3 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts are expected to interview former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo for their vacant defensive -coordinator position next week, according to sources. The Colts are looking for a new coach to run their defense in 2025 and beyond after firing Gus Bradley earlier this week. Anarumo is available after being fired following his sixth season as the Bengals' defensive coordinator. Under Anarumo this past season, Cincy's defense ranked 25th in the NFL in yards allowed and points allowed, giving up chunk play after chunk play on Sundays. Despite a down year, the 58-year-old was a big part of the Bengals' recent turnaround under head coach Zac Taylor in which they made the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
3 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts fired defensive coordinator Gus Bradley on Monday. Bradley served as the team's defensive coordinator the last three seasons. He's been a defensive coordinator or a head coach since 2009 in the NFL. Bradley was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-16 and joined the Colts in 2022 when Frank Reich was the head coach. The Colts defense had plenty of issues in 2024 under Bradley and finished 29th in total defense while allowing 361.2 yards per game. Bradley was also the defensive coordinator with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 and for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017-20. It's unclear if Bradley will receive interest around the league this offseason as he looks for another coaching position in the NFL. The Colts finished a disappointing 8-9 this year and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Colts.com
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts quarterback
Anthony Richardson (back) will be the team's starter in 2025, according to team sources. Head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard will also get at least one more year to improve the team next season, owner Jim Irsay announced on Sunday night. The Colts missed the playoffs in 2024 for the fourth straight season, which is the club's longest playoff drought since a seven-year streak from 1988-94. Going into his third year in the NFL, Richardson's stock is down considerably with more doubt than ever about his ability to be a franchise QB. He missed the Week 18 regular-season finale with a back injury that he said "might be chronic" and has missed 17 games in his first two seasons due to injury. Richardson finished with the league's lowest completion percentage (47.7), and his 61.6 passer rating is the third-worst by a QB with at least 250 pass attempts since 2010.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - James Boyd
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver
Michael Pittman Jr. (back) admitted that he's been playing through a small fracture in his back. Pittman first noticed it during a joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals in training camp, and a scan showed the extent of the injury. He decided to play through his back injury and had a follow-up scan in Week 3. The 27-year-old will have another scan on Monday to determine if he'll require offseason surgery. Surprisingly, Pittman only missed one game in 2024, although his back injury certainly played a part in what was a down season for his standards. He finished with 69 receptions on 111 targets for 808 yards -- his lowest total since his rookie season in 2020 -- and only three touchdowns in 16 games. Second-year quarterback
Anthony Richardson's own injuries and inaccuracy didn't help Pittman's cause in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: FOX 59 - Mike Chappell
3 months agoPer Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard will continue to operate in their roles next season. Irsay took to X (Twitter) on Sunday evening following Indianapolis' 26-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars to express his frustration over not making the playoffs. However, he gave his head coach and GM a vote of confidence heading into next season. "I've been evaluating our entire operation, and I believe in Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen and our collective ability to make the improvements needed to take us to the next level in 2025." Steichen has coached his way to a 17-17 record since taking over in 2023, while the Colts have seen just four winning seasons since Ballard got the GM job during the 2016 playoffs. There is plenty of talent on this squad -- particularly on the offensive side. Still, as of now, the team's success hinges on the development of quarterback
Anthony Richardson. Fortunately for Ballard and Steichen, they'll get at least one more go.
--Alex CiullaSource: Tom Pelissero
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver
Josh Downs caught 10 of his 13 targets for 94 yards during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts' passing attack has seen a significant boost ever since quarterback
Joe Flacco took over for the injured
Anthony Richardson (back), but Downs truly took his productivity to the next level during Sunday's season finale. He finishes the 2024 campaign with 72 catches, 803 yards, and five touchdowns. Each of these three marks represented season-highs, topping the totals he delivered as a rookie last year. Downs has firmly established himself as an appealing 1B option with the Colts, pairing nicely alongside their 1A receiver,
Michael Pittman Jr. The UNC product will rank as a high-end WR3 when 2025 fantasy football drafts kick off next summer, and he has even greater appeal in dynasty leagues.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver
Alec Pierce did his usual thing on Sunday, catching a deep 40-yard touchdown pass on the team's opening drive and adding another 17-yard catch in the 26-23 win over the Jaguars. Despite only 37 receptions on the season, the 24-year-old finishes as the Colts' receiving leader with 824 yards and seven touchdowns. With blazing speed, he led the league in average depth of target (aDOT) which helped him rack up the yardage. The former second-round draft pick will likely fill a similar role in 2025 but, unless he can garner additional targets, it's hard to envision outpacing this season's production. Nevertheless, he should be worthy of at least a bench spot in next year's drafts, as he can be a viable (yet volatile) fill-in when the bye weeks hit.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver
Josh Downs closed out the season on a high note, catching 10 of 13 targets for 94 yards, although he was unable to find the end zone in the 26-23 overtime win over the Jaguars. The 23-year-old missed three games this season due to injury but still managed to set new career highs in catches (72), yards (803), and touchdowns (5). Inconsistent and ineffective quarterback play seemed to hold back all of the Colts receivers this season, with none truly separating themselves as a true No. 1.
