Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell has caught just one pass in four of the last five games. In the other contest, the 22-year-old caught six passes for 71 yards and it came in a game in which Michael Pittman Jr. was absent. Pittman is playing Sunday, however, Josh Downs (shoulder) will be absent which should give Mitchell an opportunity to shine again. The 2024 second-round pick can get chunk plays with his speed and has even been used sporadically as a rusher (three carries for 16 yards). Jonathan Taylor hasn't been featured much in the passing game, nor have the tight ends, so most targets should gravitate to the wide receivers. Anthony Richardson will have to remedy his accuracy issues though in order for those targets to translate to receptions, and in a game with a low expected total that could be subject to unfavorable weather conditions, Mitchell only projects as a WR5 this week.

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay has recorded at least two field goals in nine straight games, going 20-for-22 during that time with both misses coming from 50-plus yards out. The 30-year-old is 20-for-20 on extra points as well. Despite his recent stretch of success, Indy will take on the Patriots on the road this week where it will be cold and somewhat windy. Combine that with the ineffectiveness of the Colt offense and a contest that has a low expected total, Gay makes for a dicey fantasy play on Sunday.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (foot) was listed as questionable for the team's Week 13 game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Pierce did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday but was upgraded to a full session on Friday, giving him a good shot to play through the questionable tag this weekend. Fellow receivers Josh Downs (shoulder) and Ashton Dulin (ankle) didn't practice all week and have been ruled out, so if Pierce is active, he should have an expanded role as the WR2 in Indy behind Michael Pittman Jr. Quarterback Anthony Richardson has struggled with accuracy in his second NFL season, but the 24-year-old Pierce is intriguing as a WR4/flex play this weekend if he's active. He has big-play ability -- he leads the league with 23.3 yards per reception -- and the Patriots defense has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to the position.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has had less than 60 yards rushing in three of his last four contests and bottomed out in the passing game last week, not having garnered even a single target. The 25-year-old will face the Patriots on Sunday, a defense that has been middle-of-the-pack against the run. While cold conditions at Gillette Stadium might warrant going to the ground game a bit more this week, the problem for Taylor is that quarterback Anthony Richardson has eaten into his workload, with the QB rushing 20 times over the last two games. Last week that meant that Taylor was left with just 11 rush attempts, although that was also partly due to the fact that the Colts were playing catch-up from the start. Richardson also scored twice on the ground two weeks ago, taking away potential touchdowns for the fifth-year back, which further diminishes Taylor's upside. As such, the former second-round draft pick projects as a borderline RB1/2 this week.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has had 15 targets and 11 catches over the last two weeks with Anthony Richardson under center, which is particularly impressive given Richardson's 53.4% completion rate during that time. Josh Downs had been the clear leader at the receiver position until two weeks ago, but now has eight catches on 12 targets over the last two weeks. Downs was injured last week and will not play Sunday, so Pittman will have even less competition for looks. The 27-year-old, who practiced in full all week, will face a Patriots pass defense that has yielded three 100-yard receivers in the last two games and has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the WR position this season. Despite the setup, with Richardson not throwing many TD passes (five through seven full games) and winds that will make it feel close to freezing in Foxboro, the fifth-year pro looks like a WR3 on Sunday.