Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Giants QB Daniel Jones completed 15 of 28 attempts for 104 yards and 2 INTs in a blowout loss vs. the Cowboys. He also added 43 yards on 13 carries in Week 1, though Jones’ efforts were far from enough for the team to avoid an embarrassing divisional loss at home on Sunday night. Rainy weather certainly impacted conditions. However, that didn’t stop their opponent from running up the score to 26-0 by halftime, so there’s not much of an excuse to be made as far as that goes. Jones will have an opportunity to rebound in Week 2 vs. the Cardinals.

Bears RB Khalil Herbert struggled in Week 1 vs. the Packers, tallying only 27 rushing yards on 9 carries in the divisional loss. He also added 3 catches on 5 targets for 37 yards as a receiver. Despite winning the RB1 job outright in training camp, Herbert fell victim to rookie Roschon Johnson vulturing a goal-line TD in the fourth quarter of play. Johnson also received more targets (7) and only 2 fewer touch opportunities than Herbert in Week 1. The distribution of the RB workloard was so messy that it’ll be tough to trust any Bears back in Week 2 vs. the Buccaneers. However, that shouldn’t stop fantasy managers from checking Johnson’s availability off the waiver wire in deep leagues.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson bruised his left knee in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars but "will be fine," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. We'll see whether that means Richardson will be ready for a Week 2 visit to Houston. QB Gardner Minshew took over for the final few plays against Jacksonville.

Colts WR Michael Pittman led the Colts with 11 targets, eight catches, 97 yards, and a score in Sunday's loss to the Colts. Those 11 targets were a big 29.7% of the team total. Pittman's TD came on a 39-yard screen, flashing some impressive speed to beat the angles of a few Jaguars defenders. He's a big fantasy winner of Week 1. Pittman looks like the Colts' clear No. 1 WR -- AND it looks like this passing game will be more aggressive and productive than we initially thought.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson scored once through the air and once on the ground in the Week 1 loss to Jacksonville. He was solid as a passer, completing 24 of 37 attempts (64.9%) for 223 yards (6.0 YPA), 1 TD, and 1 INT. And he was busy as a rusher, carrying 10 times for 40 yards and the TD. About half of those runs were designed, including the 2-yard score. Richardson became the first rookie in NFL history with 200+ passing yards, 40+ rushing yards, one pass TD, and one rush TD in his debut, according to StatMuse. Expect plenty of these types of stat lines from Richardson this season, which would make him a top-10 fantasy QB. He did leave Sunday's game with about a minute left with a lower-body injury, but HC Shane Steichen said afterward that Richardson is fine.

Colts RB Evan Hull was knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars with a knee injury. That leaves all the backfield work to RB Deon Jackson for the rest of this one. We'll update Hull's status when we know more.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) is "planning to be ready to play as early as Week 5," ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That's when Taylor is first eligible to come off the PUP list. Taylor is "going to pass his physical and could pass it today," Schefter adds. We'll see whether Taylor is still on Indianapolis' roster come Week 5. The passed physical could make it more likely he's traded, although it sounds like the Colts have been asking for too much in return.

Discussing the decision to put RB Jonathan Taylor on the PUP list, Colts GM Chris Ballard said that Taylor is still "complaining of pain in the ankle." Taylor underwent surgery way back in January. It's impossible to know whether that ankle is actually still giving him trouble, or if it's just being used as an excuse to keep him off the field amid the contract squabble. Regardless, we know that Taylor will miss at least the first four games of the 2023 campaign. We're guessing that the ankle issue will be behind him by Week 5.

The Colts placed TE Jelani Woods (hamstring) on IR, knocking him out for at least the first four games of the season. Woods missed most of the offseason with hamstring trouble. He flashed as a rookie and is a nice stash on dynasty rosters. But Woods is not worth rostering in redraft right now.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) will remain on the PUP list, knocking him out for the first four games of the season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Taylor would be forced to stay on the PUP list even if he's traded. At least two teams have made trade offers for Taylor, but no deal has materialized yet. Keeping Taylor on the PUP list undoubtedly hurts his trade value, making it a curious move by the Colts. We'll continue to keep a close eye on this situation, but Taylor's 2023 fantasy value obviously takes a significant hit with this news. The Colts are now set to enter the season with RBs Zack Moss (who's still working back from a broken arm), Evan Hull, and Deon Jackson. See how the Taylor news has altered the RB rankings.

