Hines questionable for Week 6

Colts RB Nyheim Hines (concussion) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Jaguars. He graduated to a full practice on Friday, so it looks like he has a good chance to be cleared by Sunday. Hines, of course, will only be a fantasy option if he plays and RB Jonathan Taylor doesn’t.

The Bills are acquiring RB Nyheim Hines from the Colts, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The move continues Buffalo's pursuit of an upgrade at receiving back. The timing -- after a solid game from James Cook -- points to the Bills not believing the rookie is ready for a bigger role. Hines brings more proven NFL ability as a runner. He figures to challenge the playing time of RB Devin Singletary as well. It should be an upgrade in opportunity for Hines, who sits just 68th among RBs in opportunity share for his 2022 games with Indy. He garnered a stronger 11.8% target share in his 5 healthy games. Buffalo ranks 5th in the league in pass attempts but just 16th in RB receptions. We'll see whether that shifts at all with Hines around. Hines is signed through 2024 but has 2 cuttable years beyond this one. His arrival hurts the short-term outlook for Cook, though there's a chance Buffalo moves on from Hines after this year. The Bills are sending RB Zack Moss and a conditional 6th-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Colts. Moss has a chance to push past Deon Jackson on the Indy depth chart, but that's far from a sure thing.

Colts RB Nyheim Hines (concussion) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. That means he's made progress through the protocol and has a chance to be cleared for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. We'll get another update on his status tomorrow.

Colts RB Nyheim Hines sustained an apparent concussion on the 1st series of Thursday night's game vs. the Broncos. Hines stumbled as he tried to get off the field. So, after what happened recently with Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, don't expect to see Hines back on the field tonight. That'll leave the Colts with RBs Phillip Lindsay and Deon Jackson.

Update: Hines has a concussion and is out for the rest of the game.

There has been plenty of buzz about the Colts planning better production for RB Nyheim Hines this season. One key factor in making that happen should be his usage in WR spots. Here's what OC Marcus Brady had to say back ahead of training camp, according to SI.com's Horseshoe Huddle: "We can put Nyheim in the slot and run routes. He runs routes like receivers well. We're going to spread him out. ... Nyheim's ability to play both [RB and WR] essentially allows us to be a little more creative." Hines hit career lows in targets, receptions and yards last season, despite the extra game. His route rate also dipped to a career low, according to Pro Football Focus, with a career-high percentage of his time spent pass-blocking. But the Colts also jumped Hines' time in the slot to a carer-high 23.2% from a previous high of 11.8% (and just 8.9% in 2020). In total, Hines lined up at WR on 36.7% of snaps, vs. a previous high of 25.9% in 2019. It's clear that coaches are expecting QB Matt Ryan to leverage Hines' receiving skills more than Carson Wentz did. The WR usage explains how Hines can get a boost without hurting Jonathan Taylor's opportunity.

The Athletic's Zak Keefer expects RB Nyheim Hines to be used "substantially more" this year than last. "It’s been obvious from the install days over the past week how much usage he’ll get, both with Jonathan Taylor on the field and off it," Keefer adds. "Hines has been heavily involved in the run and pass games." We don't expect Hines to steal much, if any, rushing work from Taylor. But his role should rebound in the passing game after he averaged a career low 2.4 catches and 18.2 receiving yards per game last year. Consider Hines a nice RB4 target in PPR drafts.