Colts 2021 Fantasy Preview: WR Parris Campbell

There are plenty of reasons to like Colts WR Parris Campbell from a fantasy perspective in 2021. Of course, he has to stay healthy.

For the third summer in a row, one of the most-hyped Indianapolis Colts players is wide receiver Parris Campbell.

The reason he remains hyped without being commonly considered a good, explosive player is that he hasn't been able to stay healthy.

Is this the year things stay in his favor? That's impossible to say, but I can tell you all about what might happen if he does stay on the field.

Average draft position and positional rankings from FantasyPros. Projections are based on traditional lineups with PPR scoring.

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Relevant to all Colts fantasy players, quarterback Carson Wentz underwent a procedure on his foot on Mon., Aug. 2 and is expected to be out anywhere from 5-12 weeks, which puts his return in the regular season roughly between Week 1-Week 8. Although the team will have a better idea of his approximate timetable for return a few weeks post-op, they believe his return will be on the quicker side of the range.

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WR Parris Campbell

• Current ADP — 190.0
• Current Positional Rank — WR66
• 2021 Strength of Schedule — 9th easiest
• 2019 — 7 games, 18 receptions (24 targets), 127 yards (7.1 avg.), 1 TD, 4 carries, 34 yards (8.5 avg.), 7 kickoff returns, 175 yards (25.0 avg.)
• 2020 — 2 games, 6 receptions (9 targets), 71 yards (11.8 avg.), 2 carries, 16 yards (8.0 avg.)
• Average per game — 2.7 receptions (3.7 targets), 22.0 yards, 0.1 TD, 0.7 carries, 5.6 yards

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The first step in a positive direction for Campbell was showing up healthy to training camp, which he has now done as of the team's first practice this Wednesday.

His season had already ended by early in the second game of the 2020 season; the latest in a series of unfortunate, flukish injuries. In his two seasons, a sports hernia and injuries to a hand, foot, and knee have caused him to miss all but nine out of a possible 32 regular-season games.

Looking at Campbell's career per-game averages is uninspiring (having Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer as your quarterbacks as a rookie isn't helpful for fantasy relevance), but you have to dig a little deeper to see what his true role is with the Colts.

In those nine games, he has touched the ball 30 times offensively and averages 8.3 yards per touch. In 2020, Campbell was off to a quick start in 63 offensive snaps. He started both games and caught 6-of-9 targets for 71 yards (11.8 avg.) as well as 2 carries for 16 yards (8.0 avg.). Out of his 8 touches, 6 resulted in first downs.

Looking toward 2021, we have no reason to think the Colts won't continue to make Campbell a featured part of the offense as both a pass-catcher and runner. That's what we've seen through two camp practices so far, at least.

Think Curtis Samuel when he was with the Carolina Panthers.

The Colts don't like to have one pass-catcher be the dominant man, so the ball is spread around quite a bit. Campbell also has Michael Pittman Jr. to battle with for touches as an up-and-comer. T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal, and the running backs and tight ends will all get their targets as well, but it's never been a secret that the Colts want the ball in Campbell's hands when he's on the field.

When you consider Campbell is being drafted near the end of most fantasy drafts (or undrafted altogether), he's a low-risk, high-reward selection.

Are you planning on targeting Campbell in your fantasy drafts? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

See Below for More in This Series:

• QB Carson Wentz
• RB Jonathan Taylor
• RB Nyheim Hines
• WR T.Y. Hilton
• WR Michael Pittman Jr.
• TE Jack Doyle
• TE Mo Alie-Cox

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