Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football Analysis – Week 5

Week 5 – @ Houston – W 27-20

QB: Hasselbeck a solid game and, again, didn’t try to do anything crazy.  Managed the game well and made all the conservative throws you want to see.  Veteran savvy showed nicely here.

RB: Gore a big game and ran great behind nice blocking.  Will have a tougher time against better run Ds but still looks as productive as ever from a physical perspective.

WR: Hilton a nice game and Johnson a monster in a revenge match up.  Don’t expect it to continue at all.  Moncrief took a backseat because of it.  Should be fine in the weeks to come.

TE: Allen held to little.  Will be fine when Luck returns but I’d stay away until then.

OL: Solid game against tough D line.  Held good pass rush completely in check.  Was great in run blocking against weak D.  Hope it continues but not counting on it.

Def: Strong game against the run.  Filled holes and made tackles when needed.  Pass coverage was bad as they didn’t really put Davis on Hopkins for some reason.  Gave up big games to #1 WR and receiving RB.

Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football Analysis – Week 4

Week 4 – vs Jacksonville – W 16-13

QB: Luck DNP.  Hasselbeck played tough and managed the game fairly well.  Isn’t going to make the big plays but looks like he might be efficient for the O for PPR purposes.

RB: Gore a nice game but wasn’t getting much space on the ground.  Still looks great when he runs.  No slowing down with him.

WR: Hilton and Moncrief decent games and good PPR games.  Didn’t really miss a beat but didn’t hit anything big.  Probably what you can expect without Luck.

TE: Allen DNP.  Fleener a big game as the backup TE worked well with the backup QB.  Wouldn’t put too much into it but Fleener is a very good player worth the look when he’s starting alone.

OL: Wasn’t run blocking well at all.  Really hindered run game.  Pass protection was sufficient but not great.  Still a bit of a weakness for this team.

Def: Did nothing all that great other than cover the #1 WR reasonably well.  Couldn’t stop the run.  Torched by #2 WR.  Pass rush wasn’t great.  Gave up good game to RB and combines TEs as well.

Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football Analysis – Week 3

Week 3 – @ Tennessee – W 35-33

QB: Luck was okay but accuracy was an issue.  Made throws when it counted, however.  Was rushed quite a bit as well.

RB: Gore a huge game and looked great as line was strong.  Still runs so well and plays smart.  Does a great job avoiding big hits to keep himself on the field.

WR: Hilton, Dorsett, and Moncrief all good games although Dorsett got away with OPI on his TD.  All looked good but Hilton is still the stud.  Not sure if Dorsett overtakes Moncrief for the number 2 spot this season.

TE: Allen DNP.  Fleener another decent game in his absence.  Continues to be a good play by himself.

OL: Pretty nice game on the ground but a little shaky in pass protection.  Got QB hit a little too much here.

Def: Still not good anywhere.  Would continue starting everything against.  Gave up good games all around.

Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football Analysis – Week 1

Week 1 – @ Buffalo – L 14-27

QB: Luck was blitzed very heavily all game and had trouble with accuracy.  Won’t see this much pressure as season goes on so not a lot to worry about.  Scrambled pretty well and avoided the sacks most of the game.

RB: Gore okay against tough match up.  Not going to be great but serviceable.  Varga only 2 touches but looked interesting.  Compact and quick but maybe some power.  Liked what I saw.

WR: Hilton good but injured.  No one was getting much separation.  Moncrief got TD and was solid.  Johnson looked slow.  Thought he was a TE on a few catches.  I’d be selling if I owned him.  Dorsett made his catches against prevent.  Have to see more.

TE: Allen a TD on a blown coverage on goal line.  Wasn’t great otherwise.

OL: Blitzed a ton and wasn’t terrible but still not a good unit.  Weak all-around and will hurt this team at times just like last season.

Def: An okay game but burned on a couple big ones.  Held run game in check.  Gave up zero to #1 WR.  Torched by #2.

2015 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings

Here are the defensive ranks.  Again, the ADP was pulled from Fantasy Pros and they will change over time.  Here are some notes on a few.  And always keep in mind that coordinator changes are critical in many cases.  I’m actually slightly more scared of Seattle this season for that reason.  They will still be very strong, however.

Why I’m much higher on…

Denver Broncos: Already a solid D and now they bring in the great Wade Phillips at DC.  He took over in Houston and took them from bottom 5 to top 5 in one season.  Couple that with a good offense that will force opposing offenses to take bigger risks to keep up on the scoreboard.  I’m loving this fantasy D and the round you can get them in.

Miami Dolphins: Already solid last season and now they add a terror in the middle with Suh and second-rounder Phillips to rotate in.  This D will also be a great value.

New York Giants: Remember when the Giants knocked off the undefeated Patriots in 2008?  Know who their DC was that year?  The same guy they hired back this off-season: Steve Spagnuolo.  While they will be a little short on talent, Spagnuolo’s presence will probably give this team a huge boost in fantasy production.  If you are in a large league and wait on your D, you could snatch them in the last round or grab them after their Week 1 game at Dallas.

Why I’m lower on…

Philadelphia Eagles: I’ll mostly point out the obvious by noting they scored nearly double the TDs (11) of the second closest D (6) last season and that is almost assuredly going to come down to earth this year.  This was an otherwise bad D and they will be the most overvalued defense picked by far.  Buyer beware.

