Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Giants QB Daniel Jones saw his 1st game action Thursday night since a November neck injury ended his 2021 season. “It felt good to get out there and it was just like it used to be,” Jones said afterward, according to ProFootballTalk. “I didn’t think a whole lot about the neck or anything like that. I felt good and it was just football.” Jones said he thought the offense got off to a good start. The QB went 6-of-10 for 69 yards over 2 series before leaving. The Giants came away with 1 FG over that span. Jones also ran once for 6 yards. He was going without Kadarius Toney, who figure to be the top WR come Week 1. We'll keep evaluating Jones as the regular season approaches.

"Something's up with the velocity on [Daniel Jones'] throws," Giants insider Dan Schneier told us on the latest Draft Sharks podcast. "Ball placement is something that's been waning for him since his rookie season ... it seems to be only getting worse. The velocity is a weird thing." Schneier wonders if the dip in velocity is related to the neck injury that Jones suffered last year. Schneier also notes that Jones has seemed to struggle with HC Brian Daboll's offense and with getting on the same page as his receivers so far in camp. There's plenty of time for that stuff to get ironed out, but the arm strength note is concerning. Jones is cheap enough in fantasy drafts that you can keep taking shots on him. But we're less excited about his 2022 value now than we were before talking to Schneier.

SNY’s Connor Hughes expressed concern over the Giants’ pass protection. “The pass protection, ever since the Giants strapped on the pads, is becoming a problem, Hughes wrote. “The severity of which has the potential to derail any [Daniel] Jones evaluation.” HC Brian Daboll admitted that this unit still has “a long way to go,” adding that he believes “they’re moving in the right direction.” We’ll see how this unit looks in preseason action. But it’s worth noting that they’re going up against one of the game’s most aggressive DCs in practice (Wink Martindale). New York’s also breaking in several new starters — including rookie RT Evan Neal.

Colts TEs Kylen Granson and Jelani Woods have been "up-and-down so far, and need to stack more consistent days together," The Athletic's Zak Keefer writes. "Granson had too many drops in the spring and hasn’t flashed much in Westfield," Keefer adds. "Woods, a rookie, is probably coming along a little slower than the team would like. He’s looked lost at times." It's not a major surprise that Granson and Woods, 24 and 23 years old, respectively, are off to slow starts. We'll continue to monitor their progress, but Mo Alie-Cox looks like a safe bet to open the season as Indianapolis' lead TE.

Colts HC Frank Reich talked up WR Ashton Dulin's role on offense this season. “I cannot emphasize how strongly we feel about Ashton Dulin," Reich said. "He’s going to play a role in this offense. He’s proven it and he’s earned it. He’s going to have to continue to prove it to earn it, but this guy has toughness, the smarts, he plays all the positions, he knows what to do, he’s a competitor, it’s not too big for him, he’s a playmaker. We love him. We are all planning on him making a significant contribution, not only on special teams, but on offense, too.” Dulin went undrafted back in 2019 and has just 18 catches through 3 NFL seasons. So we're not ready to call him a fantasy-draft target just yet. But he's on our radar for the rest of training camp and preseason action.

The Colts have activated DE Tyquan Lewis and S Rodney McLeod from the physically unable to perform list. Each guy has been working back from a knee issue, and it appears each is now ready for regular training camp participation.

Packers WR Amari Rodgers gave a candid assessment of his rookie season. The Clemson product caught only 4 passes across 16 appearances. “It’s the longest season I ever played,” Rodgers said this week. “I didn't really have a break, it was like two years straight of football. So you know, I feel like it kind of took a toll on me mentally and physically towards the end of the year. “I’ve had an offseason to actually take care of my body, get my body right. So I feel like I'm back to myself.” The 23-year-old (in September) watched Green Bay trade Davante Adams over the offseason, only to bring in 2 rookie WRs and Sammy Watkins. Green Bay could still add another veteran pass catcher, too. Rodgers remains a fringe deep-league sleeper.

Colts HC Frank Reich “would like to alleviate some of the load on [Jonathan] Taylor’s shoulders,” per beat writer George Bremer. (To be clear, these are Bremer's words -- not Reich's.) Taylor led the league with 332 rush attempts last year — 25 ahead of #2 Najee Harris. With Matt Ryan in town, the thought is this offense goes slightly more pass heavy. We do project a smaller workload for Taylor, but the decline is negligible. The 3rd-year back remains a top-2 fantasy RB.

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.

Adam Jahns of The Athletic writes that RB Khalil Herbert “looks poised for a larger role” in year 2. The former 6th round pick wasn’t drafted by new GM Ryan Poles. And he’s learning a different offense under new HC Matt Eberflus and OC Luke Getsy. Still, one look at the Bears’ depth chart says Herbert’s close to a lock for the #2 job behind David Montgomery. At a minimum, it’s encouraging that he handled 18, 19, 18 and 23 carries early in his rookie year with Montgomery sidelined. Ultimately, we don’t anticipate Herbert seeing enough work to gain standalone fantasy value. But one Montgomery injury would likely place the 2nd-year back firmly in RB2+ territory.

Colts HC Frank Reich admitted that the team is considering adding another WR. To date, Indy’s only noteworthy offseason addition was Round 2 pick Alec Pierce. “That’s what [GM] Chris (Ballard) and I were talking about today, this morning in fact,” Reich shared. “We’ll see how these guys do through all of these (offseason workouts), and then do we need to add somebody? Do we need to talk about T.Y. (Hilton) if he’s still out there?” It’s a possible issue for Parris Campbell, who’s durability concerns have been well documented. Michael Pittman will retain a WR1 ceiling regardless of any move.

Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star believes the presence of QB Matt Ryan will have a “profound effect” on RB Jonathan Taylor’s receiving output. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration; Taylor caught 40 balls last year — 2.35 per game — and we don’t forecast a significant jump this fall. But the thesis here is that Ryan will take the checkdown much more often than Carson Wentz did. Taylor’s also grown as a pass-catcher. “Understanding the different coverages,” Taylor said. “You have certain routes, and maybe, if they’re in a zone, know how to spray it a little bit and then sit down. Things like that, rather than knowing I just need to get to this depth and turn in.” JT was a receiving weapon last year with a massive 10.1 YAC per reception. Even if his pass catching numbers don’t spike, he projects as a clear top-2 fantasy RB.

Colts GM Chris Ballard pointed to WR Alec Pierce's downfield ability as a reason they targeted him in the draft. “The one thing you notice about Pierce is he gets behind people,” Ballard said. “This kid can really, really run and really adjust to the football." Pierce averaged 17.5 yards per catch over the last 3 seasons at Cincinnati and clocked a 4.41-second 40 time at 6'3, 211 pounds at the Combine. “One of the things I like on (Pierce’s) tape is I like him outside,” HC Frank Reich said. “I think he’s very good versus press, I think he’s got length and vertical speed to get down the field. I think for his size, he’s a very good route runner." Pierce has a golden opportunity to win Indianapolis' #2 WR job behind Michael Pittman. He's a nice Round 2 target in dynasty rookie drafts and is worth a look in the later stages of redrafts.

Colts beat writer Zak Keefer believes rookie WR Alec Pierce’s athleticism makes him a “candidate for the Colts #2 WR job.” The competition isn’t exactly fierce, as the Colts have Parris Campbell, Dezmon Patmon, Ashton Dulin, Keke Coutee and Mike Strachan as depth. “He’s got really good size, has really good vertical speed,” GM Chris Ballard said. “He’s got work to do, like any rookie receiver that comes into the league, but we think he’s got a chance to really ascend.” This summer, the 22-year-old could certainly enter the mix as a late-round flier in deep formats. Indy lost 69 targets with the loss of Zach Pascal — and potentially 37 more from free agent T.Y. Hilton, if he moves on.

Colts 3rd-round TE Jelani Woods carries “potential to earn immediate snaps,” per beat writer Stephen Holder. The 6’7, 253-pounder arrives after Indy used a 2021 Round 4 pick on Kylen Granson, who garnered only 15 targets as a rookie. Veteran Jack Doyle retired over the winter, and the supersized Mo Alie-Cox re-signed on a 3-year deal. “The offense,” HC Frank Reich said, “wants to be tight end-centric in some ways. A lot of playmaking goes on in the middle of the field.” Woods, 23, is a long-shot for redraft relevance. But the Colts supply a fine landing spot for his dynasty value.

The Colts selected TE Jelani Woods in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft. A 1-year producer at Virginia (44-598-8), Woods goes a towering 6’7, 259 pounds. Athletically, he tested off the charts with a Relative Athletic Score of 10.0 (out of 10.0). Converting to TE just a few years ago, Woods is a raw product, but he landed in a spot where he can work into Indy’s rotation slowly. The Colts used a mid-round pick on Kylen Granson last year, while they signed Mo-Alie-Cox to a 3-year, $18 million deal in March.

The Colts selected Cincinnati WR Alec Pierce with the 53rd overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pierce never reached 900 receiving yards across 4 college seasons, topping out with a 52-884-8 line this past year. But he left school with a big 17.5 yards-per-catch average and pops as a big-play threat on tape. Pierce is a contested-catch dominator (he played basketball and volleyball in high school) and a natural ball tracker. His 99.3 deep receiving grade from Pro Football Focus last year ranked 27th among 275 qualifiers. The 6’3, 211-pounder registered a 4.41-second 40 time and a big 40.5-inch vertical at the Combine to earn a 98th percentile Relative Athletic Score. We see shades of Marvin Jones in his game. Pierce lands in a nice spot, with a clear path to the #2 WR job behind Michael Pittman.

Per multiple sources, the Giants are declining the 5th year option on QB Daniel Jones. Such a move would have paid him over $22 million for the 2023 season. Jones carries some upside as a QB2 for this year, especially if the Giants invest in WR early in tonight's draft. New York picks 5th and 7th in Round 1.

Stephen Holder of The Athletic writes that TE has been a “focus” of the Colts’ “pre-draft preparation.” Jack Doyle retired in March. Mo Alie-Cox returned on a 3-year deal last month, but he hasn’t played more than 55% of the snaps in a season (2021). Second-year man Kylen Granson brings a receiving profile but stands just 6’2 and caught only 11 passes as a rookie. Holder noted that Indy relied heavily on 2 TE sets last year, while OC Marcus Brady returns for another season. The Colts are currently slated for 7 picks in the 2022 draft, with the first selection on tap at 42nd overall.

The 49ers have agreed to a 3-year, $40.5 million deal with CB Charvarius Ward. He spent the past 3 seasons starting for the Chiefs but totaled just 4 INTs over that span. He has been a solid tackle collector for IDP squads and will remain worth consideration for CB-required formats.