The Colts on Tuesday fired OC Marcus Brady. It's an understandable move for a team ranked 30th in scoring and 18th in yards, but we're not sure how much impact there will be. HC Frank Reich calls the offensive plays, and Brady worked under him since Reich took the Indy job in 2018. If Brady were a primary issue here, it's tough to imagine him climbing from QBs coach to OC in 2021 and then maintaining the OC job this season. We'll see where the Colts offense goes from here.
Colts WR Parris Campbell led the team with 12 targets, 10 receptions and 70 receiving yards in Sunday's loss to the Titans, adding Indy's only offensive TD. It marked his 2nd straight game of double-digit targets, though high volume for QB Matt Ryan has certainly helped. Campbell garnered 27.3% of Ryan's pass attempts Sunday and 22.5% over the past 2 games combined. He'll be worth a look in WR3 territory for the Week 8 home date with Washington. Michael Pittman checked in 2nd among Colts WRs against Tennessee, with a 6-58 receiving line on 9 targets. Rookie Alec Pierce collected just 3 catches for 37 yards on 4 targets. The team's TEs combined for just 2 catches and 10 yards on 3 targets.
Colts QB Matt Ryan threw for a season-high 356 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's loss to the Titans. He spread the ball around. TE Mo Alie-Cox, WR Alec Pierce and WR Michael Pittman tied for the target lead with 6 apiece. Alie-Cox caught all of his for 85 yards and both TDs. Pierce caught 4 balls for 80 yards. Pittman was limited to 3 catches for 31 yards. TE Kyle Granson and WR Parris Campbell also hauled in 4 receptions apiece. Challenging matchups with Denver and Jacksonville lie ahead the next 2 weeks.
Colts WR Michael Pittman returned from his 1-game quad injury to draw a team-high 9 targets in Sunday's win over the Chiefs. He turned that into team highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (72) but watched TE Jelani Woods claim both of the team's TDs. Although operating as the clear top target through his 2 games, Pittman has stopped short of truly dominating in that area, claiming 25.3% of QB Matt Ryan's total attempts in those contests. That level will work for supporting his fantasy production going forward but doesn't match the biggest target hogs around the league. Alec Pierce checked in 2nd among Colts wideouts Sunday with 5 targets in his return from a concussion.
Colts WR Michael Pittman (quad) is not listed on the final Week 3 injury report. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday and put in a full practice on Friday. It looks like Pittman is ready for a full slate of snaps vs. the Chiefs this weekend. He should be back in fantasy lineups after his 9-121-1 line in the opener.
Colts WR Michael Pittman (quad) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He seems on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Chiefs, but we'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Colts WR Michael Pittman (quad) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. We'll see how he progresses through the week and whether he's ready to return for Sunday's showdown with the Chiefs.
Colts HC Frank Reich said Monday that WR Michael Pittman has “made good progress” with his quad injury and is on track to return for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs. We'll track his practice participation this week.
The Colts have downgraded WR Michael Pittman (quad) to out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. With Alec Pierce already out, Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin and Mike Strachan suddenly look like the top 3 wideouts for Sunday's upside matchup with the Jaguars. The WR situation hurts QB Matt Ryan's fantasy upside but helps the target upside for Colts RBs and TEs. We still wouldn't have an Indy TE in play for most fantasy formats. But Nyheim Hines gets more interesting.
Colts WR Michael Pittman (quad) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars. He went from a limited practice on Wednesday to no practice on Thursday and Friday. We'll look for further updates on Pittman and get the Colts' inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. But he'll obviously carry added risk in Week 2 fantasy lineups if he ends up playing.
Colts WR Michael Pittman (quad) did not practice on Thursday. That's a downgrade from his limited workout on Wednesday. Pittman's status for this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars is now in question. Check back tomorrow for another update.
Colts WR Michael Pittman drew 13 targets in Sunday's tie with Houston, 6 more than his nearest teammate. Matt Ryan's 50 pass attempts helped enhance that number, but the 26% target share marked a nice start for Indy's clear lead wideout. He proved efficient, too, racking up a 9-121-1 receiving line. RB Jonathan Taylor and TE Kyle Granson tied for 2nd on the team with 7 targets apiece. RB Nyheim Hines and WR Ashton Dulin followed at 6 apiece. No one else drew more than 4. That made Week 1 disappointing for WRs Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce, who drew targets on just 7.7% and 6.3% of routes, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. (For context: Pittman finished at 27.1%, Dulin at 46.2%.) Campbell and/or Pierce will need things to change before making sense for fantasy football lineups.
Colts HC Frank Reich wants a more balanced offense this season after ranking 28th in pass rate last year. "You don’t see teams that have this ground-and-pound run game win championships,” Reich said. “You just don’t. I’m sure it’s happened with one or two teams, but our best formula is to be balanced." Reich also conceded that it will mean fewer touches for RB Jonathan Taylor. "I’m not saying he won’t lead the league in touches, because you never know how things are going to play out. But I almost don’t want him to," he said of Taylor. “The goal is not to lead the league in rushing. The goal is not to make him the MVP of the league. The goal is to win championships." Taylor easily led the league with 332 carries last year -- 25 more than anyone else. So he can afford to lose some and still be a fantasy stud. More passing, of course, would be good news for QB Matt Ryan, WR Michael Pittman and the rest of the Colts' pass catchers.
Colts HC Frank Reich discussed the offense’s up-tempo style at training camp. “It’s unbelievable,” Reich said of new QB Matt Ryan pushing the pace. “We’ve never practiced like this. It’s a mentality, a confidence. It’s ‘we got to keep up and play.’ We are dictating tempo from the huddle to the ball and we are going. (Ryan) told me at the start, ‘I’m going to push the tempo. I said, ‘We will follow your lead.’” Indy ranked 21st in plays per game last year, so perhaps we see a bump up in 2022. While we’re not targeting Ryan in fantasy drafts, we do like his presence for 3rd-year WR Michael Pittman.
Colts WR Michael Pittman discussed “route discipline” as an area of focus this offseason. “Sometimes you just go out there and start playing football,” Pittman said. “Yes, I can make plays like that, but you want to stay on QB timing because it helps everybody else flow, so I’m really working on that.” Pittman’s reportedly meshed well with new QB Matt Ryan, who’s demanded a lot from the USC product. Thin WR depth sets Pittman up for ~130+ targets -- and clear top-10 fantasy upside.
Colts QB Matt Ryan impressed coaches, teammates and the media with his play and leadership this offseason. “Matt was unbelievable,” HC Frank Reich said. “Really, A-Z, he did everything right. Just great leadership, great play. I mean, the whole way he took command … I knew he was good, but his accuracy is insane." OC Marcus Brady said Ryan is "damn near a coach on the field." And rookie WR Alec Pierce said, "He could basically run this offense and this team by himself." We'd expect the 14-year veteran to impress in the intangibles department. But, by all accounts, Ryan's arm strength and accuracy were excellent over the past few months. He's still not an exciting fantasy asset in a run-first offense and without rushing upside. But Ryan's arrival could be a boost for the Colts' skill-position players.
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