Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce had a strong showing in Week 10, posting a 4-81-1 line on a season-high seven targets. The increased action was likely a result of fellow wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. missing the game with a back injury, and unfortunately for Pierce, Pittman is due to return in Week 11. They are different receivers, though, so Pierce still has a chance for one of his trademark big plays as he can stretch the field with his speed. In fact, the 24-year-old has the seventh-most air yards in all of football and has the highest percentage of air yards of the Colts' receiving corps at 28.4%. With his big play ability and the fact that both Pittman and Josh Downs have missed games due to injury, Pierce somewhat surprisingly is the team's leader in receiving yards and touchdowns with 516 and four respectively. Look for Pierce to again garner a handful of targets in Week 11 with a few receptions and a chance for a long score, making the former second-round draft pick a boom/bust WR4/5 this week.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson will be back under center for the first time since Week 8 after Joe Flacco led the team over the last two weeks. According to head coach Shane Steichen, Richardson will be the QB for the remainder of the season, but hopefully it will yield better results this time around. The 23-year-old produced an unsightly 44.4% completion rate in the six games he's played in this season and a subpar 4:7 TD:INT. His saving grace for fantasy was the fact that he gained at least 24 rush yards in each of those contests, but the only time he managed to punch one in for a score was way back in Week 1. With a poor matchup against the Jets on the road on tap in Week 11, it will be a challenge to put up useful fantasy output against a defense allowing the eighth-fewest points to opposing signal-callers and versus an opponent that is playing at home in desperate need of a win. The former first-round pick is a low-end QB2 for Sunday with a tiny bit of upside because of his legs.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been highly effective when healthy this season, playing in seven of the Colts' 10 games and averaging 88.0 YPG rushing while adding 12 catches for 108 yards receiving. Along with five TDs on the year, the 25-year-old has been one of the lone bright spots on offense in 2024. With Anthony Richardson back at QB in Week 11, the Colts will likely lean more heavily on the ground attack versus the Jets who have been weak against the run over their past four contests, allowing a pair of 100-yard rushers and five scores during that time. Even so, with the uncertainty at quarterback and the Colts as four-point underdogs in a game with a low expected total, Taylor figures to be more of a fringe RB1 in Week 11.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has been his team's most reliable fantasy receiver so far in 2024, but with the Colts switching back to Anthony Richardson at quarterback, Downs' fantasy value undoubtedly takes a hit. In three games together this season, Downs caught just eight of 17 targets from Richardson. Still, the 23-year-old leads his team in receptions (45), targets (66), yards per game (60.4), and yards after catch (211) despite playing in only eight of the Colts' 10 games. The schedule affords Downs no favors, however, with the Indy taking on the Jets this week on the road, a defense that has allowed the fewest points to WRs this season. While the former third-round draft pick has been a solid WR2 the last two weeks, his situation and matchup deem him closer to a WR3 in Week 11.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) will play in Week 11 on Sunday against the New York Jets after missing the Week 10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Pittman has been dealing with a back injury for a while now, but it finally caused him to miss a game last week. The writing was on the wall for him to return this weekend, though, after he returned to a full practice on Wednesday. It's good news for the Colts' offense, but the 27-year-old pass-catcher will still be a shaky fantasy play with quarterback Anthony Richardson and his accuracy issues returning to the starting job. Additionally, the Jets defense has allowed the fewest half-PPR points per game to opposing receivers in 2024. Pittman has been outside the top-50 receivers in terms of average PPR points scored per game this season.