Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Colts HC Shane Steichen said Monday that rookie RB Evan Hull "could miss some time" with the knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. That obviously doesn't tell us much. But it sounds like the kind of thing a coach says when he doesn't expect a player back soon. Hull's absence leaves Deon Jackson in charge of the backfield, which he led with 18 touches for a meager 28 total yards in Week 1. Jake Funk looks like the No. 2 for now. Zack Moss should be back soon, though. And, of course, Jonathan Taylor is eligible to return in Week 5. The Colts also have Jason Huntley on the practice squad. Unless you play in a deep league, Hull looks droppable for help from the waiver wire this week.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson bruised his left knee in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars but "will be fine," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. We'll see whether that means Richardson will be ready for a Week 2 visit to Houston. QB Gardner Minshew took over for the final few plays against Jacksonville.

Colts WR Michael Pittman led the Colts with 11 targets, eight catches, 97 yards, and a score in Sunday's loss to the Colts. Those 11 targets were a big 29.7% of the team total. Pittman's TD came on a 39-yard screen, flashing some impressive speed to beat the angles of a few Jaguars defenders. He's a big fantasy winner of Week 1. Pittman looks like the Colts' clear No. 1 WR -- AND it looks like this passing game will be more aggressive and productive than we initially thought.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson scored once through the air and once on the ground in the Week 1 loss to Jacksonville. He was solid as a passer, completing 24 of 37 attempts (64.9%) for 223 yards (6.0 YPA), 1 TD, and 1 INT. And he was busy as a rusher, carrying 10 times for 40 yards and the TD. About half of those runs were designed, including the 2-yard score. Richardson became the first rookie in NFL history with 200+ passing yards, 40+ rushing yards, one pass TD, and one rush TD in his debut, according to StatMuse. Expect plenty of these types of stat lines from Richardson this season, which would make him a top-10 fantasy QB. He did leave Sunday's game with about a minute left with a lower-body injury, but HC Shane Steichen said afterward that Richardson is fine.

Colts RB Evan Hull was knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars with a knee injury. That leaves all the backfield work to RB Deon Jackson for the rest of this one. We'll update Hull's status when we know more.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) is "planning to be ready to play as early as Week 5," ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That's when Taylor is first eligible to come off the PUP list. Taylor is "going to pass his physical and could pass it today," Schefter adds. We'll see whether Taylor is still on Indianapolis' roster come Week 5. The passed physical could make it more likely he's traded, although it sounds like the Colts have been asking for too much in return.

Discussing the decision to put RB Jonathan Taylor on the PUP list, Colts GM Chris Ballard said that Taylor is still "complaining of pain in the ankle." Taylor underwent surgery way back in January. It's impossible to know whether that ankle is actually still giving him trouble, or if it's just being used as an excuse to keep him off the field amid the contract squabble. Regardless, we know that Taylor will miss at least the first four games of the 2023 campaign. We're guessing that the ankle issue will be behind him by Week 5.

The Colts placed TE Jelani Woods (hamstring) on IR, knocking him out for at least the first four games of the season. Woods missed most of the offseason with hamstring trouble. He flashed as a rookie and is a nice stash on dynasty rosters. But Woods is not worth rostering in redraft right now.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) will remain on the PUP list, knocking him out for the first four games of the season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Taylor would be forced to stay on the PUP list even if he's traded. At least two teams have made trade offers for Taylor, but no deal has materialized yet. Keeping Taylor on the PUP list undoubtedly hurts his trade value, making it a curious move by the Colts. We'll continue to keep a close eye on this situation, but Taylor's 2023 fantasy value obviously takes a significant hit with this news. The Colts are now set to enter the season with RBs Zack Moss (who's still working back from a broken arm), Evan Hull, and Deon Jackson. See how the Taylor news has altered the RB rankings.

The Eagles released RB Trey Sermon. Philly will carry RBs D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, and Boston Scott into Week 1. We're expecting that to be the order in terms of snaps to start. But this figures to be an ever-evolving backfield throughout the season.

Colts TE Jelani Woods still hasn't returned to practice after going down with a hamstring injury on the fourth day of training camp. He also missed much of the spring with hamstring trouble. "Hopefully sooner than later," HC Shane Steichen said Monday when asked when Woods would be back. We'll see if Woods lands on the active roster or is placed on reserve/PUP to open the season. He remains an intriguing talent but won't be an early-season fantasy option.

