Jonathan Taylor – Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is off the PUP and back at practice. Will he play in week 5? Right now it’s hard to say as we haven’t heard what the next step will be. Keep in mind that Taylor has stated before that he no longer wants to play for the Colts.

Saquon Barkley – Barkley has been out of action for the past two weeks due to an ankle sprain. There are some encouraging signs that he might play this week. He is back practicing and taking reps with the team. We should have more clarity on Thursday if he is leaning towards playing.

Javonte Williams – Williams picked up a hip flexor injury on Sunday which knocked him out of the game. The good news is he is not expected to miss much time. He is likely to be limited in practice this week and we will have more updates on Friday whether he is a go or not.

The post 2023-24 Fantasy Football Week 5 Rankings appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Good

Although raw, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson showed in college he can be an unstoppable force. The 6’4″ Richardson is built like Cam Newton but is more explosive. There were questions on how long it would take Richardson to adjust to the NFL after just 13 starts for the Gators. The Colts have seen enough to believe he is ready now and named him the starter going forward. I like the aggressive move as Richardson needs all the reps and new head coach Shane Steichen will devise a gameplan for him to succeed.

Speaking of Steichen, I was a big fan of this hire for Indianapolis. Steichen elevated Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to one of the most dangerous weapons in the league. He used the RPO offense to perfection to keep opposing defenses off balance. This formula propelled the Eagles all the way to the Super Bowl before they eventually lost to the Chiefs. Expect Steichen to once again work his magic on Richardson and make him a successful dual-threat quarterback.

The Bad

All summer long the running back position has dominated the headlines. There is a disconnect between how much running backs think they’re worth versus how valuable the league sees them. Regardless of your stance, one can’t argue the value of Jonathan Taylor. In 2021, Taylor was the league leader in scrimmage yards (2171) and total touchdowns (20). While injuries cut his 2022 season to just 11 games he was still able to rack up over 1,000 all purpose yards.

Despite all that the Colts are unwilling to pay him and he has since requested a trade. This is not what the Colts need as they are trying to change the culture and start a new era. If they do trade Taylor it will only hurt the development of Richardson going forward.

The Prediction

There will be ups and downs this season for the Colts as they look to develop their young quarterback. Richardson will no doubt make highlight reel plays but also plenty of mistakes. It’s important for the Colts staff to be patient as he develops and they will reap the rewards in the future.

2023 Record: 7-10 (3rd in the Division)

The post Indianapolis Colts Record Prediction for 2023 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Breece Hall showed flashes but an ACL injury cut short his 2022-2023 NFL season. The rookie out of Iowa State gained a good amount of buzz going into his first year and the fantasy world was on notice. Hall was considered one of the most talented running backs in the draft. His pre-draft ranking was #11 RB per FantasyPros ECR and he ended up with 105.6 FP (Half PPR) on the year. It’s important to note that he reached 105.6 FP in just seven games. Let’s take a closer look at what to do with Breece Hall dynasty shares going forward.

2022

Like fellow rookie Dameon Pierce, Hall had a quiet start to his rookie campaign. He struggled in his first game against the Baltimore Ravens and ended up with just 7.1 FP in the game. He also fumbled in that game and many of his fantasy owners were nervous about the slow start. The good news is that was his only fumble in the seven games he played. Things started to click for Hall in his second game against the Browns. He scored his first NFL touchdown (receiving) and ended up with 12.5 FP on the day. Hall’s best game of the year came against the Dolphins in week 5. The dynamic young running back had 97 yards on the ground and an additional 100 yards receiving. It was an impressive day for Hall as he finished with 26.7 FP.

Hall kept the momentum going in his final two games. In week 6 versus the Packers he had another impressive stat line rushing for 116 yards and 19.1 FP. Next up was the Broncos and things couldn’t have started any better. Hall broke free and scampered for an impressive 62-yard touchdown run.

