I don't like the looks of the Colts offense for 2018 (1 Viewer)

[JohnnyU]

I think their WR situation is ugly at best and their RBs and TEs are very pedestrian.  I do think their OL will improve dramatically however.   Hines has fumbled 4 times in 2 preseason games and doesn't have the trust of the coaches.  He won't see touches in the backfield until that happens.  I absolutely hate all their RBs and WRs except for Mack and Hilton.  Throw all that in with the questions surrounding Luck and probable slow start, we're looking at trouble for the Colts to start the season. 

 

[fruity pebbles]

Doyle might be in for a field day

 

[JohnnyU]

In 2019 they need to draft an impact WR for sure.

 

[JohnnyU]

Doyle might be in for a field day

Fantasy wise that may be true for Doyle, but overall I don't think the Colts offense will be very good.  

 

[pantherclub]

how has Luck looked?

 

[Skeletore Eh]

In 2019 they need to draft an impact WR for sure.

Aj Brown would look nice lined up across from Hilton 

 

[FF Ninja]

Doyle might be in for a field day

I like Doyle as a value play at TE, but I'm beginning to wane on that as they actually seem serious about incorporating Ebron. I thought it was going to be a failed free agent signing, but I'm not so sure anymore. He missed several days of practice with an ankle injury but got healthy just in time for last night's game and caught 4 passes. I don't know if Ebron will have stand alone value, but I think he'll be relevant enough to hurt Doyle's value. Then again, with the lack of a true WR2, maybe there's room for both.

 

[habsfan]

how has Luck looked?

I'm no QB evaluator but to me he looks "limited" and after last year's information/misinformation on his health, this year something just isn't passing the sniff test. A TV analyst commented at half time that people were looking for him to "let it loose" and he definitely didn't do that. Everything was between the numbers and 10 - 15 yards in the air tops. Again, if what happened last year hadn't happened, the Colts could claim he can "make all the throws" and they're just being careful with him but I will be avoiding this offense until I see an arm.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I didn't like the look of the Colts offense in 2017

 

[fruity pebbles]

Luck looked like Manning at the end of his career.

 

[JohnnyU]

I'm no QB evaluator but to me he looks "limited" and after last year's information/misinformation on his health, this year something just isn't passing the sniff test. A TV analyst commented at half time that people were looking for him to "let it loose" and he definitely didn't do that. Everything was between the numbers and 10 - 15 yards in the air tops. Again, if what happened last year hadn't happened, the Colts could claim he can "make all the throws" and they're just being careful with him but I will be avoiding this offense until I see an arm.

I think Luck will be fine after a few starts but it's his offense that worries me.  I don't think they have enough play makers.  Teams will definitely double and even triple team Hilton and I don't think the other WRs have enough talent to negate that.  I do like Mack but he's dealing with a hamstring injury that could hamper him a long time.  The other RBs are garbage and I'm not sure about Hines either considering the coach trust issues with his fumbling.  The Colts don't have much at WR outside of Hilton and that will haunt them in 2018.   Let's face it, Ebron was overrated when drafted and that leaves Doyle.   You are not going to win a lot of games dumping it off to Doyle every other play.

 

[cobalt_27]

I'm no QB evaluator but to me he looks "limited" and after last year's information/misinformation on his health, this year something just isn't passing the sniff test. A TV analyst commented at half time that people were looking for him to "let it loose" and he definitely didn't do that. Everything was between the numbers and 10 - 15 yards in the air tops. Again, if what happened last year hadn't happened, the Colts could claim he can "make all the throws" and they're just being careful with him but I will be avoiding this offense until I see an arm.

Not saying this is inaccurate, but it's *really* hard to fully evaluate the "let it loose" theory without competent receivers creating separation and giving him good reason to chuck it downfield.  And, who knows what the offensive game plan was...it wouldn't be the first time a team put out a vanilla offense in the preseason.  Obviously, Colts lied through their teeth last year, so there's plenty of reason to be wary, but...from what I saw, Luck made some mental mistakes, hit a few guys right in the numbers, missed a few as well, but overall seemed to have plenty of zip on the throws he made.

 

[gabes1919]

The loss of Deon Cain who may have been able to take on that Moncrief role really hurt. I think we could see a move back to 2 TE sets for the Colts like they did with Fleener and Allen in order to get more serviceable pass catchers on the field in Ebron and Doyle. I don't think it's quite fair to comment on Luck not cutting loose yet because he also hasn't had Hilton. His best burner is probably Hines right now and the kid is having problems keeping his hands on the ball. I think if one more pass catcher can emerge, whether it's an RB or a WR somewhere down on the depth chart (my money is on RB), then I see LUck and the Colts being just fine.

