Colts Fantasy Week 2: Who Starts vs. Rams?

Which Colts players stand the best chance of having a fantasy impact this Sunday against the Rams? (Video via Indianapolis Colts YouTube)

Jake Arthur | Sep 17, 2021

The Indianapolis Colts had a rough go of it last week in their season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, losing 28-16, and now they set their sights on an arguably tougher foe in the Los Angeles Rams.

Not many players provided value from a fantasy football perspective last week, so expectations are already low.

Who might provide any value this week for the Colts at home against the Rams? We'll go over any of the players you may entertain starting on your rosters.

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

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

QB Carson Wentz

Last game: 25-of-38 (65.8%), 251 yards, 23 rush yards, 2 TD, 1 TO = 22.3 FP
FantasyPros Week 2 Position Rank: QB29
2021 Rams vs. QBs: 5th (13.2 FPPG)

People love to trash on Wentz but no matter how you cut it, he had a productive fantasy day last Sunday in his Colts debut. He was under constant duress behind a leaky offensive line (16 pressures, including three sacks) and still managed over 22 fantasy points. You could make the excuse that he had that many points because the Colts were always playing from behind, but they still ran the ball 30 times.

That said, you should only start Wentz against Los Angeles if you're in a SuperFLEX league or somehow already in a bind at QB. The Chicago Bears' Andy Dalton had an awful performance against the Rams last week, totaling just 219 yards of offense, no touchdowns, and two turnovers. Both Wentz and Dalton are working with less-than-ideal O-line conditions, but I expect Wentz to fare a little better for two reasons. First, Wentz has more mobility to his game than Dalton, and he's also just a better player.

The Colts want to get the ball out of Wentz's hand quickly, and they have enough weapons to spread the ball around and take what the Rams' defense gives them.

RB Jonathan Taylor

Last game: 17 carries, 56 yards, 6 catches (7 targets), 60 yards = 14.6 FP
FantasyPros Week 2 Position Rank: RB12
2021 Rams vs. RBs: 22nd (24.3 FPPG)

Taylor's an every-week starter so you don't need me to tell you what to do here. However, let me sell him to you even a little more against a great defense. First off, David Montgomery had 118 yards of offense and a touchdown against the Rams last week. Next, the concerns about Taylor giving up receiving opportunities to Nyheim Hines isn't much of an argument anymore. Both had six receptions last week, and Taylor was the team's leading receiver by 12 yards. We also saw that he's easily the top dog in the backfield and that Marlon Mack will barely, if at all, eat into Taylor's time moving forward.

RB Nyheim Hines

Last game: 9 carries, 34 yards, 6 catches (8 targets), 48 yards = 11.2 FP
FantasyPros Week 2 Position Rank: RB34
2021 Rams vs. RBs: 22nd (24.3 FPPG)

Looking at Hines as the second fiddle in the Colts' backfield is the wrong way to go about it. He's his own player at his own position. Taylor got 23 touches last week while Hines still got 15. If the Colts fall behind against the Rams this week like many expect them to then there should be plenty more pass-catching opportunities for Hines.

WR Michael Pittman Jr.

Last game: 3 catches (4 targets), 29 yards (9.7 avg.) = 4.4 FP
FantasyPros Week 2 Position Rank: WR48
2021 Rams vs. WRs: 3rd (21.3 FPPG)

The Colts want to get Pittman more involved generally than he was last week. With T.Y. Hilton on Injured Reserve, Pittman and Zach Pascal are the leading receivers, so four targets for Pittman is likely going to be on the low end of the weekly spectrum.

“For receivers it’s hard – we called some things to him where they just took away via coverage," Colts head coach Frank Reich told reporters about wanting to get Pittman more involved. "That’s the nature of playing that position. We’re trying to get Pitt involved every week, spread the ball around. You just never know exactly how it’s going to go at receiver. From the quarterback standpoint, you just have to read it out.”

While Pittman likely hasn't earned the honor of being shadowed by Jalen Ramsey, the Rams have terrific cornerbacks as a group anyway, so it's hard to get excited about him this week.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Zach Pascal (14) pulls in a pass in the end zone while being guarded by Seattle Seahawks strong safety Quandre Diggs (6) for the Colts' first touchdown Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, during the regular season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. — © Robert Scheer/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC

WR Zach Pascal

Last game: 4 catches (5 targets), 43 yards (10.8 avg.), 2 TD = 18.3 FP
FantasyPros Week 2 Position Rank: WR68
2021 Rams vs. WRs: 3rd (21.3 FPP)

Pascal may wind up being the steadiest member of the Colts' receiving corps this year. He may not put up numbers on a weekly basis but he's likely to give you something. His hands, route running, and feel for how to attack zone coverage makes him a threat each week, and he's a guy that every quarterback becomes instantly comfortable with. No Colts receivers are a great start this week but Pascal is usable if you absolutely have to. Don't expect another 18 points, though.

K Rodrigo Blankenship

Last game: 1-of-1 FGA (100.0%), 1-of-1 XPA (100.%), 4 points
FantasyPros Week 2 Position Rank: K15
2021 Rams vs. Ks: 4th (2.0 FPPF)

The Colts offense has been notoriously poor in the red zone since 2020. They were 21st in the league last year (56.9%) and sit at 50.0% this year after going 2-of-4 in Week 1. That sets up a lot of gimmes for Blankenship, who has been gifted 24 of his 38-career field goal attempts from inside 40 yards. It's a big reason he was fifth in the NFL in scoring last year as a rookie.

All that to say this: start him every week, especially if the Rams are able to keep the Colts out of the end zone.

NFL Boom or Bust

The “Boom” players are outside of the top 10 at their position in FantasyPros’ Week 2 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

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (QB11) @ Indianapolis Colts
David Montgomery, Chicago Bears (RB14) vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (WR27) vs. Dallas Cowboys

Bust

Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans (RB6) @ Seattle Seahawks
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans (WR8) @ Seattle Seahawks
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (TE6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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.

RB Phillip Lindsay, Houston Texans (40%)
RB James White, New England Patriots (40%)
WR DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (39%)
TE Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears (39%)
TE Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers (38%)

What do you think about the Colts' matchup this week from a fantasy perspective? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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Published Sep 17, 2021

JAKE ARTHUR

Jake Arthur has covered the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts for a decade. He is a member of the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) and FantasyPros' expert panel. He has also contributed to multiple NFL Draft guides.