Unfortunately, things took a turn as Hall went down with a knee injury in the first half. It ended up being a season ending ACL injury that cut Hall’s impressive season short. Many fantasy owners couldn’t help but wonder what numbers he would’ve put up if he stayed healthy all season.

2023

Looking ahead to next season the first question to ask is when will Hall return from his ACL. Early indications are that Hall is recovering very well from his injury. According to Jets head coach Robert Saleh “Breece looks fantastic” which is exactly what Hall’s dynasty owners want to hear. I am cautiously optimistic that Hall will return in time for week 1 next year. Just be sure to grab Michael Carter in case he is not fully recovered yet.

Breece Hall’s Dynasty Value

Where do I rank Breece Hall dynasty value going forward? Very high and you can see that reflected in our dynasty football rankings. I have him ranked 3rd only behind Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor. The addition of Aaron Rodgers will be huge for Hall (picture an Aaron Jones role). The injury is somewhat concerning but I am not worried about Hall making a full recovery. Breece Hall is a BUY for me but it’s very tempting to take advantage of the hype if you can get a solid trade in return.

The post Breece Hall Dynasty Outlook Right Now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS

After a stellar sophomore season with him ranked the top player in the NFL, Jonathan Taylor became a household name for all fantasy football fans. He ran for 1811 yards and 18 TDs and caught for 360 yards and a couple of TDs. People wondered if he would be the first overall pick for the upcoming season.

DRAFT EXPECTATIONS

Jonathan Taylor was the favorite non-QB player in fantasy drafts as he and Josh Allen were usually the first picks in fantasy drafts. With the RB position so volatile, having the best RB from last season makes it an easy choice for owners with the first or second pick.

OVERALL SEASON PRODUCTION

It was a nightmare of a season for the top-ranked RB of the Colts. There was a perfect storm of chaos from an injured offensive line to a subpar QB performance and to him being hurt. Teams were just focusing on him and were able to neutralize him. JT was only able to play 11 games for the Colts and this hurt the team. He ran for just 861 yards and four TDs. It will be interesting to see if teams will target him in the first round.

CRITICAL MOMENTS DURING THE SEASON

Week 1 vs Houston Texans

It was an amazing start to the season by JT as he rushed for 161 yards and 31 carries in the season-opener. He ran in for a two-yard TD with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Fantasy owners were delighted as they expected the Jonathan Taylor of last year to be the same for this season. This would be his best performance of the year with 27.50 FP.

Week 10 vs Las Vegas Raiders

It had been a slow season for Taylor as the Colts went to Las Vegas in Week 10. The Raiders’ defense had no answer as JT ran for 147 yards, including a 66-yard TD run late in the third quarter. His 24.30 FP this week was more than his previous three weeks combined.

Week 12 vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Before being shut down due to a high ankle sprain, Jonathan Taylor’s last good game came against the Steelers. He ran for 86 yards and scored on a two-yard run in the third. It had been a subpar season to this point and we hope JT will be healthy and ready come the 2023 season.

The post 2022-2023 Fantasy Football Review: Jonathan Taylor appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Justin Frye

Every year fantasy analysts project players and teams and fantasy managers draft teams and we get a consensus of ADP data that refines as draft season rolls along. Some players break out and shatter expectations while leading our teams to glory. Others struggle for various reasons. Those are the things we’re going to talk about here, with some potential takeaways for the rest of the 2022 and 2023 draft seasons.

TD Scoring Leaguewide

What is going on with the NFL, in general, this year? 2020 was the NFL’s current high water mark with 24.8 points per game scored. 2021 saw that decrease to 6th-best all-time with 23.0 points per game. 2022? That’d be down again, this time to 25th-best at 21.8 points per game. That ties 2022 with 1983 and 1967 for points in a game… bleh! Somehow 2022 has FEWER passing TDs than either of those seasons too. Teams scored 2.88 TDs per game in 2020 and now are at 2.43, so nearly a full TD less is scored in every NFL game.

