2020 Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Week 6: Who Starts Sunday vs. Cincinnati Bengals?

A return home could be beneficial for the Colts rushing attack against a Bengals defense that has been giving up plenty of yards.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts look to bounce back into the win column on Sunday as they host the Cincinnati Bengals in their final game before a bye week.

The Colts (3-2) face a Bengals squad that is susceptible to giving up big fantasy football performances to opponents.

Which Colts players are best for your fantasy lineups in Week 6?

(Weekly positional rankings from FantasyPros.com, based on Half-PPR scoring. Ranks as of Thursday of game week.)

Quenton Nelson (56) gives running back Jonathan Taylor a lift after Taylor scored on a touchdown run Sunday at Cleveland :: Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports

RB Jonathan Taylor

— Last game: 12 carries, 57 yards, 2 catches (3 targets), 17 yards, 1 total TD = 14.4 FP

— Last three-game average: 14.0 carries, 61.3 yards, 1.3 catches (1.7 targets), 10.3 yards, 2 total TDs = 11.8 FP

— FantasyPros Week 6 Position Rank: RB3

— 2020 Bengals vs. RBs: 21st (21.1 FPPG)

This has “breakout game” written all over it for the Colts rookie tailback.

Taylor is averaging 17.8 touches for 82.8 yards of offense per game and has scored a touchdown in three games this year, and he’s coming off what the coaches think has been his best performance yet.

The Colts offense has only proven to function well so far when holding a lead and running the ball. The Bengals (1-3-1) aren’t the strongest of opponents, so the Colts could be able to get back to their bread and butter offensively.

Five opposing running backs have had at least 80 yards of offense against the Bengals, including four who have hit 100. And then there’s this:

It's Jonathan Taylor week:

-8-point home favorite
-CIN defense already bad vs. run; has lost 3 full-time d-linemen to IR in the last 3 weeks
-LT Castonzo (rib) back at practice
-Wilkins (calf) banged up after season-low 2 snaps in Week 5
-JT has 14+ touches every game; PPR RB13

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 15, 2020

K Rodrigo Blankenship

— Last game: 3-of-3 FG (100%), 2-of-2 XP (100%), 11 points

— Last three-game average: 3.0-of-3.3 FG (90.9%), 2.3-of-2.3 XP (100%), 11.3 points

— FantasyPros Week 6 Position Rank: K3

— 2020 Bengals vs. Ks: 27th (11.0 FPPG)

They wish it wasn’t so, but the Colts have to rely on three points more than six in the red zone far too often, as they rank 29th in that area (42.1%).

Because of that, Blankenship trots out for the short field goal attempt quite often. Of his 15 field goals, 11 have come inside 40 yards. The degree of difficulty is obviously lower on that portion of the field.

Blankenship has scored at least 10 points in each of the last four games and has had at least three attempts in every game. His 56 points are tied for the NFL lead in fantasy points for a kicker.

As for Cincinnati, four of their five opposing kickers have had at least 10 fantasy points.

Colts Defense/Special Teams

— Last game: 385 yards allowed, 32 points allowed, 1 sack, 2 takeaways, 1 special teams TD

— Last three-game average: 304.7 yards allowed, 16.7 points allowed, 1.3 sacks, 2.0 takeaways, 1 total safety, 3 total defensive/special teams TDs

— FantasyPros Week 6 Position Rank: DST2

— 2020 Bengals vs. DST: 30th (10.2 FPPG)

When looking for defenses who can create extracurricular stats such as sacks, takeaways, etc., look no further than the Colts.

They’ve racked up 11 sacks (Bengals have given up league-high 22 sacks), nine interceptions, two safeties, two touchdowns, and a kickoff return touchdown.

Opponents have had quality showings in three of the last five weeks against the Bengals, including 26 fantasy points for the Baltimore Ravens last week. The Colts are DST2 in fantasy only behind the Ravens.

The Bengals are in rough shape offensively. They’ve got great pieces in quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Joe Mixon, and receiver Tyler Boyd, but the line has been awful at protecting Burrow and opening lanes for Mixon.

Boom or Bust

The “Boom” players are outside of the top 10 at their position in FantasyPros’ Week 6 rankings, yet have high upside this week. The ”Bust” players are inside the top 15 at their position, but could fall short of expectations.

Boom

— Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins (QB13) vs. New York Jets

— David Montgomery, Chicago Bears (RB13) @ Carolina Panthers

— DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (WR23) vs. New York Jets

Bust

— Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals (RB10) @ Indianapolis Colts

— Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles (RB12) vs. Baltimore Ravens

— Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (TE5) vs. Baltimore Ravens

Who I’m Adding This Week

Here are some players worth acquiring from the waiver wire. They are owned in 40% or less of Yahoo! leagues.

— QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins (39%)

— WR Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills (31%)

— RB Duke Johnson, Houston Texans (26%)

— WR Keelan Cole, Jacksonville Jaguars (26%)

— WR Travis Fulgham, Philadelphia Eagles (23%)

Looking for a podcast? Check out the Bleav in Colts Podcast on the Bleav Podcast Network.

(Jake Arthur has covered the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts for nearly a decade and is a contributor for the team's official website, Colts.com. He’s on Twitter and Facebook @JakeArthurNFL, and his email is jakearthur0890@yahoo.com.)