Team news: Indianapolis Colts | Page 6

Browns’ QB Joe Flacco will start Sunday vs. the Rams.

Related Players: P.J. Walker

We last saw Flacco in New York when he started four games for the Jets last season. He threw five touchdowns (four coming in one game), three interceptions and completed 57.6% of his pass attempts for 5.5 yards per attempt.
There should be a better option on your waiver wire, but he's not taking off with the ball, which adds a little bit of a fantasy floor for David Njoku and Amari Cooper.

With Browns’ QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson now in concussion protocol, Joe Flacco has been taking snaps as Cleveland’s QB1 in practice and could start Sunday vs. the Rams.

Related Players: P.J. Walker

What a world. We last saw Flacco in New York when he started four games for the Jets last season. He threw five touchdowns (four coming in one game), three interceptions and completed 57.6% of his pass attempts for 5.5 yards per attempt.
There should be a better option on your waiver wire, but he's not taking off with the ball, which adds a little bit of a fantasy floor for David Njoku and Amari Cooper.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is having thumb surgery and will miss a few weeks, meaning Zack Moss is RB1 once again.

Moss will return into his huge early-season load, and should be considered a must-start in all formats until Taylor returns.

Colts owner Jim Irsay confirms the thumb injury and that Jonathan Taylor will have surgery tomorrow and miss a couple weeks.

Related players: Zack Moss

We reported the possible missed time with the thumb injury earlier today, and that's now confirmed. Taylor injured the thumb last week but did come back to the game. Today, sources said they were further evaluating the injury. Rapoport added a source said no decision was made on Injured Reserve as of yet. But, it’s possible, and will be decided later this week. Obviously, if the Colts think Taylor will only miss the couple of weeks, he'll avoid the IR, but a trip to IR means he'll miss four games. Moss will be a must-add if he's on your waiver wire.

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor just recorded his first multi-touchdown game 2021 in Sunday’s victory over the Buccaneers. But now he may be sidelined as Indianapolis tries to make a playoff push.

Taylor suffered a thumb injury that requires further evaluation and puts his status in doubt going forward, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Related players: Zack Moss, Trey Sermon

The good news is, Taylor sustained the injury in the first half and was able to play through the second half. He finished the game with 15 carries for 91 yards with two TDs. Owners will want to monitor his status leading up to this week's game at the Titans, which is an early contest. If Taylor can't go, Moss would likely see a bulk of the work and has proven to be pretty good as the lead back. You may want to grab Moss if he fell back on your waiver wire.

The Browns (7-4) are fighting for a playoff spot and trying to find any real answer for their reeling offense. So, yes — full Allen Iverson voice — we’re talking about practice and specifically about the importance of maximizing their chances to build a strong game plan inside their temporary West Coast headquarters this week.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson had shown growth and an improved comfort level in Denver before suffering the concussion, but the Browns weren’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard. P.J. Walker did little in relief except turn it over and take a safety. And, frankly, the game was pretty much over by the time he could get loose. Nothing Stefanski has done or said indicates he wants to go back to Walker, but he might have to.

Related players: Joe Flacco

Flacco is the wild card. If DTR can't clear protocol, it's possible Flacco could get the start. But the bigger question is can the team get Flacco ready in time and can he quickly develop chemistry with the receivers. Flacco isn’t mobile, but he’s always had a big arm. The story said he was not in a training camp and had been at home in New Jersey awaiting the kind of call he received from the Browns. The story added Walker hasn’t been afraid to throw downfield, but he’s completing only 48.6 percent of his passes and has thrown five interceptions and just one touchdown. No matter who starts at this point, they aren't necessarily a great fantasy option in typical leagues. However in deeper, two QB or superflex leagues, there is always a need for a starting QB who may be on the waiver wire.

Despite not practicing at all this week, Colts rookie WR Josh Downs (knee) is questionable to play on Sunday against the Patriots.

Related Players: Alec Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr., Isaiah McKenzie

Not looking great for Downs, who is in the midst of an impressive rookie campaign. It's possible that second-year option Alec Pierce could get a little more of the target share after being phased-out of first-read routes here in his rookie season.

Colts WR Josh Downs is out for the rest of Sunday's game against the Panthers with a knee injury.

Downs was already limited going into the game. He wasn't 100 percent but gave it a go today. He caught one pass for 10 yards as the Colts are in complete control in Carolina, who continue to close in on sending the Bears a likely top-3 pick and maybe No. 1 overall.

On Monday, head coach Shane Steichen said that he is “always self-evaluating everything” and said there were “absolutely” chances to run the ball after watching the film of the loss but that the scoreboard helped dictate the move in the other direction.

“Sometimes the game, the flow of the game will kind of dictate how it’s called there,” Steichen said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “You’re down two scores in the fourth quarter. Could I have popped a run in there? Absolutely, but I decided to throw it there towards the end.”

Related players: Jonathan Taylor, Zack Moss

The story went on to say Taylor had 11 carries for 94 yards over the first two quarters, but he didn’t get much of an opportunity to build on it in the second half. Taylor ran once for a yard on the first play of the third quarter, but the Colts went with Moss as their back on the next possession and then went three-and-out with three passes to open the fourth quarter. The Saints would go up 15 points before the next Colts drive and running was off the table for the rest of the 38-27 loss.