New England Patriots: I get it.  They’re the Patriots.  They lost a lot but did reload in the draft so maybe the losses will be offset by young and hungry lions.  That said, I’ll have to see it to believe it and I won’t be believing it by draft day.  It should be noted, however, that their fantasy playoff schedule looks amazing with games in weeks 14-16 against Houston, Tennessee, and the Jets.  They might be worth drafting and stashing just for that.

Indianapolis Colts: A bad defense last season that doesn’t appear to be any better this season.  Won’t end up on many fantasy rosters and should continue to be a red carpet for other offenses all season long.  Then again, they don’t need much of a defense to win the AFC South.  Their playoff schedule is also nice but they would have to show a lot early on in the season for me to want to use them later.

Indianapolis Colts Week 17 Fantasy Analysis

Week 17 – @ Tennessee – W 27-10

QB: Luck played half the game and still put up decent numbers.  Should be a no-brainer top 10 pick next season.

RB: Herron looked very good and quick on his touches and had a decent game with receiving added.  Richardson did little but looked okay.  Could probably stand to lose some weight in the off-season.

WR: Wayne one big play and a good game because of it.  Hilton targeted but got nothing and sat most of the game.  Nothing to worry about.

TE: Allen DNP.  Fleener a huge game and continues to be a stud with Allen out.  Both are studs when the other sits.

OL: Good pass protection and shaky run blocking.  Even when they are good run blocking, they are really dominating and blowing the D off the line.  They’re just standing in front of defenders.

Def: Helped by bad QB play.  Great pass rush.  Run D was bad against a bad line.  Gave up good game to RB.  Decent games to TE and #1 WR.

Indianapolis Colts Week 16 Fantasy Analysis

Week 16 – @ Dallas – L 7-42

QB: Luck had awful game but not completely his fault.  Hurt by some drops and one pick was tipped.  Line didn’t play well.

RB: Shutout.  Herron and Richardson got few carries because of deficit.  Herron an okay receiving game.  Not much else to say other than line can’t run block.

WR: Hilton DNP.  Nicks a good game and actually stepped up and played well.  Wayne still not doing much.  Moncrief almost nothing and can’t be trusted for now.

TE: Allen 3 terrible drops before an injury.  Fleener was average but suffered more because of penalties and game flow.

OL: Continues to show they are terrible at run blocking.  Was fairly good in pass protection but far from elite.

Def: Run D was actually pretty good against elite run game.  Torched by a ton of passing TDs.  Gave up big games to every position, without exception.

Indianapolis Colts Week 15 Fantasy Analysis

Week 15 – vs Houston – W 17-10

QB: Luck an okay game but hurt by more drops.  Pass rush was getting to him as well and containing him.

RB: Herron an okay game but still isn’t getting enough touches.  Think the fumbles have scared coaches for now.  Richardson very average but blocking wasn’t great for him.

WR: Wayne clearly not the same with the injury.  Shouldn’t be playing.  Hilton held in check.  Nicks a TD but no reason to trust.  Moncrief got zero but wasn’t targeted much.

TE: Allen got a TD but little else.  Fleener did little as well.  Was tough match up and QB struggled so nothing to get too worried about.

OL: Like all teams, had trouble with Watt and pass rush.  Run blocking was hit and miss.

Def: Helped by bad QB play.  Got run on for plenty despite the opportunity to focus on it.  Gave up good games to RB and #1 WR.  Nothing else.

Indianapolis Colts Week 14 Fantasy Analysis

Week 14 – @ Cleveland – W 25-24

QB: Luck hurt by a lot of drops but still a huge fantasy game.  Just an incredible decision-maker and hard to hold to nothing.

RB: Herron a nice game because of receiving and looked good when he had the ball.  Richardson looked decent as well.  Neither got many carries because of deficit.

WR: Hilton a monster game again.  Just making incredible plays, even against elite coverage like Haden.  Wayne looked awful with a few terrible drops.  Moncrief made one play late but little else.  Should get more throws with Wayne’s recent play.

TE: Allen returned and did little.  Fleener a decent game but neither got a TD.  Back to a committee.

OL:  Was okay but not great.  Got QB rushed a bit and wasn’t spectacular run blocking.  Nothing special.

Def: Helped by bad QB play.  Got run on for plenty as they played from behind.  Coverage was good but throws were bad anyway.  Gave up good game to RB.  Nothing else.

Indianapolis Colts Week 13 Fantasy Analysis

Week 13 – @ Washington – W 49-27

QB: Luck another monster game but was pressured and hit a bit.  Handled it well and showed some excellent accuracy and poise.

RB: Herron a big game on only 10 touches.  Did lose another fumble which looks like it might be a problem.  Richardson did little against tough D but will continue to play because of Herron’s fumbling issues.

WR: Moncrief a huge game catching 2 long TDs.  Hilton also a good game getting a TD.  Wayne did little but should still be fine in PPR.  Moncrief may have played his way into more targets now and looks like a DeSean Jackson-type.

TE: Allen DNP.  Fleener a monster game despite a terrible drop that would have went for a lot.  One TD did come on badly blown coverage.

OL: Not as good as score indicates.  Didn’t handle pass rush well and wasn’t getting much of a push on run plays.

Def: Decent game against the run but torched through the air.  Gave up big games to QB, receiving RB, and #1 WR.  Held everything else in check.