Alec Pierce ended up leading the team in yards (824) and touchdowns (7), but he did it on only 37 receptions, while
Michael Pittman Jr.'s numbers were nearly identical to Downs' with 69 catches and 808 yards.
Anthony Richardson's play will likely depress Downs' value in 2025 fantasy drafts, but that could make him (and Pittman Jr.) possible values if the offense can improve in 2025.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver
Michael Pittman Jr. caught six of 10 targets for 72 yards and no touchdowns in Sunday's 26-23 overtime win against the Jaguars. The 27-year-old recorded five or more receptions in six of his last seven games of the season, but it was a year mostly filled with inconsistency at the quarterback position. The reception (69), yardage (808), and touchdown totals (3) were all the lowest outputs since his rookie season in 2020. After setting career highs in receptions and yardage in 2023, this season surely did not meet expectations, especially for fantasy managers who drafted him. With
Anthony Richardson under center in 2025, Pittman's outlook doesn't look much better unless the QB can fix his accuracy issues after posting a miserable 47.7% completion rate in 2024. If the Colts get him on track, then Pittman could end up being a value in next year's fantasy drafts assuming his price will be fairly depressed.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3
months
agoIndianapolis
Colts
quarterback
Joe
Flacco
wasted
no
time
in
getting
the
team
on
the
board
on
Sunday,
completing
his
first
three
passes
of
the
game
with
the
third
being
a
40-yard
touchdown
pass
to
Alec
Pierce.
read more...
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts running back
Jonathan Taylor ran the ball 34 times for 177 yards and a touchdown during their victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Taylor's 34 rushing attempts set a new career-high. Taylor punched in his score on a six-yard run in the second frame. His longest carry of the game went for 17 yards. Taylor has enjoyed a fantastic end to the season. The Wisconsin product has tallied at least 100 rushing yards in each of his past four contests and tallied six total touchdowns over this span. This was a nice improvement, as Taylor only eclipsed the century mark four times over his first 10 games of the season. The 25-year-old should continue to be viewed as a high-end RB1 heading into the 2025 season, as he currently stands alone as the clear No. 1 option in the Indianapolis backfield.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver
Adonai Mitchell has been fairly quiet outside of his six-catch performance in Week 10. Last week, Mitchell hauled in two of his four targets for 22 yards in the loss to the New York Giants. The rookie wideout has put together a lackluster rookie season with 23 receptions for 312 yards and zero touchdowns heading into the Week 18 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mitchell is too far down on the depth chart to be considered a viable option right now.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts placekicker
Matt Gay will be a fringe top option in Week 18 when his team hosts the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. The sixth-year pro has been excellent in his second season with the Colts -- hammering home all 31 extra-point attempts and missing just five field goals. It starkly contrasts his 2023 season when he missed eight of them and an additional extra point. Jacksonville has been one of the more favorable matchups for kickers this season -- letting up 8.6 fantasy points per game to the position. Quarterback
Joe Flacco will again play in an injured
Anthony Richardson's (back) stead, and he moved the ball well last week in their 45-33 loss to the Giants. Gay should again be productive and comes in at RotoBaller's K12 in this week's ranks.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
4
months
agoIndianapolis
Colts
wide
receiver
Alec
Pierce
is
coming
off
a
big
game
that
saw
him
post
season-highs
in
targets
and
catches,
putting
up
a
6-122-1
line
against
the
Giants.
It
surely
helped
that
the
Colts
were
playing
from
behind
all
game,
but
the
read more...
4 months agoAfter averaging over five catches per contest after Week 11, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver
Josh Downs has had four consecutive weeks with exactly three receptions. Be that as it may, Week 18 brings a matchup versus the Jaguars, the same team the 23-year-old posted nine catches on 12 targets for 69 yards and a touchdown back in Week 5. That game featured
Joe Flacco under center too, so Downs will look to replicate that success and end the season on a high note. Jacksonville has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, but the second-most to running backs, so the Colts may lean toward the ground game in this one instead. As a result, view Downs as a low-end WR3 with perhaps some upside in PPR formats if he and Flacco can get rolling again against the Jags.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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