Why is the league scoring down? That’d be the comeback of the two high-safety looks. Defenses are forcing underneath passes and less deep shots. This leads to longer drives and fewer overall drives. In a copycat league, everyone saw how Kansas City was slowed down and is implementing similar approaches. This in turn affects players blowing up for massive games, thereby capping the crazy weeks we love for fantasy football. Now it’s back to the drawing board for the offensive counterpunch (see Dolphins, Miami).

The Denver Broncos

Russell Wilson was supposed to be the answer in Denver like the Rams and Buccaneers got the last couple of seasons. Big-time acquisition who takes the team over the top in 2022. What’s happened so far has been horrible, as the Broncos have scored a whopping 11 TDs through their first 8 games. Fresh off the bye week, the hope is that some of the recent successful drives lead to a better understanding of what works.

While losing star RB Javonte Williams hasn’t helped, the Broncos have struggled to consistently move the football at all. Wilson started the year force-feeding Courtland Sutton but recently has found more success targeting teammate Jerry Jeudy and rookie TE Greg Dulcich. With new pass-catching RB Chase Edmonds in town, I expect more check downs from Wilson to his underneath targets with occasional jump balls to Sutton. I still believe it has to be better and hopes to see Wilson, Jeudy, and Dulcich on my teams when it does. The run game is a messy committee, and Sutton is likely just a boom/bust guy to me.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I remember when Tom Brady was retired, Chris Godwin was hurt and unlikely to play early in the year, and the entire offense was a big question mark. Then Brady unretired, Godwin started the year on the field, Julio Jones showed up in camp, and the whole offense looked to be elite. So what happened to a vaunted Buccaneers team and their fantasy weapons?

I look to two main statistics on the Bucs this year. First, Brady has a lowly 2.5% TD rate. That’s right, on his nearly 400 attempts he’s throw just 10 TDs. His first two years in Tampa were 6.6% and 6%, and he sits at 5.4% for his career. That means an additional 12-16 TDs for Brady and his weapons, which would make Mike Evans and Godwin managers much happier. Finally, Leonard Fournette may have lost that offseason weight but the burst didn’t come back with lower weight. It’d be nice to see more Rachaad White going forward.

Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor has to be a massive disappointment for managers, as the favorite for redraft 1.01 for the majority of analysts, has not lived up to his 2021 season. In retrospect, some of this should have been predictable, but also not to the extent of how poor he’s been. The OL has long been viewed as elite, and they got him a QB upgrade, where did it all go wrong?

Well, it starts with Matt Ryan being the most turnover-prone QB before being benched and a struggling OL unit. The team’s fired their OC and head coach now in response to the struggles, but some of this is on Taylor himself. In his RB1 2021, Taylor scored 18 TDs on his 332 carries (1 in every 18.5 carries), while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. In 2022? Just 1 rush TD on 107 carries, and 4.3 yards per carry. The TDs felt like an outlier in 2021, but now do the other way for 2022. Taylor is still dynasty RB1 for me until April 27, 2023 (hello Bijan Robinson), and probably a top 5 pick for redraft in 2023.

Kyle Pitts

The other individual player I chose to highlight here, Kyle Pitts is still a unicorn. He’s just a unicorn that’s costing whoever drafted him what likely would have been a solid RB2 or WR2. Dynasty managers have been panic selling. I can’t sit here and tell anyone he’s going to turn it around in 2022 or even hit for 2023. So what can we do with Kyle Pitts?

Cross everything we got hoping the Falcons get Pitts a competent QB for 2023, because with this underlying data, Pitts is still due to have a massive breakout soon. I won’t be joining those panic selling, but rather buying everywhere I possibly can. In 2022, it’s likely a lost cause but his weekly ceiling is as high as anyone at TE. I know he’s a hard guy to bench and will have doubters in 2023 but he’s likely to be right at TE3 in redraft ranks yet again, cause when he hits he’s going to hit big.

Year 2 WRs

Long undervalued, it appears as though 2022 was the year to fade a lot of second-year pass-catchers. I’m not talking the elite guys, as Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle were fantastic picks when healthy. Devonta Smith has been roughly what we thought he’d be, though a little invisible in too many games. No for this I’m talking about Rashod Bateman, Elijah Moore, and Kadarius Toney.

