Cuando miras a los Indianapolis Colts de 2021, está claro que no están muy lejos de competir; especialmente dentro de la AFC Sur. Al entrar en la temporada 2022, deberían ser considerados uno de los dos mejores equipos de la división. Desafortunadamente, tienen algunos agujeros importantes que llenar para alcanzar un nivel de campeonato en el futuro.
mariscales de campo
Frank Reich could not pass up the opportunity to replace Philip Rivers with Carson Wentz. The Indianapolis Colts traded their 2021 3rd round pick and a 2022 conditional 1st round pick for Carson Wentz. The conditional pick would become a 2nd rounder unless Wentz played 70% of the snaps and made the playoffs, or if he played at least 75% of the snaps. Even though the Colts missed the playoffs, Wentz played 98% of the snaps. So ultimately the Colts traded their 2021 3rd round pick and their 2022 1st round pick for Carson Wentz.
Even though Wentz started 17 games he only threw for 3563 yards and 27 touchdowns. He threw 7 interceptions matching his previous season low. But the interceptions had an impact on the Colts playoff chances. Out of his 7 interceptions, 6 came in Colts losses. Wentz threw at least 1 interception in three games that the Colts lost by 1 score or less. Wentz absolutely played a part in the Colts missing the playoffs and the management group remembered that early this offseason.
The Indianpolis Colts started the offseason by trading Wentz and a 2nd round pick to the Washington Commanders. In exchange the Colts are receiving a 2022 2nd and 3rd round pick as well as a 2023 3rd that could turn into a 2nd. Just a few weeks later the Colts made their move and found their QB for the 2022 season, Matt Ryan.
Bridge QB
All offseason there have been rumors that the Indianapolis Colts were attempting to trade for Jimmy Garopollo. But with the fallout of the Deshaun Watson trade to Cleveland, two new names emerged as potential trade targets. Baker Mayfield expressed interest in the team. The Colts ultimately traded for the 37-year old veteran Matt Ryan. The Colts received Ryan in exchange for the 82nd pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
wow, so the Colts…
• added Matt Ryan
• lost Carson Wentz
• weren't forced to extend Ryan's deal
• gained a 3rd that may be a 2nd
• made ATL eat $40,525,000 dead cap*
• lowered Ryan's 2022 cap hit to $28M, less than Carson Wentz's*largest in NFL history
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 21, 2022
Ryan is only under contract through the 2023 season; so this feels like more of a bridge move to help them stay competitive this season. With that being said, I think that Matt Ryan is a slight upgrade over Carson Wentz for the Colts and fantasy managers.
The Falcons may not have been a great team in 2021, but Ryan made almost all of his pass-catchers fantasy relevant at different points during the season. Ryan missed the 4000 passing yard mark for the first time since 2010 and passed for at least 20 touchdowns for the 13th time in his career. Ryan is definitely past his prime, but in 2021 he completed 67% of his passes with a fairly unproven group of pass-catchers.
With a move to the Colts, he will have a top option in Michael Pittman. With this option, a big tight end target, and a couple great options out of the backfield, Ryan should be a solid late round QB in most fantasy football drafts. He is going to be an ideal QB2 in super-flex leagues this season due to his safe play style and guaranteed pass attempts.
I am excited to watch the new phase of Matt Ryan’s career evolve. If he can put together a couple decent seasons he should be an extension candidate for the Colts who can push their QB decision down the road even longer.
Running Backs
According to PFF, the Colts had the 12th best offensive line unit; but they were only this low because of their performance in pass protection. They were dominant in run blocking, which allowed the Colts to have the 2nd most rushing yards in the NFL in 2021. Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in rushing yards with 1811 yards. The next highest rusher on the team was Nyheim Hines with just 276 yards. In addition to leading the league in rushing yards, Taylor led the league in rushing attempts and rushing touchdowns. Even with such a huge workload, Taylor was still able to rush for 5.5 yards per attempt.
In the Trenches
There will likely be some turnover on the offensive line. They should have three primary starters returning for the 2022 season, so don’t expect much of a drop in production from the running backs. There is not a major need to add another running back. Expect a day three draft pick or veteran signing for depth purposes.
Even if Taylor sees a slight drop in touches or efficiency he should still be in consideration for the first overall pick in fantasy leagues. He rushed for over 500 yards more than the next closest running back and was one of 8 running backs to have over 10 rushing touchdowns. In addition to his rushing usage, we can also expect him to be involved in the passing game again.
Hines will probably seem like a value at the end of drafts this year. But if Taylor sees an increase in passing work then Hines will start to lose valuable touches. Essentially eliminating his potential to find his way into your starting lineups. Hines was the primary punt returner so I would expect that same role in 2022. Unfortunately, in most leagues punt returns do not create any fantasy points. He is likely just to become a roster clogger and prevent you from making waiver wire moves that could actually help your team.
