Indianapolis Colts DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell will make his pro debut on Sunday when the Colts host the Houston Texans. The second round pick out of Texas is coming off a collegiate season where he grabbed 55 catches for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Longhorns. The rookie brings a ton of speed and versatility to the table, and will likely be a solid target when paired up with QB Anthony Richardson's big arm. With the injury to Josh Downs (ankle) Mitchell is in line for a starting spot, but his floor isn't safe enough to provide fantasy managers with confidence for his career debut. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues in need of a flex option can give Mitchell a look, but most fantasy managers should be waiting to see how he performs in his first few games before throwing him into lineups.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is coming off an underwhelming 2023 season where he missed time but appears to be all set for the 2024 campaign. He'll start things off on Sunday when the Colts host the Houston Texans in an AFC South clash. Taylor has historically performed great against the Texans, averaging 135.2 yards/per game with eight total touchdowns in the six games played. Taylor is also up for a huge workload, as Indy has used him in year's past. The Texans were a middle of the pack matchup for fantasy RBs last season, allowing the 16th most points to the position. Given that Taylor is fully healthy, has little competition in the backfield, and his history facing the Texans, he is a must-start for fantasy owners this weekend.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is coming off a career season in 2023 where he grabbed 109 catches for 1152 yards and four touchdowns. He'll look to follow up his strong campaign on Sunday when the Colts host the Houston Texans. Pittman was quietly one of the most targeted receivers in football last season, seeing an influx of volume when the team turned to QB Gardner Minshew after QB Anthony Richardson's injury. He's in line for a decent matchup against the Texans, a team that was in the bottom-half of fantasy points allowed to receivers and the bottom-ten of receiving yards allowed last season. While it's unclear how much passing volume the Colts will implement, Pittman will likely be Richardson's No. 1 target and makes him a strong start this week. Fantasy managers should target Pittman as high-end WR2/low-end WR1 this week.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson gears up for his second season in the NFL when the Colts host the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon. The former Florida Gator is expected to be fully healthy after missing the majority of his rookie campaign with a shoulder injury. All the stars have aligned for Richardson to have a breakout fantasy year with Indy's strong offensive line, quality skill position players, and HC Shane Steichen's play calling. He enters a favorable matchup on Sunday against the Texans, a team that allowed the tenth most fantasy points to QBs as well as the tenth most passing yards last season. The game also provides some shootout potential, furthering the case for Richardson to have a strong fantasy outing. Richardson is a must-start in all formats, and has a shot to finish as the QB1 in Week 1.

The Indianapolis Colts elevated rookie kicker Spencer Shrader and cornerback Chris Lammons from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster on Saturday in advance of the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the division-rival Houston Texans. This is a clear sign that starting kicker Matt Gay (hernia), who is listed as questionable for Week 1, will end up being inactive on Sunday morning after he recently underwent surgery for a sports hernia. Gay is questionable to kick on Sunday, but he missed practice all week and is probably more doubtful than anything. Fantasy managers that were planning to use Gay in Week 1 should have already been looking for other options this weekend. Rolling with Shrader in his first NFL game would be unwise given all the other options available on the waiver wire.