Bateman is the toughest to count since he is mainly due to injury too. Of the three, he’s the only one you were ever happy to play this year. Moore has been one of my biggest whiffs (I thought he’d be the slot guy and target hog). He was one of my favorite values based on the elite play to end 2021. Still love his game and I hope he gets his trade, maybe to the Chargers? Finally Toney, who just can’t stay on the field and wasn’t loved by the new Giants regime. He could be exciting in Kansas City down the stretch, assuming the hamstrings hold up.

Back-half QB1s

I normally don’t lead with a Twitter link, but this visual is easier than typing it out. Other than Justin Herbert, the top seven QBs are all in the top seven. The bottom 8 are all outside the top 20. As someone who likes waiting on QB, this year was not my friend, and will be a changing of the guard for many rankers. Even “safe” options like Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr have been largely disappointing, while Trey Lance was lost due to injury.

I don’t agree with Luke’s sentiment fully (yet), but this is definitely something to consider. As guys like Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields rocket up ranks, I think it’s just a swap from the “this guy is always top 12 so he needs to be in there” to the young studs. It takes truly elite QB play to overcome not being a mobile QB. My biggest takeaway, regardless of where I pick a QB for 2023, the safety of a mobile QB is worth it every single time. Guys like Fields, Lance, and Bryce Young will be big targets for me.

The post 7 Fantasy Disappointments in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts and their unearthly quarterback-running back duo were expected to steamroll the Houston Texans in Week 1. Well, it was safe to say that the Houston Texans and their Rudy-like attitude came to play against the Colts. The Texans tied the Colts by a score of 20-20. I believe the Texans ultimately won the day. With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the Colts-Texans showdown.

• Jonathan Taylor

If it wasn’t for a Hulk-like performance from Jonathan Taylor, the Houston Texans would have surely won the AFC South battle. JT ousted an incredible 161 rushing yards and a touchdown (as shown above). It was clear that Frank Reich wanted to defeat the Texans by a thousand cuts with Taylor leading the charge.

• Kwity Paye

The Colts did witness growth from second-year edge rusher Kwity Paye — which brought a smile to a lot of Colts fans. After having four sacks a season ago, Paye flexed two sacks on the day (which both arrived in OT). He may be on his way to garnering his first Pro Bowl nod.

• Alec Pierce

The Colts rookie wideout, Alec Pierce, was essentially MIA in the Week 1 showdown. Pierce had a whopping zero catches in his rookie debut. He was widely dubbed as a darkhorse OROY candidate entering 2022, but he still hasn’t quite got in sync with Matty Ice.

• Davis Mills

Davis Mills didn’t play like a vintage Tom Brady, but he was definitely efficient in the Week 1 showdown. Mills had 2 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and most importantly: a 98.9 passer rating. The second-year QB is off to a superb start in the frigid AFC South.

• Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan didn’t exactly look like the next Johnny Unitas in Week 1. Ryan had 1 TD to 1 interception and he also botched numerous snaps. I (and countless others) felt quite confident that Ryan would mop the floor against the Texans with his new Colts squad. Let’s hope that Ryan can quickly improve his chemistry with his toys moving forward. Perhaps the Colts will also sign OBJ?

The post 5 takeaways from the Colts-Texans showdown appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts recently moved on from the undrafted legend Phillip Lindsay. The former Denver Broncos RB unleashed 1,037 rushing yards & nine touchdowns in his rookie campaign (which garnered a Pro Bowl berth). In his sophomore season, he ran angry for 1,011 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns.

Lindsay was given a golden ticket to play alongside RB Jonathan Taylor this off-season. Well, he didn’t shine enough to keep a seat in the Colts RB room – as they opted to ride with JT, Nyheim Hines, and Deon Jackson. After Lindsay packed his bags and left Naptown, the question is: what are the best landing spots for the FA ball carrier? Well, I’m going to untwine the 7 best landing spots for him.