Wide Receivers
With poor quarterback play in 2021 it is not surprising that the Indianpolis Colts were at the bottom of the league in receiving yards. But even with that Michael Pittman was able to eclipse the 1000 yard mark for the first time in his career. His 1082 yards and 6 touchdowns were enough to get Pittman to WR15 in Half-PPR scoring. According to FantasyPros ADP, Pittman was the 43rd WR off the board in 2021. Even though there were questions at the QB position fantasy managers who drafted Pittman last year were rewarded in a big way.
Outside of Pittman, there were some other flashes at the WR position. But no one really stayed relevant for very long at all. Zach Pascal had a great start to the season with back-to-back games with a touchdown. But he failed to score another touchdown or surpass 60 receiving yards in a single game again. Even though T.Y. Hilton missed the majority of the season due to injury and had a decent playoff push for fantasy managers. Hilton had touchdowns in the semifinals and the championship week.
Indianapolis Colts vs WR Talent
There are going to be several changes at WR for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. The only WR of note still on the roster is Michael Pittman. I am looking forward to another year of improvement from him this season with Matt Ryan under center.
Aside from Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell is the most noteworthy WR still under contract by the Colts in 2022. Parris Campbell has struggled with injuries throughout the first three years of his career. Campbell has only played in 15 games through his first three seasons. But it appears that the team is still hopeful that he can play at a high level. During the draft the Indianapolis Colts GM, Chris Ballard, said the following, indicating that Parris will be in contention for the WR2/3 position, but they will be adding competition.
Chris Ballard: "I don't want to forget about Parris Campbell – He has had some bad luck!" pic.twitter.com/EExxPNS0tq
— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CarpentierNFL) March 1, 2022
T.Y. Hilton has been on the Indianapolis Colts for 10 years, but 2021 was the final year of his last contract. There is still hope that he will sign another contract with the Colts. At this point in the off season Hilton has still not signed a deal. But there is also speculation that he is contemplating retirement. I do think that a healthy Hilton would be great for the Colts. But health has been a problem lately. If Hilton is on the team again, he could be a late round sleeper to add in drafts. Ultimately, he is going to be more valuable to the Colts football team than your fantasy football team.
Colts Prospect Search
The 2022 WR draft class is not only strong, but is rich in depth. The Colts have said they plan to add competition at the WR position, and this draft could be a great chance. According to Grinding the Mocks, which compiles mock drafts for this season, the Colts are selecting a WR in the 2nd or 3rd round more than any other position. George Pickens, Christian Watson, Skyy Moore, and Wan’Dale Robinson are the top choices for the Colts on day two.
Outside of the draft the Colts could use free agency to add a WR2/3 to their offense. The Colts were not active in the early stage of free agency and missed many of the top available WR options. But there are still some options that could be interesting to the Colts. Julio Jones, Will Fuller, and Jarvis Landry could all be relatively cheap veteran options to add to their WR room in addition to any rookies that they add. With the signing of Ryan there are rumors swirling that he may be pushing for a reunion with Julio Jones. Which would be a huge improvement to the WR room.
Tight Ends
In 2021 none of the Colts TEs had over 320 receiving yards. Mo Allie-Cox had 316 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. While Jack Doyle had 302 yards with 3 touchdowns. It is pretty clear that the Colts relied on the tight ends from inside the redzone. Only one of the touchdowns by the tight ends came from outside of the redzone in 2021. Mo Allie-Cox had one touchdown from the 28 yard line.
Prior to the start of the 2022 league year Jack Doyle announced that he would be retiring from the NFL. For a short time this left Kylen Granson as the only TE of note on the Colts roster. But Mo Allie-Cox signed a 3-year deal worth up to $17.55 million to stay with the Colts.
The #Colts are re-signing TE Mo-Alie Cox to a three-year, $18 million deal, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2022
Looking Ahead
With a top-10 cap hit for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, it is clear they faith in Mo Allie-Cox to step up and be their top TE. I think there are reasons to be optimistic. At the same time he has not exactly been spectacular when Doyle is not on the field. Over the past two seasons there have been seven games that Doyle has played less than 50% of the snaps. Mo Allie-Cox has played at least 51% of the snaps in each of the games. Unfortunately, he was only able to break the 50 yard mark once, and only scored a touchdown in one game.
If Mo Allie-Cox gets the full snap share, he will be an interesting late round TE option. I do not see the Indianpolis Colts relying entirely on him. I am interested to see how the Colts use second year TE Kyle Granson. TEs typically take a few years to turn in to fantasy viable guys so I do not anticipate Granson getting into my starting lineups.
I expect him to have several weeks in the top of the position while he sits on your leagues waiver wire. He is not someone I plan on adding even after those big weeks. But he is someone that we should be looking forward to in the 2023 season and beyond.
There is still obviously a need for the Colts at the TE position. There are several talented TEs available in free agency including Gerald Everett. Everett is a former 2nd round pick and has developed into a decent pass catching TE over the last few seasons. In each of the last 3 seasons Everett has had over 60 targets and at least 400 receiving yards. If the Colts add Everett I think he immediately becomes their top TE on the depth chart and Mo Allie-Cox reverts back to his TE2 role on the team.