 

[MAC_32]

Their star QB hasn't played in 19 months and his surrounding talent lacks quite a bit of punch.  I wouldn't expect it to look any good right now.  What will it look like as September progresses?

 

[modogg]

Doyle might be in for a field day

I have heard that they see Doyle as more of a blocking TE and may use Ebron more to catch passes. Obviously an Indy fan will know better, just my 2 cents

 

[JohnnyU]

Their star QB hasn't played in 19 months and his surrounding talent lacks quite a bit of punch.  I wouldn't expect it to look any good right now.  What will it look like as September progresses?

I'm not approaching this by how they look now.  As I said earlier, I think Luck will be fine, but it's the rest of their offense that is bad.  They don't have enough talent at WR to keep teams honest on Hilton and with Mack's injured hamstring issue and given the rest of their RBs are terrible, I think the Colts are in trouble.  I do think their OL will improve however.  Hines could make an impact if he gets the coaches trust.  They need a better WR #2 for sure.  Chester Rogers and Ryan Grant have very limited talent.   

 

[modogg]

Their star QB hasn't played in 19 months and his surrounding talent lacks quite a bit of punch.  I wouldn't expect it to look any good right now.  What will it look like as September progresses?

thing is there are always teams like this. Colts defense is nothing special either. Might mean 50 pass attempts a game, but I they will have opportunities galore because teams like Jax and Hou may be playing a prevent defense for the 2nd half with a big lead. Similar to Bortles stats before they had a stout defense.

I am thinking might end up being 10+ targets a game for Hilton so I might bank on that

 

[JohnnyU]

I hope Daurice Fountain can make an impact.  He has upside, but comes from a small school and didn't look that good last night when he dropped a sure TD in the end zone. 

 

[dickey moe]

Luck looked like Manning at the end of his career.

Super Bowl winner.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I like Doyle as a value play at TE, but I'm beginning to wane on that as they actually seem serious about incorporating Ebron. I thought it was going to be a failed free agent signing, but I'm not so sure anymore. He missed several days of practice with an ankle injury but got healthy just in time for last night's game and caught 4 passes. I don't know if Ebron will have stand alone value, but I think he'll be relevant enough to hurt Doyle's value. Then again, with the lack of a true WR2, maybe there's room for both.

With their lack of WRs, I can see Ebron being used more as a slot WR while Doyle plays TE.

 

[SameSongNDance]

 I think we could see a move back to 2 TE sets for the Colts like they did with Fleener and Allen in order to get more serviceable pass catchers on the field in Ebron and Doyle. 

Reich ran a lot of 12 (5th most, 23%) and 13 (3rd most, 10%) personnel packages in PHI last year, I thought this was always the plan. It's very likely that Doyle and Ebron are 2A and 2B in the pecking order. Grant isn't good.

 

[MAC_32]

I'm not approaching this by how they look now.  As I said earlier, I think Luck will be fine, but it's the rest of their offense that is bad.  They don't have enough talent at WR to keep teams honest on Hilton and with Mack's injured hamstring issue and given the rest of their RBs are terrible, I think the Colts are in trouble.  I do think their OL will improve however.  Hines could make an impact if he gets the coaches trust.  They need a better WR #2 for sure.  Chester Rogers and Ryan Grant have very limited talent.   

Lack of skill position talent is not a new thing with Luck.  He's been successful despite it and a swiss cheese OL.

 

[MAC_32]

thing is there are always teams like this. Colts defense is nothing special either. Might mean 50 pass attempts a game, but I they will have opportunities galore because teams like Jax and Hou may be playing a prevent defense for the 2nd half with a big lead. Similar to Bortles stats before they had a stout defense.

I am thinking might end up being 10+ targets a game for Hilton so I might bank on that

Semantics maybe, but given Luck's propensity for the 2nd half comeback I wouldn't expect anyone to go prevent against them.  

 

[mere blitzianity]

With their lack of WRs, I can see Ebron being used more as a slot WR while Doyle plays TE.

Ebron is in for a big year. 

