Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay (hernia) said he underwent surgery for a sports hernia, which is why he's not taking part in the team's first official practice on Wednesday. Gay had something flare up after the team's preseason contest against the Cincinnati Bengals and could be trending toward missing Week 1 of the regular season this Sunday versus the division-rival Houston Texans. Fantasy managers that were banking on using Gay as their starting kicker to open the year may already have to pivot and go in another direction. If he cannot kick this Sunday, rookie Spencer Shrader would be added to the active roster to make his NFL debut. It's best to just avoid Indy's kicking situation altogether in fantasy if Gay ends up being inactive against the Texans, which is the way this appears to be trending.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that wide receiver Josh Downs (ankle) will not practice on Wednesday, and his status for Week 1 of the regular season this Sunday against the division-rival Houston Texans is up in the air. Downs is trending in the wrong direction to be ready for the start of the regular season after suffering a high-ankle sprain on Aug. 7, but that could change if he's able to get back on the practice field on either Thursday or Friday. As of right now, though, fantasy managers should be planning to be without the 23-year-old in Week 1. If Downs is inactive on Sunday, it will mean that rookie Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce will start next to Michael Pittman Jr. in three-wide sets on Sunday against Houston. Downs should be set in a bench spot for now as Week 1 approaches.

Indianapolis Colts wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce will both have roles on offense this season, according to JJ Stankevitz of the team's official website. He noted that Mitchell has displayed impressive size, speed, and athleticism while getting extra reps in the slot with Josh Downs (ankle) sidelined. Meanwhile, Pierce has earned plenty of high praise from the coaching staff after consistently making plays on short, intermediate, and deep passes. Head coach Shane Steichen mentioned that he hopes Pierce's consistency will continue into the regular season while general manager Chris Ballard said that the receiver had his best camp yet. These two pass-catchers won't be able to touch Michael Pittman Jr. on the depth chart, but it sounds like they'll both still get involved as early as Week 1. However, with a little bit of competition and some lingering questions about Anthony Richardson's passing upside, it's best to hold off on pursuing Mitchell or Pierce in fantasy football for now.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell impressed during the preseason and is trending toward being the team's primary slot receiver when the regular season kicks off this week, according to fantasy football analyst Jared Smola. Indianapolis spent a second-round pick on the Texas product, and it now appears he's poised to start in place of the injured Josh Downs (ankle). Even with a starting role, Mitchell might not be worth deploying right away in fantasy football. He's still behind Michael Pittman Jr. in the receiver room, and he'll also lose some opportunities to rushing threats Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that kicker Matt Gay (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury, which is why kicker Spencer Shrader was added to the practice squad. Gay's status for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the division-rival Houston Texans is to be determined. If the 30-year-old ends up playing this weekend, he'll be a borderline fantasy starter in 12-team leagues after making just 80.5% of his 41 field-goal attempts during 17 regular-season games while missing just one of his 36 extra-point tries. If Gay is held out of the season opener, fantasy managers should pass on Shrader and look for a replacement on the waiver wire. We'll have a much better idea of Gay's Sunday status later this week after the team completes a couple official practices. Check back for those injury reports to see if Gay can practice.