Team news: Indianapolis Colts | Page 3

Who emerges as the No. 2 running back? On the early downs, Trey Sermon probably needs to be viewed as the favorite there, although a hamstring injury in the preseason opener opened the door for some valuable practice reps to the likes of Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson. The overall running back depth chart remains very much “in pencil” with Jonathan Taylor the obvious bellcow.

There aren't a lot of household names behind Taylor. Even though Hull was a rookie last year who missed most of the season, it looks like Sermon could open up as the backup to Taylor. Given Taylor has had his share of injuries over his career, targeting his handcuff late in drafts may be a good idea.

Colts WR Josh Downs, who’s had a great camp, was just tackled to the ground and came up with an apparent ankle injury. Had to helped off the field and did not put weight on the lower leg.

Related Players: Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell

The 3-wide set has been Pittman, Downs, and Pierce throughout camp, with Downs seemingly locked into the No. 2 role. If Downs ends up missing time, this will allow rookie Adonai Mitchell to see the field more often, regardless of his progression ahead of Year 1. This would be a huge boost to his fantasy stock considering he was trending towards a rotational role.

Head coach Shane Steichen said that that the team will not ask Anthony Richardson to run the ball less often and owner Jim Irsay said on Sunday that he’s on board when it comes to wanting Richardson to play his game rather than limit himself due to the risk of injury.

“I really don’t,” Irsay said, via Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star. “That tackle that happened, it could happen at any time. It’s a physical game. He has to seize the opportunity to use his feet when he can and protect himself as well. He knows that."

Richardson’s ability to make plays with his feet as well as his arm is a big reason why the Colts drafted him early in the first round in 2023, so it’s not surprising that they still want that to be a part of his game, the story went on to say. Richardson is ranked sixth on our QB list entering the season, despite playing just two full games. While we may not know everything about Richardson yet, he flashed the ability of fantasy stardom with seven touchdowns in about 2.5 total games of action last season.

The best-case scenario, in my opinion, would be if Jelani Woods puts together a huge training camp and earns the starting job. The 25-year-old missed all of last year due to repeated hamstring injuries and revamped his body this offseason in hopes of staying healthy. If Woods can remain on the field, he’s the one tight end on Indianapolis’ roster who has all of the physical tools to be a constant mismatch, while creating explosive plays and blocking well enough to stay on the field.

Related Players: Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory, Drew Ogletree

The Colts once again have a huge swath of tight ends on the roster, but we have to assume those names will be pared down by the 53-man roster cuts. Woods had a literal 10/10 RAS score while coming out of the 2022 NFL Draft, setting a record for the highest score out of the 997 tight ends who tested between 1987-2022. He can be a legit fantasy asset if he's the clear-cut TE1, and should be on streaming radars if that ends up being the case.

The Colts’ most intriguing position battle throughout training camp will be at wide receiver, with Alec Pierce and rookie Adonai Mitchell battling to secure the third spot alongside Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs.

Boyd surmises that Pierce may have "plateaued", which gives us insight into why the Colts targeted Mitchell in the second round of the NFL Draft. Even if the rookie wins the job, Mitchell's place in redraft leagues is iffy at best. He currently ranks outside the top-80 in 4for4's rankings.

Colts GM Chris Ballard told reporters that QB Anthony Richardson will be a full go during training camp. “I'm not expecting any limitations right now,” Ballard said.

Related Players: Joe Flacco

We're not expecting anything to keep Richardson off the field come Week 1, making him a possible top-5 QB option in fantasy football.

The Colts have left their top tight end role open to Jelani Woods, and if his offseason work to reshape his lower half can create a sustainable year, he could break out in the biggest of ways with a play designer like Shane Steichen and a downfield quarterback like Anthony Richardson in a run-heavy, play-action-heavy offense.

It's the second-straight day for Woods hype. On Monday, we reported the Colts could use a lot of three-TE sets this season, but it would be Woods who has the biggest upside and the potential to break out. As this story pointed out, it's not hard to picture Woods excelling on Steichen's tight end screens, in the run-pass-option game and up the seam when safeties commit to Michael Pittman Jr. Woods is just 29th on our TE list, and while he could climb as we get closer to drafts, it looks like he should be available late in fantasy drafts this year for those who want to take a chance on that breakout.

Jelani Woods missed all of the 2023 season due to hamstring injuries, but he offers something none of the other tight ends have shown, an impressive size-speed combination that could make him a devastating downfield target.

Indianapolis will likely use at least three tight ends heavily on offense this season.

Related players: Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell, Alec Pierce, Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory, Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor

Pittman and Downs are the team's top-two WRs with rookie Mitchell and Pierce also battling it out for time. Granson led the way at TE last year but as the story said Woods has the potential to bust out. The use of three TEs certainly indicates the Colts are going to be run-heavy this season. However, any of the team's TEs could be passing options as well in that formation, so the situation is worth monitoring this summer.

Indianapolis could still make a move. However, for now, it appears the team is content with former third-round pick Trey Sermon stepping in as the second-stringer. Evan Hull appeared in just one game last year as a rookie due to a torn left MCL, but he was a good pass catcher coming out of Northwestern and will have a shot to supplant Tyler Goodson in that role with the Colts if he has a big summer.

We've been down this road before. Sermon earned 41 carries in his rookie season with the 49ers, before heading to the Eagles to notch exactly two more. He got the nod for a majority role last season in Week 15 and performed well, turning 17 attempts into 88 yards. We wouldn't suggest making any moves in redraft or best ball leagues for now, but a deep dynasty stash would make sense.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was held out of Thursday's final offseason practice with right shoulder soreness, but the second-year player and coach Shane Steichen both insisted the decision was purely precautionary.

Richardson sustained an AC joint sprain last season that required season-ending surgery, but he recovered quickly and has been the Colts' starting quarterback throughout this spring's workouts. He was seen with trainers midway through Wednesday's practice, addressing the shoulder before returning to the lineup briefly and then giving way to backup Joe Flacco in the final period.

Richardson began throwing a few months ago, so this isn't a huge concern for just a single day. We'll keep an eye on the situation but don't believe it's going to keep him out of Week 1 action.