Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones officially cleared waivers on Monday and is an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team. Jones prefers to sign with a playoff contender, with potential destinations being the Baltimore Ravens or Minnesota Vikings, according to sources. He has reportedly already eliminated the Las Vegas Raiders, who just lost quarterback Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) for the rest of the season, as an option. A team would have had to claim the balance of Jones' contract ($11,833,333) for this year and the $23 million in injury guarantees after this season if they wanted him off waivers. The former sixth overall pick in the 2019 out of Duke spent six seasons with the Giants and really only had one solid season in the first year with Brian Daboll as head coach in 2022. Jones will likely have to serve in a backup role if he signs with a contender.

Free-agent quarterback Daniel Jones has been a hot topic since being released by the New York Giants last week. Jones has drawn quite a lot of interest and figures to sign with another organization soon. The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly have shown interest in signing Jones after quarterback Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) suffered a season-ending injury on Sunday. Despite that, Jones has reportedly said he's not interested in joining the two-win Raiders. Instead, Jones wants to join a playoff contender as he has drawn interest from multiple playoff teams. Right now, the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens are the two favorites to land Jones, according to Adam Schefter. It remains to be seen which team will actually sign Jones, but that should happen in the coming days. As for the Raiders, Desmond Ridder figures to start going forward with Jones deciding to go elsewhere.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (shoulder), who injured his right shoulder in the Week 12 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, is considered week-to-week and is a long shot to play in Week 13 against the New England Patriots, according to a source. However, the belief is he didn't suffer a major injury, so perhaps Downs will be ready to go in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos after the team's bye in Week 14. If the 23-year-old is unable to go against New England, it will mean that Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and rookie Adonai Mitchell will start in three-receiver sets. Downs caught just three of his seven targets for 27 yards on Sunday against the Lions but had become the team's leading receiver in previous weeks. He's up to 53 receptions for 594 yards and four TDs in 10 games in his second NFL season and deserves to be stashed until he can return to the fold in Indy.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell caught one of his three targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 24-6 loss to the Lions. The rookie wideout has a single catch in four of the last five games, with the other game where he caught more (six receptions) coming during Michael Pittman Jr.'s one-week hiatus. As the fourth option in a poor offense, the 22-year-old is a fantasy afterthought unless an injury opens up more opportunities for him. Josh Downs exited with a shoulder injury in this game but was able to return, however, keep an eye on this week's practice reports. If Downs' injury turns out to be more serious, Mitchell could be thrust back into relevance, but until then, he can be safely left to the waiver wire.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce garnered his usual looks on Sunday but turned his four targets into just one catch in the 24-6 loss to the Lions. The one catch was a nice 39-yard grab, and Anthony Richardson missed him badly on a wide-open throw early on in the contest for what would have been a huge gain or even a touchdown. The continued dose of deep shots to the speedy receiver is encouraging, as one of these weeks it could turn into a big day for the 24-year-old, but it is hard to predict when that will be, especially if Richardson doesn't improve his accuracy. Week 13 brings a somewhat favorable matchup against the Patriots, but that contest will be on the road on what will be a chilly day in Foxboro. Nevertheless, Pierce figures to be a boom/bust WR5 again.