Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was the lone bright spot in the Colts' 23-19 loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday night. Taylor ran the ball 30 times for a whopping 188 yards on the ground and a touchdown. He reeled in both of his targets for an additional eight yards through the air. Taylor (heel) left the game in the second half briefly with an injury but did return just a few drives later. The 24-year-old closes out the regular season with 894 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns in ten games played. Indy is now eliminated from playoff contention with their Week 18 loss.

Indianapolis Colts tight end Will Mallory (hamstring) has been ruled out for the rest of Saturday's game against the Houston Texans. The rookie tight end exited and was ruled out with a hamstring issue during the second quarter. He failed to haul in his lone target of the contest. Kylen Granson and Mo Alie-Cox will be the primary options at tight end for the rest of this contest.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has slowly returned to his normal form, running the ball 21 times for 96 yards and a touchdown in the team's Week 17 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Taylor has now scored at least one touchdown in his last four matchups and looks to continue the streak in a win-and-in season finale against the Houston Texans. Houston has done a decent job defending the run this season, allowing the third least rushing yards per game and the 15th least fantasy points to opposing running backs. Fellow running back Zack Moss (forearm) is questionable ahead of this matchup, but it will be Taylor in all likelihood getting the vast majority of opportunities regardless of Moss' status. Fantasy managers can expect Indy to play through Taylor in their most important game of the season, and can look to start him as a high-end RB2 accordingly.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is looking to close out a great regular season on a high note when the Colts face the Houston Texans on Saturday night. Pittman Jr. cooled off from a five-game stretch of 75+ yard outings when he caught five of his seven targets for 46 yards in Week 17. Houston has made for a decent matchup for wide receivers as of late, allowing the 11th most fantasy points to the position in their last four matchups. The former USC Trojan should be set up for success given the matchup and his ten targets per game average this season. Fantasy managers can rely on Pittman one last time as a potential WR1 option in Indy's win-and-in season finale.

Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Josh Downs caught both of his targets for 53 yards in the team's Week 17 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. He now gets ready for a season finale against the Houston Texans on Saturday night, a team that's allowed the 11th most fantasy points to the position over their last four matchups. Downs hasn't been an incredibly consistent option as of late, as last week marked his first game with over 50 total yards since Week 8. Houston has done a good job of defending the slot, allowing the 10th least fantasy points to slot receivers, where Downs plays over 75% of his snaps. With all that in mind, the former Tar Heel makes for a boom-or-bust WR4 option in Week 18 with his big play ability.