Colts TE Jelani Woods still hasn't returned to practice after going down with a hamstring injury on the fourth day of training camp. He also missed much of the spring with hamstring trouble. "Hopefully sooner than later," HC Shane Steichen said Monday when asked when Woods would be back. We'll see if Woods lands on the active roster or is placed on reserve/PUP to open the season. He remains an intriguing talent but won't be an early-season fantasy option.

On Monday, CBS Sports' Josina Anderson tweeted that "at least two teams are still actively working to construct" a deal to acquire Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. Various reports have confirmed one of the teams in on Taylor is the Dolphins, while the other is unknown. Anderson also adds these teams are "willing to give Taylor a market contract," a notable piece of information given the clash he and Colts owner Jim Irsay had earlier this month surrounding a lack of a long-term deal. ESPN's Stephen Holder reported last week that the team has given Taylor until this Tuesday to find a trade partner, so we'll know soon how this situation resolves. Stay tuned for further updates.

We saw different usage in the Bears backfield in Saturday's preseason finale vs. the Bills. RB Khalil Herbert played the first- and second-down snaps on the first two drives. But he was replaced by RB Roschon Johnson for 3rd-and-10 and 3rd-and-11 snaps. RB D'Onta Foreman played the third drive. Herbert remains the top fantasy option in this backfield, but it doesn't look like his role will be as valuable as we thought after the preseason opener, when he played all seven of QB Justin Fields' snaps.

The Dolphins are one of two teams that have made a trade offer for Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, according to The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. The Dolphins' offer was not accepted, obviously, but the team continues to engage in talks with Indianapolis, per Jackson. We'll see where this goes. Miami would be an excellent landing spot for Taylor's fantasy value -- and crush RBs Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert.

According to ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Bears HC Matt Eberflus said on Wednesday that RB Khalil Herbert "hasn't done anything to lose the job" of being the team's starter. Eberflus also mentioned that rookie Roschon Johnson "has done a nice job competing" but didn't say much about the other Chicago backs. This news certainly bodes well for Herbert's odds of carrying a majority of the workload this season. Of course, QB Justin Fields will have his share of rushing attempts that take away from him. But if Herbert continues to stave off his backfield competition, he'll be a solid RB3/flex candidate in lineups in 2023. See where Herbert slots in our current RB rankings.

This coming Tuesday, August 29, is a big day for Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. ESPN's Stephen Holder reports that the team has given Taylor until Tuesday to find a trade partner. Two teams have already submitted offers to the Colts, per Holder, although it's unclear if either is close to what the Colts are looking for. Tuesday is also when teams must decide what to do with players on the active/PUP list, as Taylor is. Taylor will either need to be activated to the 53-man roster, or move to reserve/PUP, which would cost him the first four weeks of the season. We'll have a much better idea of Taylor's 2023 fantasy outlook by the end of Tuesday. Stay tuned.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Colts have given RB Jonathan Taylor permission to seek a trade. He adds that "conversations to find potential landing spots are ongoing." Although the RB market is tough everywhere, we'd be surprised if the Colts and Taylor can't find a suitor. Of course, cost will be a huge factor -- potentially both in trade terms and Taylor's contract demands. Exactly where he lands will have a huge fantasy impact: on Taylor's outlook, on the Colts' remaining RB depth chart, and on any new backfield mates. We'll be watching closely for developments here.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is away from the team again. The team announced that he "returned to Indianapolis to continue his rehab, however he had a personal matter arise." The Colts also called the absence excused. Just like you, we'll keep watching this situation and hoping for some resolution. All the reported ankle rehab certainly can't be a good thing for Taylor's outlook.

Colts HC Shane Steichen announced Tuesday morning that they've named QB Anthony Richardson the regular-season starter. It's not a surprising move, but it's noteworthy that Steichen announced it after just one preseason game. Whether that signals more confidence in how far along Richardson already is or just a desire to commit to him earlier doesn't really matter. Richardson also doesn't need to be as "good" at football as most QBs to contribute fantasy value. Even with sack yardage subtracted (per college stat practice), Richardson still averaged 54.5 rushing yards per game across 12 starts in his only full season as Florida's starter. Combine that with a big arm and displayed aptitude for throwing deep, and you have a QB with immediate upside into the top 12. Check our fantasy football QB rankings to see where Richardson lands after this announcement.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is back with the team. "He remains on PUP and his stance has not changed," Rapoport says. "But he has returned." The report says Taylor left the team for "additional rehab on his ankle." If that's the whole truth, it doesn't bode well for his injury risk headed into the season. Taylor gets a "high risk" designation from our Injury Predictor. Of course, he also comes with a high fantasy ceiling if fully healthy and should operate as a workhorse. Taylor has moved down our RB rankings through this saga. He's an upside pick in Round 3, though.