Minnesota Vikings

The new-look Minnesota Vikings have a hulk in Dalvin Cook, but he certainly has baggage – also known as injury issues. Cook missed four contests last season, two games the season prior, and two match-ups in the season before that. Furthermore, NBC Sports reported that the Viks are discussing an Alexander Mattison trade. It would be an understatement to say it would be wise for the Viks to ink an available, potent RB face.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers also have a cream-of-the-crop RB in Christian McCaffrey with injury issues. CMAC missed 10 games last season and 14 contests in the season prior. CAR could absolutely benefit from another talented face at RB. After bringing in Baker Mayfield, they should make another sharp move to thrive in the NFC South arms race.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Doug Pederson and his squad added countless exciting faces (such as Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Zay Jones) to their offense this off-season. Why should they slow down at this point? The Jags RB room would be extremely fun with a healthy Travis Etienne, a bruising RB in James Robinson, and an explosive RB in Lindsay.

Los Angeles Rams

The offensive genius Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams have an explosive player in Cam Akers, yet he has had constant injury issues (16 missed games last season and four missed contests in the season prior). It would undoubtedly be smart for them to look into bringing a healthy face to their RB group.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins don’t necessarily need a RB, but they have a very creative HC that has been obsessed with adding FA talent. They did try the Sony Michel experiment, but they moved on from him. The Phins could look into signing Lindsay to see what he can bring to the table.

Buffalo Bills

The Billa mafia could bring in Lindsay and showcase a very impressive RB group for the upcoming season. I unequivocally anticipate them to be fighting late in the 2022 post-season, so they should make sure they have proper depth at RB and WR right now. I expect James Cook to dazzle, but it’s unclear if he will be superb all-around the edges in his rookie season. They should sign a veteran face in my opinion.

San Francisco 49ers

Similar to the Miami Dolphins, the San Francisco 49ers may wish to sign a RB after recently releasing a half-back. The 49ers aspire to mow down opponents with their run game, so they should make sure it can fire off on all cylinders in 2022.

The post 7 best landing spots for Phillip Lindsay appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season is steadily approaching & it’s obvious that it will feel great to hear Scott Hanson’s voice each weekend. It will clearly be thrilling to witness next-level quarterbacks and talented running backs dazzle on the field. With that stated, I’m going to highlight the RB spot and project the ten best RB performances in the 2022 season.

Christian McCaffrey

I really believe a healthy Christian McCaffrey is the scariest RB in the league. CMAC was second-team All-Pro in his sophomore season and then he really blossomed in his junior campaign — where he garnered 2,392 all-purpose yds, 19 combined touchdowns, and was named first-team All-Pro. Sadly, he’s only played in 10 games over the prior two seasons combined. I still feel deeply positive about his all-around outlook as a healthy, motivated, 26-year-old that doesn’t have an abundance of tread on his tires.

Jonathan Taylor

It’s hard to ignore the talent, consistency, and situation that JT is in. Taylor garnered 1,811 rushing yds and 18 rushing TDs last season — which led him to garner first-team All-Pro honors and place second in OPOY voting. Taylor could be slightly leaned on less in the offense with Matt Ryan and his backfield is a bit more talented than last season – as these two factors could slightly hurt Taylor’s overall production.

Alvin Kamara

The New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is authentic and a superb RB. AK has made the Pro Bowl in each season. The Saints skat-back’s superior, all-around RB’s best season unequivocally came in 2020 – where he unleashed 1,688 total yds and 21 combined TDs (which resulted in getting second-team All-Pro honors). He had another fantastic output last season: 1,337 total yds and 9 combined TDs in 13 games.

According to Fantasy Pros, a suspension for Kamara is also likely to occur in 2023.

