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Indianapolis Colts Late August Scouting Report
Chris Rito
8/28/2018
Hey there Colts fans! Here is my final report on the Colts during the preseason.
Roster: the Colts made a few moves today to bolster their defensive depth. Over the weekend, they traded potential staring LB Antonio Morrison to the Packers for CB Lenzy Pipkins. While Pipkins is surely only for secondary depth, it was apparent that Morrison had fallen out of favor with the coaching staff here and was struggling with his role in the 4-3 defense after leading the team in tackles last season. Pipkins is a young guy with minimal experience, but according to HC Frank Reich he has outstanding technique and they like what he brings. Also, they signed journeyman free agent LB Brandon Chubb (not to be confused with the Broncos’ top draft pick Bradley Chubb). Again this looks like a fit-based depth move as he surely does not offer an upgrade to the starting rotation over Morrison. My guess is that the solid play of rookie LB Darius Leonard gave the team the confidence to deal Morrison away. As far as potential fantasy players go, the most interesting Colt was dynasty-league darling WR Deon Cain who was lost for the season to a knee injury in the first preseason game. He was pushing WR Chester Rogers for the #3 role, and was certainly going to be a red zone option with his size and leaping ability. Dynasty league owners should still keep an eye on him, but he will be a nonfactor this year and does hurt Luck’s potential a tiny bit.
Injuries: Starting OT Anthony Costanzo is still nursing a tender hamstring, but allegedly is on track to start the opener in a few weeks. The other likely starting tackle is OL Denzelle Good who made his first appearance of the preseason on Saturday only to leave the game with a separate injury (knee). There is a whole lot of uncertainty on the right side of the line, as both tackle and guard are up for grabs right now and no one can seem to stay healthy enough to claim the job. Some fans got a little bit of a scare when QB Andrew Luck was held out of practice today with a sore foot, but Reich said it was a precautionary move and he would have practiced or played if this was the regular season. The biggest injury concern of fantasy relevance is the hamstring injury to putative starting RB Marlon Mack. As of now, his availability for the opening game is in doubt, and with backup RB Robert Turbin suspended for the first few weeks that leaves nothing but somewhat limited rookies in the backfield plus journeyman RB Christine Michael. On the defensive side of the ball, there are a bunch of little nagging injuries, but none appear to be very serious as of the moment. The biggest concern was veteran LB John Simon who suffered a neck injury that forced him from the last preseason game. You may recall that Simon missed much of last season with a neck injury as well, so this was concerning; thankfully he was back at practice today and all seems to be well. Simon has been one of the few defensive highlights in the preseason, even though many doubted his ability to adapt to his role in the 4-3 defense.
Fringe players: Rookie WR Zach Pascal has turned heads throughout the preseason on special teams as both a gunner and a returner, especially on the coverage units. With the injury to Cain there is a spot for some #4 and #5 receivers, and Pascal has probably earned a spot on the roster with his versatility and effort thus far. With the weak pass catching options in Indy, every potential receiver is worth watching on the waiver wire eventually, although Pascal is certainly unrosterable even in a dynasty league now. He may be a potential punt returner though, so if you are in leagues that use return yardage, you might want to keep his name in mind for later on. As far as the running back position, I would bet that rookie RB Jordan Wilkins will be the main man should Mack remain sidelined. Fellow rookie RB Nyheim Hines still looks a bit overwhelmed even as a return man, and might be last on the depth chart at RB behind Wilkins and Michael right now.
Season outlook: From what I have seen in training camp and the preseason action involving the starters…this is going to be another long season. And while the team could and should do better than the 4-12 record they sported last season, I have a feeling that there will not be a lot of fantasy utility on this roster. First of all, I would not trust ANY of the running backs unless Turbin clearly claims the main role upon his return from suspension. The only receiver that is even worth a roster spot is WR TY Hilton, and he has not fared well with the double coverage which he is sure to see weekly; as a result, his ADP is likely too high for what he can achieve statistically and I would much rather have him as a #2 than as a #1 option on my roster. TE Jack Doyle likewise is getting drafted WAY too high for what I have seen his role becoming, as it looks like he will take a backseat in the offense to TE Eric Ebron. Look no further than Ebron’s 5-54-1 stat line (on 5 targets) with Luck and the first unit and the total absence of action for Doyle to see that they really want to make Ebron a focal point of the offense. Barring injury, I would bet that Ebron outscores Doyle in any scoring format this year, although their draft position says otherwise. The defense is terrible and is the 32nd rated fantasy defense in my opinion, and will be shredded on the ground and by the tight end all season. Their weakness will also force a lot of Andrew Luck passing as the season progresses; unfortunately, the offense will be a tremendous amount of dink and dunk so his total yardage numbers and YPA will be down from his glory years before the injury. This is due to the new offensive philosophy, not to any health concerns with the shoulder. PK Adam Vinatieri remains a solid fantasy K that can be had in the last round and that will likely put up starting fantasy points every week.
That is all for now from the Crossroads of America and Colts’ training camp. The next time you hear from me it will be a preview of the opening game against the Bengals! Until then, friends….good luck in your fantasy drafts and enjoy the onset of football season!
End.
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