the air as well) thus far.Source: ESPN
Anthony Richardson With Another Poor Showing In Loss
6 months agoIt was another rough afternoon for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, completing just 10 of 32 passes for 175 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 23-20 loss to the Texans. The 22-year-old also fumbled twice, losing one of them, and was sacked five times, while 69 of his total passing yards came on a single play to Josh Downs. If not for that one play and Richardson gaining 45 yards on the ground, it would have been an even more forgettable performance. The former first-round draft pick also left the game briefly, which seemed concerning at the time, but after the game he said he just "needed a break." Now with a 44.4% completion rate on the year with a 4:7 TD:INT, it is hard to imagine things will get better in Week 9 on the road versus a Vikings defense that is top three in the league in interceptions and sacks.Source: ESPN