Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox gets an upgrade at quarterback in Week 9 with Joe Flacco under center, with eight of Cox's 13 total targets coming during Flacco's playing time earlier this season while Anthony Richardson dealt with an injury. In Weeks 5 and 6 combined, Cox caught all eight of his targets for 78 yards (he has just 100 on the season) and a touchdown. In Week 4 when Flacco came on in relief of Richardson, the veteran QB hit tight end Drew Ogletree for a 15-yard touchdown pass, so Cox and the TE group as a whole should be much more involved going forward. Cox leads the Colts TEs in targets on the season with 13, which is four more than Kylen Granson and six more than Ogletree. There are surely more proven TE options available on the waiver wire that have already been integrated into their offenses, but for fantasy managers looking for an under-the-radar dart throw with upside this week, Cox should be under consideration.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (toe) logged his second consecutive full practice on Friday. He has been removed from the final injury report and will play in Week 9. The 23-year-old has posted mixed results this season, benefitting greatly from Joe Flacco while struggling to form a rapport with Anthony Richardson. Fortunately for Downs, Richardson was benched for Flacco earlier this week. Downs has 24 catches, 217 yards, and two touchdowns through parts of three games with the veteran quarterback in 2024, and he should continue to rank as a mid-to-low fantasy WR2 for Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) has been removed from the final injury report despite being limited in practice on Friday. The 27-year-old has posted mixed results this season, benefitting greatly from Joe Flacco while struggling to form a rapport with Anthony Richardson. Fortunately for Pittman, Richardson was benched for Flacco earlier this week. Pittman has 185 yards and two touchdowns through parts of three games with the veteran quarterback in 2024, and he should continue to rank as a mid-to-low fantasy WR2 for Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will look to bounce back in Week 9 at home against the Washington Commanders after a challenging outing in Week 8, where he finished without a touchdown and threw one interception in the Giants' 26-18 loss to Pittsburgh. Jones has struggled to find the end zone this season, tallying just six passing touchdowns and zero rushing scores, which has limited his fantasy production to 14.73 points per game, ranking him 26th among QBs. He'll face a Washington defense that's been solid against opposing quarterbacks, ranking 13th in fantasy points allowed to the position and allowing only 12 passing TDs all season. Given Washington's sixth-ranked pass defense (186.8 yards per game), Jones projects as a low-ceiling option for fantasy managers, especially without a single 300-yard passing game this season.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor returned in Week 8 after a three-game absence, going over 100 yards rushing with a touchdown, and does not have an injury designation heading into Week 9. Unfortunately for Taylor, it will be hard to keep the momentum going against a stout Minnesota rush defense. The Vikings have held running backs to 83.9 rush yards per game and 3.9 yards per rush attempt, both third-best in the NFL. However, seven different backs have recorded three or more receptions against the Vikings through seven games and Taylor is a capable receiver. In the only game in which he and Joe Flacco played together this season, Taylor garnered four looks from the veteran QB, hauling in three of them for 20 yards. Still, with Minnesota allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, the Colts may prefer to attack with their top wideouts, leaving Taylor as a back-end RB1 for Week 9.