The 2020 Fantasy Football Indianapolis Colts Preview is a bit harder to do this year. There seems to be a fair amount of question marks as to who will play what role this season.
The Colts have been a team in transition since the sudden departure of Andrew Luck. Jacoby Brissett held down the fort admirably in 2019. But with the addition of Phillip Rivers, they seem poised to sink or swim with no excuses.
But perhaps most important for the organization as a whole, is their offseason work on defense. With many of their improvements coming on the defensive side of the ball, it finally feels like the year where the colts go from fantasy production to real-world success.
For those of you who prefer it when we break down the numbers, you can check out more detailed projections for the AFC South written by our own Keith Lott.
2020 Fantasy Football Indianapolis Colts Preview
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Quarterbacks
- Philip Rivers
- Jacoby Brissett
Rivers has had his struggles in recent years. His 28 total turnovers last year will likely have many running to the hills over the Jameis Winston Parallels. But finding himself in a new system with roughly equal skill around him and a better offensive line should alleviate some concern.
He also has the added benefit of an ADP of 159 according to the fantasy football calculator. A mere six spots ahead of his former defense.
As for Jacoby Brissett, there really isn't any opportunity for him to win back the starting job unless Rivers gets hurt. If he were good enough to earn the job he would have kept it. But he remains one of the better if not best backups in the league.
Running Backs
Despite the runaway rookie hype for Taylor, Marlon Mack isn't just going to go away. He has one year left on his contract and is guaranteed some touches, although his role remains to be seen. He is still a safe bet for the primary role in the backfield.
Jonathan Taylor is an excellent running back and a must-own in all formats. He has however struggled with receiving (nine drops on 68 targets in 2019) and ball security (18 fumbles in 2019) which could limit his opportunity to be a 3 down back. So if you aren't playing dynasty then he should be viewed as a complementary piece or top-shelf handcuff with TD-vulture upside. His late 6th round price tag in redraft seems appropriate.
Nyheim Hines remains a special team standout, but a lackluster offensive option. Short of incredibly deep benches he'll be almost completely irrelevant unless there is an injury.
Wide Receivers
This is still T.Y.'s team. Despite his career lows across the board last year he's still capable of being, and likely going to be, the number one option as long as he stays healthy.
Michael Pittman seems to be a very promising candidate for the WR2 and eventually WR1 role. Pittman is 6-4 223 and middle of the pack speed with a 4.5 40 yard dash at the combine. His big body style and contested-catch ability has drawn comparisons to everyone from Courtland Sutton, to Dez Bryant. And while we should temper our expectations as far as rookie production goes, he seems set up for a productive career.
Parris Campbell seems to be the wild card here. While he is no doubt talented, he's very unproven. Given his injury history, his lackluster performances so far are almost completely unrelated to his overall ability. With blazing 4.31 speed if he can carve out a role in this offense, and if the offense can take a leap forward he could easily outperform his current ADP of 153.
Zach Pascal is shaping up to be the forgotten man in all this hype. Pascal performed well enough during T.Y. Hilton's injury-riddled 2019 season but he seems to be more of a low ceiling injury fill-in type of player. Pascal is going undrafted in most fantasy drafts and that should continue to be the case moving forward.
Tight Ends
- Jack Doyle
- Trey Burton
- Mo Alie-Cox
The tight end room is once again pretty crowded for the Colts. Long time Colt Jack Doyle seems poised to continue his reign as the top tight end. But it remains to be seen how well that will translate into production.
Last year Doyle was the 17th highest performing tight end in half-point PPR leagues. But we also have to consider that Jacoby Brissett wasn't on par with Phillip Rivers. In addition to that, his competition in Trey Burton isn't on par with Eric Ebron.
So will Jack Doyle be a league winner? Probably not. But if you want to wait until round 15 to draft a TE, it's hard not to be drawn toward him.
As for Burton and Alie-Cox, there is dynasty potential for sure. But in your redraft leagues, there shouldn't be any real interest in them on draft day.
Final Verdict
The Colts have for a long time been known as a quality choice for fantasy production. With an experienced signal-caller in Phillip Rivers in town, that seems likely to be the case again.
Unfortunately outside of a healthy T.Y. Hilton, the waters become murky for their skill position players. That creates an opportunity for value for anybody bold enough to roll the dice.
So the final takeaway for the Colts? Another high-risk high reward team whose pieces come at a discount.
Visit the F6P Fantasy Football page for more advice to get you prepared for the 2020 season.
| AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | Ravens | Texans | Broncos |
| Dolphins | Bengals | Colts | Chiefs |
| Jets | Browns | Jaguars | Chargers |
| Patriots | Steelers | Titans | Raiders |
| NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Bears | Falcons | Cardinals |
| Eagles | Lions | Panthers | Rams |
| Giants | Packers | Saints | 49ers |
| Washington | Vikings | Buccaneers | Seahawks |