 

[champ23]

Honestly, pre season week 2 and Lucks first action in awhile without his favorite WR...and running the "vanilla" offense. The colts could be a top 10 offense with an improved OL and luck back under center alone. They haven't had a good running game statistically speaking in Lucks tenure and they still finished top 10 in yds 3 of 4 of Luck's "healthy" years. IMO TY, Doyle, and dare I say Ebron, with some complimentary receivers will be enough reach top 10 status. Maybe they should invite Dez for a workout

 

[msudaisy26]

Their star QB hasn't played in 19 months and his surrounding talent lacks quite a bit of punch.  I wouldn't expect it to look any good right now.  What will it look like as September progresses?

Exactly this. Plus the Ravens defense make a lot of people look bad. 

 

[FF Ninja]

Ebron is in for a big year. 

Is he though? He got the boot from a TE desperate team and earned a reputation for drops and an inability to catch contested catches. I honestly don't know if those reputations were legitimate or not, but he does have a pretty low TD rate for a big guy. I got him cheaply in a few leagues, so I'd like for him to have a big year. I just can't seem to pump myself up about him, though.

 

[MAC_32]

Is he though? He got the boot from a TE desperate team and earned a reputation for drops and an inability to catch contested catches. I honestly don't know if those reputations were legitimate or not, but he does have a pretty low TD rate for a big guy. I got him cheaply in a few leagues, so I'd like for him to have a big year. I just can't seem to pump myself up about him, though.

Classic low risk/medium-high reward change of scenery play.  Priced right in both our game and for the Colts to see, but no commitment by any party in case the drops cross state lines.

 

[Avery]

Is he though? He got the boot from a TE desperate team and earned a reputation for drops and an inability to catch contested catches. I honestly don't know if those reputations were legitimate or not, but he does have a pretty low TD rate for a big guy. I got him cheaply in a few leagues, so I'd like for him to have a big year. I just can't seem to pump myself up about him, though.

Full disclosure, I just drafted Ebron in the 15th round in a redraft league so I'm (a bit) vested now.

Having said that, IF (and I get that's a big if) luck is 80% of himself and is IF given enough time to throw (another big if given what their RB core looks like) somebody has to catch passes other than Hilton.  IF (there's another) the offense is adaptive enough to it's skill players, I don't see how Ebron and Doyle won't both be out there as a base offense on most plays.  Although Ebron has been disappointing, shouldn't he be out there more to catch passes over Grant and Rodgers?

Now there is a chance of everything imploding and being a dumpster fire... but I see a scenario that isn't so far afield where both Doyle and Ebron are not only startable but low end TE1s.

 

[FF Ninja]

Full disclosure, I just drafted Ebron in the 15th round in a redraft league so I'm (a bit) vested now.

Having said that, IF (and I get that's a big if) luck is 80% of himself and is IF given enough time to throw (another big if given what their RB core looks like) somebody has to catch passes other than Hilton.  IF (there's another) the offense is adaptive enough to it's skill players, I don't see how Ebron and Doyle won't both be out there as a base offense on most plays.  Although Ebron has been disappointing, shouldn't he be out there more to catch passes over Grant and Rodgers?

Now there is a chance of everything imploding and being a dumpster fire... but I see a scenario that isn't so far afield where both Doyle and Ebron are not only startable but low end TE1s.

*Lloyd Christmas voice* So you're sayin' there's a chance...

Like I said, I'm a little invested in him, too. He just flamed out in Detroit which isn't a bad spot, so it gives me pause. He's only 25 so maybe the change of scenery can turn things around for him. If he can't pull it off in Detroit or Indy, he's done.

 

[Avery]

*Lloyd Christmas voice* So you're sayin' there's a chance...

Like I said, I'm a little invested in him, too. He just flamed out in Detroit which isn't a bad spot, so it gives me pause. He's only 25 so maybe the change of scenery can turn things around for him. If he can't pull it off in Detroit or Indy, he's done.

Agreed that he hasn't lived up to his hype/draft status, but in the 12 team league I just drafted him (PPR and a bit of a yard bump for TEs) he was TE13 last year.  That is just outside a TE1.  With an extra point a week last year he is TE7 so he wouldn't have to grow much to be a very solid starting TE.

 

[ZWK]

This is how it has been in Indy for years. They got a bit of a bridge in Reggie Wayne, but other than that it has been Luck, Hilton, and not much else.

 

[Bossman]

seems that IND has joined the rest of the teams who have paid top dollar for a QB and don't have enough left under the cap to put a winning defense on the field.

Elite defenses of the recent past;

2012 Ravens ... win SB with and elite defense and Flacco in the last year of his rookie contract. Flacco breaks the bank in the 2013 off-season and the defense spirals downward.

