Can Andrew Luck Be Trusted To Be An Elite Fantasy Football QB?

FantasyPros.com ADP currently shows that Andrew Luck is being drafted as the 10th Quarterback overall. That proves that many owners believe he can be their starting QB. But can Andrew Luck be trusted to be an elite fantasy football QB? Let’s dig in to find out. Follow me @BenMcD_Sports and let me know your thoughts about Andrew Luck!

Throughout the Indianapolis Colts preseason, all eyes will be on Andrew Luck to see how he looks after missing the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury. Many of those eyes will belong to owners of Fantasy teams who are desperate to see if Luck will prove that he is ready to return to being an elite fantasy football QB.

Prior to his shoulder injury, there was no questioning his place among the greatest QBs in the league. In the last two seasons in which Luck played at least 15 games, he finished #2 and #4 in standard scoring among quarterbacks. Not only has he shown the ability to rack up a ton of points, he’s also proven to be the most consistent quarterback in fantasy football during his time on the field. Check out this surprising fact from cbssports.com.

"“In the three years before his injury, Luck posted 20-plus Fantasy points in a league-best 76.3 percent of his games.”"

There is no question that he was once an elite option for fantasy owners. The question now becomes, can Andrew Luck be trusted to be an elite fantasy football QB in 2018? I am squarely in the camp that says he can. Here are three reasons why I believe Andrew Luck will return to top form this year.

An Improved Offensive Line

I have an 18 month old son who insists on watching The Lion King every single day. It doesn’t matter that I have now seen the movie 83,583 times, every time it’s on, I hope that Mufasa will survive the stampede scene. Unfortunately, his death is inevitable. But even Mufasa’s death wasn’t as inevitable as Andrew Luck eventually going down with a serious injury. However, the Colts spent this last offseason finally paying attention to their notoriously pathetic offensive live. Last April, Indianapolis beefed up their O-Line by spending 1st and 2nd round picks on linemen. They also signed RG Matt Slauson, a durable 10 year veteran who is expected to provide leadership to the unit.  All it took was 6 years and a season ending injury to their star QB for Indy to finally make proper investments up front. Better late than never though!  *Note –Anthony Castonzo, who is expected to start at LT and protect Luck’s blindside is currently out with a hamstring injury but is expected to return in time for week 1.

Frank Reich

Eagles head coach, Doug Pederson gets all the credit, but Reich was instrumental in molding Carson Wentz into a top five quarterback in only his second year in the league. You might also remember some guy named Nick Foles, Mr. Philly Special himself, outplaying Tom Brady in the Super Bowl to help deliver the Eagles their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Before taking the reigns as Philly’s offensive coordinator, Reich was calling the plays in San Diego during 2014 and 2015. He helped guide Philip Rivers to finishing in the top 10 of QB fantasy points in both seasons he spent with him.  Reich used all of that success to land his new position as coach of the Indianapolis Colts. In his introductory press conference, he was asked about the style of offense he planned to run. This quote shared by 1070thefan.com should get Luck owners plenty excited.

"“We will be a multiple attack, up-tempo offense,” Reich said. “We will be aggressive. We will change things up. What I mean by multiple is we’ll use multiple personnel groups and multiple formations. Being able to run the same things over and over again and disguise it so other teams don’t know what we’re doing. We’ll keep them off balance with run and pass. We’ll change the tempo. There will be a strong element of the no-huddle offense.”"

A Great Rapport with T.Y. Hilton

As a 2012 third round pick out of FIU, the undersized WR was mostly expected to be a dynamic returner and not much else. Luck and Hilton quickly proved skeptics wrong. Hilton flashed during his rookie season, posting totals of 861 yards and 7 touchdowns. Since then, all three seasons in which Luck has played, Hilton has gone over the 1,000 yard mark. That includes a 91/1,448/6 line from 2016, the last time we saw Luck healthy. If you can’t tell, not only am I a fan of Andrew Luck this season, I’m also a huge fan of Hilton. StampedeBlue.com recently shared an article in which Hilton stated that his goals for the upcoming season are to lead the NFL in receiving yards while helping the Colts QB secure the league MVP award. Click here to read the article. In it, Hilton also goes into detail about his relationship with Luck and talks about how confident he is that the Colts QB will be better than ever in 2018. If Hilton proves to be right, there will be no questioning whether or not Andrew Luck is an elite fantasy football quarterback.

Is there a risk of injury with Andrew Luck? Of course. But all players carry that risk as soon as they step on the field. Luck has proven capable of being the #1 overall quarterback and you don’t want to miss out just because you were afraid of what MIGHT happen! Besides that, the quarterback position is so deep this year, that you shouldn’t have any problem finding a solid backup in the late rounds. Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me @BenMcD_Sports to let me know your thoughts about Andrew Luck!