Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (shoulder) will practice on Wednesday. He suffered a right shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of the Colts' Week 12 loss to Detroit and missed Week 13's contest against the New England Patriots. With Downs practicing on Wednesday, he is trending in the right direction toward being active for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. The Colts are a few games out of the last playoff spot, so they must finish the season strong to have a chance to play in January. Downs production has been boom-or-bust this season. The 23-year-old has 53 catches for 594 yards and four touchdowns over 10 games in 2024. However, in a game script that may have the Colts playing from behind, Downs should see targets in Week 15, making him a viable WR3 if he's active in Week 15.

The Kansas City Chiefs placed kicker Spencer Shrader (hamstring) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday and signed kicker Matthew Wright to the 53-man active roster in a corresponding move. Shrader will be required to miss at least the next four games, meaning he won't be eligible to return until the Week 18 regular-season finale in Denver against the division-rival Broncos. Shrader was initially signed when the team put regular kicker Harrison Butker (knee) on IR, but he only made it two games with the Chiefs before getting injured himself. Butker will be eligible to come off IR in Week 15 to face the Cleveland Browns, so Wright could only stick around in KC for another week. Last week in the win over the Raiders, Wright made four of his five field-goal attempts and his only extra point. He'll be on the streaming radar on Sunday night against the Chargers in fantasy.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen is unsure if wide receiver Josh Downs (shoulder) will be ready to roll for a Week 15 showdown against the Denver Broncos after the bye in Week 14. Downs injured his shoulder in the Week 12 loss to the Buffalo Bills and was unable to play in the Week 13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. It's telling that the Colts are unsure if Downs will be ready, even with the benefit of a bye this week. It was another low-volume passing game for quarterback Anthony Richardson against New England, as he attempted only 24 passes. Michael Pittman Jr. unsurprisingly led the team with only 42 receiving yards. Alec Pierce had only two catches for 16 yards but did find the end zone for a crucial TD, while rookie Adonai Mitchell couldn't convert on his two targets. Downs should be stashed in most fantasy leagues, but he might not be able to return until Week 16 against the division-rival Tennessee Titans.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (foot), who had missed two practices earlier in the week, was cleared to suit up and wound up playing a pivotal role in the Colts' 25-24 win over the Patriots on Sunday. While two catches for 16 yards isn't noteworthy, one of those catches was a touchdown reception that came with 12 seconds left in the game that put the Colts in position to win the game on a successful two-point conversion by quarterback Anthony Richardson on the following play. Pierce did receive six targets in the game, which was second-most behind Michael Pittman Jr.'s seven, and was a slight uptick in his usual usage with Josh Downs (shoulder) missing the contest due to injury. When the Colts come out of their bye, expect Pierce's involvement to take a slight step back if Downs returns, although he's always a threat to break off a couple of big chunk plays per game using his speed.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was expected to see an uptick in usage with the absence of teammate Josh Downs (shoulder), however, the rookie wideout saw one fewer target (two) than he saw the week before and was held without a catch for the first time since Week 4 in Sunday's 25-24 win over the Patriots. Granted, Anthony Richardson completed only 12 passes on the day, but it was a disappointing showing in the absence of Downs and with Alec Pierce (foot) a little banged up coming into the game. The Colts have a bye in Week 14 and will face a tough Denver pass defense in Week 15. Regardless of whether or not Downs will be ready by then, Mitchell will be hard to trust for fantasy in that matchup and with Richardson's 47.4% completion rate.