Indianapolis Colts

Fantasy Football 2016 Preview: Indianapolis Colts wide receivers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Colts wide receivers enter the season as one of the best groups to target in fantasy football since they’ll get Andrew Luck back under center to start the year.

Jun 7, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) throws a pass to Colts wide receivers like T.Y. Hilton (13) during mini camp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts passing offense last year was a huge letdown for fantasy football owners who invested in the team thinking Andrew Luck made the Colts wide receivers good plays. Luck only played seven games and Matt Hasselbeck, Charlie Whitehurt, Josh Freeman, and Ryan Lindley all struggled in their time at QB. The best news for all the Colts receivers is that Luck looks healthy this preseason and the Colts offense should be ready to kick it back into high gear headed into the 2016 season.

For your fantasy football team, the Colts wide receivers can be great values. There is some uncertainty on what to expect after down years for the whole offense last season, but I think Luck will lead them all to a bounce-back campaign as the Colts try to regain their spot at the top of a suddenly-competitive AFC South.

Throughout the preseason, we have been taking a tour through the NFL to look at the important fantasy options on each NFL team. While most team’s just have one quarterback and one tight end that are noteworthy for fantasy, every team has multiple running backs and wide receivers that you need to know heading into draft season.

Earlier this preseason, our wide receiver previews have examined the receivers of the Packers, Vikings, Lions, Bears, Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Ravens, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders, Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, Patriots, Jets, Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys, Washington, Eagles, Giants, and Texans. Today, we continue our spin through the AFC South by checking out the top options from the Colts wide receivers.

If you’re looking for fantasy football coverage including all our wide receiver and running back previews, check out the FanSided fantasy football hub where you can also find my top 10 potential breakout WR. You should also make sure to check out the 15 sleepers from Preseason Week 3. You can always see the latest fantasy football posts in the related content box to the right, and click here for my latest WR rankings.

Make sure to stay tuned to the FanSided fantasy football hub throughout the preseason to find plenty of fantasy coverage including sleepers, rankings, injury news, and overall strategy tips leading up to your draft. You can also follow @FansidedFantasy on Twitter where I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, keep you up to date on all our latest coverage, and even help you through any draft-day dilemma that may come up.

In this post, we focus on the Colts wide receivers who are ready to contribute this season. We’ll start with an overview of Andrew Luck’s offense, and after that we’ll take a look at each option on the depth chart to see the fantasy potential and current ADP (average draft position) of each of the Colts wide receivers.

Jul 27, 2016; Anderson, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton during training camp at Anderson University. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kryger/Indianapolis Star via USA TODAY Sports

Colts Wide Receivers-Overall Outlook

The Colts offense was one of the worst passing teams in the league last season due to Luck’s struggles and injuries. The team had plenty of pass attempts–ninth in the NFL, but they finished second-to-last in yards per pass attempt ahead of only the Rams.

With Luck back under center, those numbers should go way up. Indianapolis doesn’t have much of a run game to speak of with only aging Frank Gore in their backfield. Last year, they were tenth in the NFL with a 62.36% pass play percentage, but that number could even climb higher this season if Luck is able to return to form.

The Colts wide receivers come back as pretty much the same group that struggled through last season. Andre Johnson is gone and TE Coby Fleener also left which opens up some targets for the other receivers on the depth chart. Overall, the group is young with plenty of talent, and getting their QB back should help them have productive seasons.

Let’s take a look at each of the options poised to produce for Andrew Luck this season and where there is value to be had based on the latest ADP info from fantasypros.com.

Aug 4, 2016; Anderson, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) shares a laugh with Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief (10) during the Indianapolis Colts NFL training camp at Anderson University. Mandatory Credit: Mykal McEldowney/Indy Star via USA TODAY NETWORK

T.Y. Hilton

The leader of the Colts wide receivers in almost every meaningful category last year was T.Y. Hilton who managed to have 1,124 yards despite the mashup-mess at QB. He only found the end zone five times but did catch 69 of his team-high 135 targets.

Hilton is a big-play threat every time he touches the ball. He has had a great camp and comes into the year looking for his fourth straight year with over 1,000 yards. Hilton isn’t a big target in the Red Zone since he’s a smaller guy, but his speed gives him the potential to get into the end zone from anywhere on the field.

His lack of elite touchdown production keeps him outside my WR1 this year although he definitely has top-10 potential. Right now, you can grab Hilton as a low-WR2 at the beginning of the fourth round. If he’s your second WR, you should be in good shape. Due to the nature of his game, Hilton’s production tends to be inconsistent week-to-week, but he’s a threat to go off in any give contest.