Dalvin Cook

The Minnesota Vikings running back is an extremely electric RB and he should continue to belittle his opponents in 2022. The Vikings RB ran angry for 13 touchdowns and 1,135 yds in 2019 and then managed to run for 16 TDs and 1,557 yds in 2020. Cook missed four contests last season, but he still unveiled 1,159 rushing yds six rushing TDs. I believe there is still room for a couple of top-tier seasons in his football life.

Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry has an old-school mentality and he’s also explosive. Henry ran angry for 1,540 yds and 16 rushing TDs in 2020 and then proceeded to bulldoze opponents for 2,027 yds and 17 rushing TDs (which led him to win Offensive Player of The Year in 2020). It appeared that Henry was on a rampage until he suffered a broken football in Week 8 – which caused him to miss nine contests. Father time will have an impact on Henry, but he should absolutely be an elite RB in 2022.

Nick Chubb

It may seem blasphemous to peg Nick Chubb at this spot, but I feel more inspired by the other ball carriers. Still, Chubb should be a top-tier RB for yet another season. The Browns RB1 (sitting in front of Kareem Hunt – who has seemed to bury the hatchet with CLE), ran angry for 1,259 yds and 8 TDs last season. PFF slabbed him an 81.7 grade for his 2021 performance.

Elijah Mitchell

I believe that Elijah Mitchell is one of the most underrated skill players in the league. Mitchell was quite potent behind the Trent Williams-led OL in only nine games a season ago: 963 rushing yds and five rushing TDs. The 49ers full back Kyle Juszczyk and former Harvard grad believes that Mitchell’s ability to simplify things in the 49ers offense led to his success as a rook. Juszczyk stated, “It’s a complicated offense, and sometimes the best way to come into a complicated offense and be successful is to simplify things. And I think that’s something that Elijah did in his first year. You talk about the wide zone and it being a one-cut offense. That’s how Elijah approached it, and that, I think, is his strength….He’s decisive and he just puts his foot in the ground and gets upfield. ook. Mitchell obtained a 76.3 grade by PFF for his 2021 outcome, too. With that said, I do expect Trey Sermon, who has impressed this off-season, to be more involved in the 49ers offense in his second season (which should put a dink on Mitchell’s production).

Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants running back is far from dead in my opinion. Barkley’s best season was in his rookie year (2,028 total yds and 15 combined touchdowns) and then he accumulated 1,441 total yards in 13 games as a sophomore. Unfortunately, disaster struck the young, gifted RB (as he suffered a torn ACL after two games in 2020). He also sat out of four games last season – or was playing healthy behind a brutal OL in the other 13 match-ups. I suspect Barkley to return to the PB behind a much-improved OL in the upcoming season.

Joe Mixon

The reigning AFC Champion, Joe Mixon, is slightly in the shadow of the Bengals impressive QB-WR duo. Nonetheless, let’s not forget that Mixon is a dangerous bell cow RB (1,205 rushing yds and 13 rushing TDs last season). PFF nicely gave the Bengals RB a 79.5 grade for his 2021 outcome. Mixon will also benefit next season from an improved OL (as Cincy brought in Alex Cappa, C Ted Karras, and of course: La’el Collins).

Austin Ekeler

The Los Angeles Chargers have a surreal QB-RB combination (between Justin Herbert & Austin Ekeler). The Chargers versatile ball-carrier had a personal-best 911 rushing yards with a career-high 647 receiving yds last season. Furthermore, Ekeler had total of 20 touchdowns — which undoubtedly edged out his previous single-season best total TD count (11). Ekeler should have worse rushing production than last season with Isaiah Spiller in the RB room, but his all-around ability in a high-powered offense should still help register around 1,300 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns.

The post Top 10 RBs heading into the 2022 season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts may just be a darkhorse Super Bowl contender in 2022, but I do believe there are a few faces on the Colts that need to turn the corner and help the Colts return to the big dance. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three overrated Colts at this point.

