Fantasy football outlook: Indianapolis Colts WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
By Jason Marcum
With Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne out for the year, Darrius Heyward-Bey could actually be the No. 1 receiver going froward and see a lot of production in the coming weeks.
"“No pressure,” Heyward-Bey said when asked Monday afternoon. “I was just talking to [quarterback] Andrew [Luck] about that. We all work hard and our craft, that’s what we expect to do week in and week out.”"
Whether it be Heyward-Bey, T.Y. Hilton or whoever manages to step up, the fact that Heyward-Bey is the No. 1 receiver in terms of the depth chart and the one who lines up wide on nearly every play makes him a viable option this week. Heyward-Bey has been a massive draft-bust since being the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Maryland, but he’s shown enough promise to the Colts coaching staff that they believe he can produce at high rate.
Heyward-Bey can play on the outside and in the slot, but Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano said they plan to use him the same way they’ve been using him all season, where
"“He’s gotten better,” Pagano said. “We know from an athletic standpoint, speed standpoint, talent. Now it’s just a matter of he’s going to have to take on a bigger role, both in the classroom as far as leadership role and then on the football field. We feel like he’s trending in the right direction.”"
He’s worth adding to your watch list at this point, and is a sneaky bye week play if you have Calvin Johnson or other elite receivers currently on their bye week. He is averaging a pedestrian 10.7 yards a reception and his season long is 27 yards. We need to see more before we actually start playing him beyond a bye week play.