This year, I expect Hilton and Donte Moncrief (more on him in a minute) to be the 1 and 1A options in the Colts passing attack. I expect both Colts wide receivers to be top-20 options since Indy will have to throw so much, and either one could be huge any week. At this point, I like Moncrief’s value a little bit more, but Hilton’s home-run potential makes him the first of the Colts wide receivers to come off the board in most drafts.

Dec 6, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief (10) warms-up before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Donte Moncrief

If you can have either WR at your draft spot, Hilton is the way to go, but you can wait about two-and-a-half rounds according to ADP and get Donte Moncrief at a better value. Moncrief was on his way to a breakout season last year before Luck’s injury, but he still managed a pretty solid year with 64 catches (compared to Hilton’s 69) on 105 targets (compared to Hilton’s 135). He was about 400 yards behind Hilton with only 733 yards but did get one more receiving touchdown than T.Y.

Moncrief will be entering his third-year season (usually a breakout for WR) and getting Luck back, so watch out for him to have a monster year. He is a bigger Red Zone option than Hilton and should get even more looks now that Fleener is in New Orleans. Last year, Moncrief caught five touchdowns in seven games from Andrew Luck, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he gets double-digit scores this season.

Right now, you can get Moncrief as your third WR in most drafts since he’s going off the board as the #26 WR. He is lasting until the end of the sixth round at which point he makes a ton of sense to invest in.

Moncrief should be a top-20 WR this season, and I could even see him being a clear WR1 by the end of the year. Getting Luck back will be a huge boost, and he has everything in place to be one of the better WR3 picks in most drafts.

Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver Phillip Dorsett (15) runs the ball against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Phillip Dorsett

As your draft winds down, it’s still possible to get in on the Colts wide receivers even if you miss out on Hilton and Moncrief. Phillip Dorsett is in place to start the season as the team’s third WR, and he brings a ton of big-play potential with him every time he touches the ball.

The Colts used their first-round pick on Dorsett last season after he came out of Miami. He had a pretty unremarkable season last year buried on the depth chart behind Hilton, Moncrief, and veteran Andre Johnson. He did get his first NFL score finding the end zone in Week 3 and finished with 18 catches for 225 yards in his 11 games.

All reports are that Dorsett has had a great offseason. He improved his pass-catching and refined his route-running. His improvement has been marked enough for Indy to transform their offense to a lineup that includes three Colts wide receivers in the “base” package instead of the two-tight-end set that featured the departed Fleener and Dwayne Allen. As a result, Dorsett should be on the field enough to be involved in the passing game on a regular basis.

Dorsett is a little bit like Hilton in that his big-play potential makes him an inconsistent option to start every week. Hilton did look good in Preseason Week 3 working with the starting offense and finishing with three catches for 49 yards.

He could emerge as the season goes on as a fantasy football starter, but Hilton and Moncrief will still get the majority of looks. Right now, Dorsett will only cost you a 19th-round pick, though. He should be owned in almost all leagues, though, coming into the season and would be an instant fantasy star if Hilton or Moncrief went down injured.

Sep 1, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Chester Rogers (3) is up ended by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Tony McRae (29) in the first half in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Chester Rogers

While Quan Bray will make the team as the primary return option, Chester Rogers has had a strong preseason and would probably be the one to step up if one of the top three Colts wide receivers were to go down.

Rogers totaled 14 catches this preseason for 174 yards and a touchdown. He had a big week in Preseason Week 4 catching seven of the eight passes thrown his way. That being said, he was held without a catch in the all-important Preseason Week 3 which shows he isn’t really involved in the team’s top offense on any level yet.

The UDFA out of Grambling State definitely did enough to secure himself a spot on the roster, but he is still a ways from fantasy relevance. File his name away as the Colts WR to grab if injury occurs, but for now he can start the season on your league’s waiver wire.

Sep 1, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Tevaun Smith (5) is taken down by Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Chykie Brown (23) during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Other Colts wide receivers

Quan Bray: There was some noise early in training camp that Bray could climb into some kind of role in the offensive unit on a weekly basis, but he didn’t show any of that potential in preseason. He’ll be the team’s primary return specialist and could get a few touches, but there’s no need to draft him at this point.

Tevaun Smith: Most of the Colts beat reporters seem to think the Colts will start the season with six WR on their roster. Smith looks like he has made the team as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa as a result. He had a quiet preseason but did finish with four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown in Preseason Week 4.