Jonathan Taylor

I know it may seem like blasphemous to say anything negative about Jonathan Taylor, but I don’t believe he will oust 1,600+ rushing yards next season (after running angry for 1,811 yards last season). For 1. Matt Ryan is alive and well. For 2. Frank Reich has already stated that Nyheim Hines will cut into Taylor’s work slate next season. Hines is a very explosive ball-carrier (as shown above) and the Colts also brought in the underrated Phillip Lindsay. JT will be a sure-fire Pro Bowl RB, but I don’t believe he will come close to having an OPOY-caliber season.

Parris Campbell

I would love to see the Colts bring in OBJ or reunite with T.Y. Hilton. It seems clear that Parris Campbell isn’t quite ready to be the WR3 amid a Super Bowl-aimed team. Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce are one of the NFL’s most underrated WR duo, but I don’t imagine that Campbell (360 yards and 2 touchdowns in three seasons) is an imposing WR3. One of the major concerns is that Campbell has really been dealt a bad hand with the injury bug in his career (15 games played in three seasons).

Rodney McLeod

“You are only as good as your weakest link”.

The Colts brought in (and paid a lot of money for) the veteran Rodney McLeod this off-season, but the 31-year-old safety hasn’t been sexy as of late. PFF graded him a 63.7, which was good for 43rd among safeties in the NFL. The Colts arguably have two elite CBs in Kenny Moore and Stephon Gilmore, but they will still need the former Eagle to not allow big plays over his head. The big-arm QBs in the AFC will surely test the Colts safety in prime-time match-ups next season.

The post 3 overrated players on the Colts right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts have made fascinating and truly bright quarterback moves this offseason. The Colts shipped out Carson Wentz after virtually sacrificing him on any online Jacksonville altar and then deemed it necessary to find a more sharp veteran QB to replace Wentz.

On March 21st, the Colts acquired the savvy former Falcons legend, Matt Ryan. The Colts received Ryan, while the Falcons scooped up a third-round pick. Pat McAfee has already screamed to the rooftop on how Ryan can be the game manager that the Colts need at the very least. It appears that Ryan and Jonathan Taylor are an impressive QB-RB duo, but the Colts still have to add more fuel to their offense and team this offseason.

Ryan is truly an underrated QB that can take care of the football, make the right adjustments, and be clutch in the 2-minute drill (after all, his name is Matty Ice). From 2018 to 2020, Ryan unveiled three 4,500+ passing yard seasons and he also averaged 29 passing touchdowns in that three-year span.

I do believe that Ryan is wiser than Wentz and he can operate the play-action game with JT better than Wentz. I still wouldn’t expect Ryan to have drastically different numbers than Wentz in the near future. The former Colts QB threw 27 passing touchdowns last season, 7 interceptions, and he also threw 3,563 yards. I do believe that Ryan will be a difference-maker in clutch moments.

The Colts lost a plethora of matchups by a razor-thin margin last season. Indy lost the following matchups: Week 17 against the Raiders by a field goal, a Week 2 blood-bath against the Rams, a Week 5 game against the Ravens, and a Week 8 loss against the divisional foe in Tennessee.

All in all, the Colts will have a stronger likelihood of making the playoffs with the switch from Wentz to Ryan next season. He will have Michael Pittman (1,082 yards, 6 touchdowns), but he desperately needs a WR2 and WR3. If the Colts can bring in a modest WR and/or potentially T.Y. Hilton, I would expect Ryan to be more explosive than Wentz for the Colts in the near future, but I don’t believe he will look like his 2016 version right out of the gate. I still quietly love his ceiling in Indy.

With that said, I do believe Ryan has many years before he’s “washed up” and I do expect the Colts to eventually sign a talented WR2 for him. I do love the image of Ryan with the Colts, JT, Pittman, their imposing defense, and another toy for 3-4 seasons together. I really believe the Colts will reap the benefits of his ability and he can be a steal in “dynasty” fantasy leagues at the moment. He might not be a Top 5 QB in 2022, but I believe he can follow Matthew Stafford by having an unusually positive future with his new squad in the back end of his career.

The post Matt Ryan’s outlook with the Colts appeared first on Pro Football Mania.