Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (shoulder) is anticipated to suit up for Sunday's contest versus the Denver Broncos. The wideout was battling a shoulder injury, keeping him off the field for the Week 13 meeting with the New England Patriots. Fortunately, the Colts were off in Week 14. But with Downs logging full practice sessions during the week, he's expected to be back, which is good news for fantasy managers. The 23-year-old has been productive in his 10 appearances this season, amassing 53 catches for 594 yards and four touchdowns, making him a starting fantasy option for the challenging matchup against the Broncos.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell didn't catch either of his targets back in Week 13, a disappointing outcome considering the Colts were without one of their top pass catchers in Josh Downs. It was Alec Pierce who earned an uptick in targets, not Mitchell, although there wasn't much production to go around anyway with quarterback Anthony Richardson throwing only 24 passes and completing just 12 of them for 109 yards. The 22-year-old has caught one pass or less in five of his last six games and the Colts take on a daunting Denver pass defense in Week 15, so production could once again come at a premium. Downs had a bye week to recover and although he is questionable, the 23-year-old got in two full practices to end the week so it looks like he has a good shot to play. Regardless of whether he's in or out, it likely doesn't change Mitchell's outlook, which is not good. With the fantasy playoffs upon us, managers should look elsewhere as there should be better options on the waiver wire.

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay made just one field goal back before the team's bye week in Week 13, but it was the first time since Week 3 that the 30-year-old was held to just a single field goal. The veteran had been busy since Week 4, knocking 21 footballs through the uprights, which is the fifth-most during that time. Working in his favor is an offense led by Anthony Richardson, which can move the ball at times and even find the end zone, but with a 47.4% completion rate, drives also have a tendency to stall. This leaves the door open for Gay, who has a 91.3% success rate since Week 4 and is also 18-for-18 on extra point attempts over that stretch. The Colts take on a formidable Broncos defense in Week 15 in Denver, so scoring chances could be limited, especially with the Colts as five-point underdogs in a game that doesn't sport a particularly high expected total (45). The sixth-year pro should get a couple of opportunities early but the Colts might be playing catch-up later and won't be able to settle for field goals, leaving Gay as a reliable but not high-upside play in Week 15.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce drew the second-most looks of any Colt receiver in Week 13 with six targets, but was only able to secure two of them for 16 yards. His fantasy day was saved, however, on a last-second touchdown that helped Indy to a late-game come-from-behind win. The 24-year-old was averaging four targets per contest coming into the matchup, but Josh Downs' absence likely aided the small boost in targets. With Downs having a bye week to recover and logging two full practices to close the week, he looks to be on the more favorable side of questionable, so Pierce will likely return to his usual workload. While he's not a good bet to haul in many passes, his targets are usually of the deep variety, as the speedy wideout leads the entire NFL in average depth of target (aDOT) at 21.98 yards, so he's got a good chance to break off a couple of chunk plays, especially with star cornerback Patrick Surtain II focusing on Michael Pittman Jr. and the aforementioned Downs drawing coverage away. The former second-round draft pick sets up as a boom/bust WR5/6 in this matchup.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has at least seven targets and five catches in the last three games since Anthony Richardson was reinserted under center for Indy. It's an encouraging trend after a rough stretch of relative underperformance midseason and after missing Week 10's contest due to a back injury. The 27-year-old was a full participant in practice all week and with the issue seemingly behind him, especially after a bye week to rest up, he'll look to keep the momentum going in Week 15. However, that will be a challenge as the Colts take on the Broncos this week in Denver, with the Broncos holding opposing wide receivers to the ninth-fewest fantasy points so far this season. Pittman in particular has some things working against him, as the 6-foot-4 wideout will likely draw shadow coverage from star corner Patrick Surtain II and teammate Josh Downs (shoulder) looking like he'll return to action after getting two full practices in to end the week so there will again be more competition for targets. Combined with the fact that Richardson has completed 12 passes or fewer in six of his eight full games played in 2024 with a 7:9 TD:INT, Pittman looks like a risky borderline WR3/4 option.