On Monday, CBS Sports' Josina Anderson tweeted that "at least two teams are still actively working to construct" a deal to acquire Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. Various reports have confirmed one of the teams in on Taylor is the Dolphins, while the other is unknown. Anderson also adds these teams are "willing to give Taylor a market contract," a notable piece of information given the clash he and Colts owner Jim Irsay had earlier this month surrounding a lack of a long-term deal. ESPN's Stephen Holder reported last week that the team has given Taylor until this Tuesday to find a trade partner, so we'll know soon how this situation resolves. Stay tuned for further updates.

The Dolphins are one of two teams that have made a trade offer for Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, according to The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. The Dolphins' offer was not accepted, obviously, but the team continues to engage in talks with Indianapolis, per Jackson. We'll see where this goes. Miami would be an excellent landing spot for Taylor's fantasy value -- and crush RBs Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert.

This coming Tuesday, August 29, is a big day for Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. ESPN's Stephen Holder reports that the team has given Taylor until Tuesday to find a trade partner. Two teams have already submitted offers to the Colts, per Holder, although it's unclear if either is close to what the Colts are looking for. Tuesday is also when teams must decide what to do with players on the active/PUP list, as Taylor is. Taylor will either need to be activated to the 53-man roster, or move to reserve/PUP, which would cost him the first four weeks of the season. We'll have a much better idea of Taylor's 2023 fantasy outlook by the end of Tuesday. Stay tuned.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Colts have given RB Jonathan Taylor permission to seek a trade. He adds that "conversations to find potential landing spots are ongoing." Although the RB market is tough everywhere, we'd be surprised if the Colts and Taylor can't find a suitor. Of course, cost will be a huge factor -- potentially both in trade terms and Taylor's contract demands. Exactly where he lands will have a huge fantasy impact: on Taylor's outlook, on the Colts' remaining RB depth chart, and on any new backfield mates. We'll be watching closely for developments here.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is away from the team again. The team announced that he "returned to Indianapolis to continue his rehab, however he had a personal matter arise." The Colts also called the absence excused. Just like you, we'll keep watching this situation and hoping for some resolution. All the reported ankle rehab certainly can't be a good thing for Taylor's outlook.

Colts HC Shane Steichen announced Tuesday morning that they've named QB Anthony Richardson the regular-season starter. It's not a surprising move, but it's noteworthy that Steichen announced it after just one preseason game. Whether that signals more confidence in how far along Richardson already is or just a desire to commit to him earlier doesn't really matter. Richardson also doesn't need to be as "good" at football as most QBs to contribute fantasy value. Even with sack yardage subtracted (per college stat practice), Richardson still averaged 54.5 rushing yards per game across 12 starts in his only full season as Florida's starter. Combine that with a big arm and displayed aptitude for throwing deep, and you have a QB with immediate upside into the top 12. Check our fantasy football QB rankings to see where Richardson lands after this announcement.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is back with the team. "He remains on PUP and his stance has not changed," Rapoport says. "But he has returned." The report says Taylor left the team for "additional rehab on his ankle." If that's the whole truth, it doesn't bode well for his injury risk headed into the season. Taylor gets a "high risk" designation from our Injury Predictor. Of course, he also comes with a high fantasy ceiling if fully healthy and should operate as a workhorse. Taylor has moved down our RB rankings through this saga. He's an upside pick in Round 3, though.

Colts HC Shane Steichen says we should expect to see RB Jonathan Taylor back on the field soon. "He should be back this week," Steichen said Sunday, according to NFL.com. "Do I know the exact date that he'll be back? No. But he should be back." Taylor, of course, has been quarreling with the team over his contract. There have also been reports that he's still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but it's tough to tell how true that aspect is. Fingers crossed we find out this week. Taylor has moved down our RB rankings since the start of training camp. But he has also made it into the third round in ADP recently.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson will start Saturday's preseason opener vs. the Bills, HC Shane Steichen said. That's certainly not a bad sign for Richardson's chances of earning the Week 1 starting nod. The rookie has seemingly had more ups than downs in camp so far and remains a high-ceiling fantasy pick.