Fantasy Football News

Colts CB Sauce Gardner left Sunday's loss to the Titans with a calf injury that appears likely to cost him at least one more game. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Monday testing revealed a "mild" strain that "makes him week-to-week."

Colts second-round LB CJ Allen is opening training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Allen reportedly suffered a calf injury in a recent workout that's not expected to keep him out long.

The Colts are placing DT DeForest Buckner on IR for the neck injury that had already ruled him out for Sunday's game against the Falcons. with Indy's bye in Week 11, that means Buckner won't be eligible to play until at least Week 15 at Seattle.

Colts DT DeForest Buckner won't travel to Germany with the team for Sunday morning's game against the Falcons, according to multiple reports. Buckner's dealing with a neck injury. Fortunately, he'll get a Week 11 bye on the other side of this game to rest it. We'll see whether anything else comes out about Buckner missing further time.

The Colts have ruled CB Charvarius Ward out for Sunday's game against the Chargers with a concussion. That removes Indy's top corner for a matchup with a loaded set of receivers (assuming Quentin Johnston's ready to go). On the positive side, Colts CB Kenny Moore carries no game designation. That means he's ready to return after missing the past three games with an Achilles' injury.

Colts Edge Laiatu Latu is officially questionable for today's game against the Broncos because of a hamstring injury, but multiple reports say he's not expected to play. Latu missed practice Thursday and Friday after putting in a limited Wednesday workout.

Colts LB E.J. Speed will miss Sunday's game against the Titans with a knee injury.

Colts CB Kenny Moore II is questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans. But he appears on track to play. Moore progressed to a full practice Friday after missing the previous two games while dealing with hip and shoulder injuries. We'll see about his status over the weekend. Edge Kwity Paye (quad) also practiced in full Friday and is off the week's final injury report. That means he's ready to return after also missing the past two games. Both head toward a high-upside matchup with Tennessee.

The Colts have placed DT DeForest Buckner on IR after MRI confirmed a high-ankle sprain, according to Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star. That means Buckner will miss at least the next four games. The veteran had missed just one game because of injury through Week 2 of his ninth season (plus one more for a positive COVID test).

Colts DT DeForest Buckner played just 10 snaps in Sunday's loss to the Packers before leaving with a sprained right ankle. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the injury is "expected to make him a long-shot for next week." Indianapolis hosts the Bears on Sunday.

The Colts made Edge Laiatu Latu the first defensive pick of the NFL Draft with the 15th selection of Round 1. Latu had to medically retire from football in the middle of his college career because of a neck injury but returned to close out a highly productive run. He racked up 33.5 tackles for loss and 23.5 sacks across two seasons at UCLA. Latu then delivered a 95th-percentile speed score at 6’5, 259 pounds at the Scouting Combine. He could compete for starter-level snaps as a rookie with the Colts but won’t be a lock for such a role. Indy sports Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Dayo Odeyingbo at the position.

Colts CB Kenny Moore (back) is inactive for today's game against the Raiders. That leaves Indy without two starting DBs, after S Julian Blackmon recently landed on IR with a shoulder injury. That improves the matchup for Raiders WRs, but QB Aidan O'Connell keeps the group from being exciting.

Colts Edge Kwity Paye left Sunday's win over the Patriots with a hamstring injury. He's fortunate to get a Week 11 bye. We'll see about his status heading into Week 12.

The Colts have downgraded LB Zaire Franklin to doubtful for Sunday's game against the Panthers for the knee injury that kept him out of practice all week. That should leave Shaquille Leonard and E.J. Speed as the top two LBs for Indy in this game. Check our Week 9 LB rankings to see how high each has risen.

Colts LB Zaire Franklin missed his third straight practice Friday with a knee injury. Mike Chappell of Fox 59 in Indianapolis reports that Franklin will be a game-time decision. Unfortunately, that game carries a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. So we might not know Franklin's status until after the first set of Sunday games has begun. On top of that, Franklin figures to carry some re-injury risk even if active. It'll be scary to sit fantasy's No. 2 scoring LB (in most formats) for anyone if he's active. But we're moving Franklin down the Week 9 LB rankings for those risk factors. E.J. Speed would likely see full or near-full playing time if Franklin goes inactive.

Colts LB Zaire Franklin missed his second Thursday with a knee injury he sustained in Sunday's loss to the Saints. He returned quickly, though, and missed just two of Indy's defensive snaps for the game. That makes his practice absences a bit surprising. Friday should tell us whether they were more maintenance days of if Franklin is in danger of missing Sunday's clash with the Panthers. E.J. Speed would likely pick up more playing time if Zaire Franklin can't go and makes sense as a stash right now in deeper IDP leagues.

Colts LB Shaquille Leonard sustained a concussion in a joint practice with the Bears late last week and has landed in the league protocol. HC Shane Steichen said, "He should be back soon." Leonard has struggled with injuries over the past couple of years but has generated buzz in camp this summer. With plenty of time to rebound from this concussion before the regular season, Leonard should remain in your IDP draft plans. He's not moving off a high perch in our IDP rankings.

Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star reports that Colts LB Shaquille Leonard "is moving well and popping people" in practice so far. That's especially good news for the 28-year-old who lost basically all of last summer to a back injury that required surgery. Before that, Leonard was hampered by a nagging ankle issue that limited his practice time even as he was playing through it. At full health, Leonard has been a dominant scorer for IDP leagues. He opened the year inside the top 10 LBs in our IDP rankings. A healthy camp and preseason just might push the Colt even higher.

The Colts have placed EDGE Yannick Ngakoue on IR. He popped up on the injury report Friday with a throat issue that we haven't seen details for. He'll obviously miss the final 2 games now. Indy should remain in solid shape at the edge spots, with Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo as the starters. Both sit among our top 20 D-linemen in the Week 17 IDP rankings.

Colts EDGE Kwity Paye (ankle) put in a full practice Wednesday. That marks a big improvement after he missed all 3 days of practice last week, and then the game. Paye looks like he should be ready to face the Cowboys on Sunday night, though we'll watch him this week to confirm. CB Kenny Moore -- who left Monday night's game with a shin injury -- missed Wednesday's workout.