Team news: Indianapolis Colts | Page 4

Colts star RB Jonathan Taylor was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, sources say, thought it’s believed to be a pretty mild version. Indy will get a full report tomorrow, but in the words of one source, “He’s ok.”

Related players: Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson

There was nothing more in the post regarding a timetable but owners will want to monitor this situation, and we'll likely know more in the coming days. It's at least good news Taylor was said to be "ok" but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be ready to go in Week 5. With Anthony Richardson dealing with a hip injury, the Colts running game really took a hit in Week 4. Sermon is a must-add off the wire, especially if you're a Taylor owner. The Colts are at the Jags in an early game in Week 5 so owners will have time to adjust lineups.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson left Sunday’s game against the Steelers with a hip injury.

Richardson initially left, missed two plays, came back and left again. Joe Flacco is now in at quarterback. We’ll hope to find out more later on today.

Shane Steichen rules Julian Blackmon out versus Green Bay. Shane says he doesn't expect it to be a long term thing.

DeForest Buckner will be a game time decision - Shane optimistic he'll play. Adds Josh Downs will be a GTD also.

Matt Gay will kick.

Related Players: Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell

It's not a great matchup against a Packers team that looks to be starting Malik Willis, but Anthony Richardson once again proved that he's willing to throw bombs early and often. It'll be a coinflip as to whether Pierce or Mitchell is the one who will come down with a deep ball in Downs presumptive absence, but the correct guess could equate to a WR3 week. They are both extreme boom/bust options.

Colts tight end Jelani Woods will miss his second consecutive season.

Woods is going on season-ending injured reserve, according to TheAthletic.com.

Related players: Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Andrew Ogletree

Last year Woods missed the entire season with a hamstring injury. This year he’s out with a toe injury, the story said. There were high hopes for Woods this season as reports said he could take over the team's TE1 spot. The Colts will look to Granson, Alie-Cox or Ogletree will step up. Reports from earlier this summer said the Colts could use a lot of multiple-TE sets in 2024.

Colts TE Jelani Woods underwent successful surgery today for turf toe and will miss about four months. The team is hopeful that Woods can return around Christmas in time for a playoff push.

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

The Colts TE carousel continues. This should theoretically open the door for someone else to receive a heightened target share, but it's not enough to aim for any of the other options in typical redraft leagues.

The Eagles released veteran TE C.J. Uzomah.

Related Players: Grant Calcaterra, Albert Okwuegbunam

It's tough to say who would benefit if Dallas Goedert missed any time, but it looks like the team is content with rolling Calcaterra and Albert O if Goedert leaves the field. Neither should be on fantasy radars.

Jelani Woods is expected to undergo surgery on his toe, according to a source.

Related players: Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox

There is no word on how long Woods will be out but it's a big blow to his fantasy stock. Woods was expected to grab the Colts TE1 job but had an up and down camp and never really stood out like he was expected to. Granson and Alie-Cox are up next and the Colts are expected to use several tight ends this year, according to a report from a few weeks ago, but it remains to be seen just who stands out for fantasy purposes.

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.