INDIANAPOLIS — We'll get this out of the way first: if you're reading this on Sunday morning and you have Colts players in your fantasy lineup today for Week 7 action, you'd be strongly advised to find some temporary replacements — and quick.
The Colts, of course, are getting a chance to recharge their batteries today, as they're off for their bye week.
So we'll take this opportunity to take a look back at the first six games of the season and where the respective Colts players have fared from a fantasy perspective, and, in some cases, give you some names to potentially add at various positions who could make a difference over the last 10 games of the season.
(Weekly positional rankings from FantasyPros.com, based on Half-PPR scoring. Ranks as of Thursday.)
QB Philip Rivers
Rivers hasn't exactly been lighting it up from a fantasy perspective this season, but he certainly showed he still has plenty left in the tank last Sunday in the Colts' comeback win over the Bengals, in which he completed 29-of-44 passes for 371 yards with three touchdowns to one interception, finishing as the eighth-highest scoring quarterback on the day.
Rivers is projected as FantasyPros' No. 30 quarterback for the remainder of the season.
"Rivers had his best game of the season Sunday, carving up Cincy as he finished as a QB1 for the first time in 2020. Following the Week 7 bye, Rivers has a solid matchup with Detroit, though he's not a weekly starter due to the team's run-first approach," FantasyPros' Zachary Hanshew writes.
RBs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines
The rookie Taylor continues to be a focal point of the Colts' offense, and, because of that, should be a must-start each week in your fantasy lineups. He's carried the ball 89 times for 367 yards (4.1 avg.) and three touchdowns, and also has 16 receptions for 162 yards, and definitely seems to be making weekly improvements in both areas.
Taylor is projected as FantasyPros' No. 11 running back for the remainder of the season.
"Taylor looked good on the ground averaging 5.0 yards per carry but did not see many carries in the second half with the Colts having fallen behind. Taylor remains a must own in fantasy leagues going into the Week (7) bye for the team," FantasyPros' Josh Aubin writes.
Hines, meanwhile, is projected as FantasyPros' No. 46 running back the rest of the year. He's had 26 rushing attempts for 81 yards (3.1 avg.) and 23 receptions for 146 yards and two total touchdowns. Hines will always remain a solid option off the bench or in your lineup in deeper leagues, though it depends from week to week how involved he'll be in Indy's offensive gameplan.
"Hines did not record a carry in the win on Sunday as the 23-year-old running back is used mostly in passing down situations. Hines is worth owning in deeper PPR fantasy leagues and as a handcuff to Jonathan Taylor," Aubin writes.
WRs T.Y. Hilton and Zach Pascal
It's been a disappointing first six games from a production standpoint for Hilton, but he still continues to play a major role within the Colts' offense, and still demands a ton of attention from opposing defenses. He's been targeted with 37 passes in all, logging 20 receptions for 242 yards (12.1 avg.), but is yet to get into the end zone.
Hilton is projected as the No. 51 fantasy wide receiver for the remainder of the season.
Pascal, meanwhile, is projected at the 69th wide receiver for the rest of the year. He has 28 total targets with 16 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns on the year, both of which coming in the red zone; he finished as the No. 18 receiver in last Sunday's win over the Bengals, scoring 13 points in all with his four receptions, 54 yards and one touchdown.
Names to consider: There are a few names to consider at the wide receiver position moving forward for the Colts. Marcus Johnson has been the team's top big-play receiver the past few weeks, and has nine receptions for 188 yards (20.9 avg.) so far. Rookie Michael Pittman Jr., who underwent surgery to correct a minor lower leg issue a few weeks back, could return from IR as soon as next Sunday's Week 8 contest against the Detroit Lions, and was beginning to build a role as a reliable third-down target for quarterback Philip Rivers. The wild card is speedy wide receiver Parris Campbell, who went on IR after suffering a knee injury Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings; Campbell has since had surgery, but hasn't yet been ruled out for the rest of the season. If he's somehow able to return later in the year, then he could continue playing a major role as Indy's top slot receiver.
TEs Trey Burton, Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox
Burton is among the NFL's biggest fantasy risers at tight end, now that he's fully healthy after missing the first three games with a calf injury. Burton last week caught 4-of-5 targets for 58 yards and a touchdown, and also had a rushing touchdown, in Indy's win over the Bengals, and is clearly a favorite target for quarterback Philip Rivers. Burton is projected as the No. 18 fantasy tight end the remainder of the season.
"Burton has solidified his role at the top tight end in the Colts offense. Over three games the veteran has 11 catches on 16 targets and should be owned in all 12-14 team fantasy leagues and deeper as his role should continue to increase," Aubin writes.
Doyle and Alie-Cox, meanwhile, are more or less fantasy wild cards at the tight end position, as either could play fluctuating roles on a week-to-week basis. As such, Doyle is projected as the No. 31-ranked tight end, while Alie-Cox, who had a hot start to the year, is projected right behind him at No. 32.
Colts Defense/Special Teams
Indy's schedule gets significantly tougher when the team returns from its bye week, as the team faces off against some strong offenses in the Baltimore Ravens (Week 9), Tennessee Titans (Weeks 10 and 12), Green Bay Packers (Week 11), Las Vegas Raiders (Week 14) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 16).
But FantasyPros still likes what it's seen out of the Indy defense to this point, and projects the unit as the No. 9 D/ST moving forward for the rest of the season.
With rookie Rodrigo Blankenship among the league's more productive kickers in terms of made field goals and points scored, the Colts' D/ST is a must-start until it proves otherwise.
