The Colts have been a middling franchise with two consecutive 8-8 seasons, but boast a strong group of fantasy assets. Can they continue helping your teams in 2017?
Andrew Luck
In terms of fantasy scoring, Luck is the new king. He’s started his career by averaging over 21.6 points per game in five straight seasons, and has finished no lower than ninth in points per game in each. There aren’t many quarterbacks who will demand an early-round selection, but Luck is one, and second only to Aaron Rodgers in my rankings – you’ll have to pay up to get both of them. Unless you’re in a 2QB or superflex league, there’s no need to spend early early capital on the position, but Luck might be worth it.
Frank Gore
Gore has been remarkably consistent as a fantasy player, averaging between 10.2 and 14.2 fantasy points per game in each of the last six seasons. While the upside isn’t there (no more than 23.5 points in a game in the last three years), Gore has been an ideal late round player who could have been starting every single week. The problem is that he’s had 250-plus rushing attempts in the last six years, but this is due to change in April during the NFL Draft. If the Colts miraculously don’t draft a back, I wouldn’t put it past Gore to keep producing. If they do, his time will come to an end.
T.Y. Hilton
We witnessed another outstanding year from a golden era of receivers in 2016. Julio Jones, Odell Beckham and Antonio Brown get the headlines, but it was T.Y. Hilton who led the league in receiving yards with 1,448. He’s now had four straight seasons of 69-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards, but it’s his low touchdown totals that have held his fantasy statistics back. He’s scored between five and seven touchdowns in each of his five years in the NFL which might scare drafters away, but don’t let it worry you. He’s Luck’s favorite target, and will continue to produce.
Donte Moncrief
A “dynasty darling”, expectations for Moncrief have been extremely high since the start of his sophomore season. So far, he hasn’t done anything to prove himself and has been a clear disappointment for his owners. He has the height (6-foot-2) and the size (222 pounds) that Hilton’s detractors likely crave, but simply hasn’t “put it all together” yet. After scoring seven touchdowns in only nine games last season, 2017 could be his time to step up so take a chance in the mid rounds.
The Best of the Rest
2015 first round pick Phillip Dorsett has been a major draft whiff so far, and appears to be more of a field-stretcher than fantasy asset. Kamar Aiken had one decent season in Baltimore in 2015, but shouldn’t oust either of the top two options.
Next: Every NFL Team's Biggest Draft Whiff Of All-Time
Tight end Jack Doyle had somewhat of a breakout last season (59-584-5), but that’s simply not production worth overspending for. If you’re adopting a duo or trio approach to the position he could be included, but he’s not an every-week starter. New Colts general manager Chris Ballard explained part of the reasoning behind letting Dwayne Allen go was that the team wants to see Erik Swoope hit his ceiling, and the undrafted tight end is someone worth monitoring.