2013 Seahawks ... win SB with an elite defense and Russell Wilson on his rookie contract.  Return to SB in 2014. Wilson gets paid in 2015 off-season and the team has gone off the tracks losing top players to free agency (and trades).

Then there's the teams that pay the QB and never had a top defense to start with. (NO, DET) 

Seems rare that top vet QB's are playing for teams with a great defense anymore. Maybe CAR?

The teams with top defense are now typically the ones with a cheap QB (usually rookies) .. RAMS, TEN, MIN, JAX, PHI, DEN, 

NEP, NYG, PIT, have all had success with top paid QB's but I don't think you could consider their defense as being elite or even top tier.

Also, the 2011 NFL CBA has exacerbated this by structuring rookie pay scales and paying rookie QB's less then before.

 

[FF Ninja]

Agreed that he hasn't lived up to his hype/draft status, but in the 12 team league I just drafted him (PPR and a bit of a yard bump for TEs) he was TE13 last year.  That is just outside a TE1.  With an extra point a week last year he is TE7 so he wouldn't have to grow much to be a very solid starting TE.

Keep in mind that last year was abysmal for the TE position from a fantasy standpoint. TE12 last year was 9.0 ppg. In 2016, it was 11.1 ppg and and in 2015 it was 11.0 ppg. 

 

[Interseptopus]

How's Grant looked? 

 

[Avery]

Keep in mind that last year was abysmal for the TE position from a fantasy standpoint. TE12 last year was 9.0 ppg. In 2016, it was 11.1 ppg and and in 2015 it was 11.0 ppg. 

Good point but if enough of the league performed below expectations to lower the average about 20% versus the previous two years, it seems you shouldn't be singling out Ebron for also performing below expectations but I may just be misusing statistics here...

 

[EBF]

Ebron has been a bust relative to draft spot/hype, but he has been semi-productive overall. He was actually a top 5 FF TE in some formats from weeks 9-17 last year. He drops balls and isn't a great contested catch guy, but he's athletic and good in space. Given the lack of WR talent on this team, I'd expect him to get a lot of chances.

 

[FF Ninja]

Good point but if enough of the league performed below expectations to lowering the average about 20% versus the previous two years, it seems you shouldn't be singling out Ebron for also performing below expectations but I may just be misusing statistics here...

I'm not singling him out but more pointing out that, assuming the league rebounds back to normal, he'll need a lot more than 1 point per game to be a top 12 TE in 2018 vs. his 2017 performance. 

IMO, everyone is down on TE this year because they only look back one year and think the sky is falling, but there are a lot of promising TE situations this year that were not good last year... (I'm not necessarily high on all of them, but I'm also not always right): Olsen is back, Graham is in an ideal spot, Howard, Njoku, Kittle, and Butt are all second year TEs now, ASJ and Ebron are both in new situations, Reed and Eifert are supposedly healthy, and Gesicki seems to be walking into a starting job.

 

[Avery]

I'm not singling him out but more pointing out that, assuming the league rebounds back to normal, he'll need a lot more than 1 point per game to be a top 12 TE in 2018 vs. his 2017 performance. 

IMO, everyone is down on TE this year because they only look back one year and think the sky is falling, but there are a lot of promising TE situations this year that were not good last year... (I'm not necessarily high on all of them, but I'm also not always right): Olsen is back, Graham is in an ideal spot, Howard, Njoku, Kittle, and Butt are all second year TEs now, ASJ and Ebron are both in new situations, Reed and Eifert are supposedly healthy, and Gesicki seems to be walking into a starting job.

I hear you and see what you're saying and mostly agree.

Personally, I'm often fading the position because I think think there is a lot of potential there, not because I think it is all bad.  And because there is a lot of unknown potential, you can wait on the position and grab a guy who has that potential.  So I guess I'm saying wait on TE when there is a lot of unknown - be it good or bad.

 

[EBF]

I'm not singling him out but more pointing out that, assuming the league rebounds back to normal, he'll need a lot more than 1 point per game to be a top 12 TE in 2018 vs. his 2017 performance. 

IMO, everyone is down on TE this year because they only look back one year and think the sky is falling, but there are a lot of promising TE situations this year that were not good last year... (I'm not necessarily high on all of them, but I'm also not always right): Olsen is back, Graham is in an ideal spot, Howard, Njoku, Kittle, and Butt are all second year TEs now, ASJ and Ebron are both in new situations, Reed and Eifert are supposedly healthy, and Gesicki seems to be walking into a starting job.

TE is one of the deepest positions in redraft, IMO. There are a lot of high talent/high ceiling guys available late: Ebron, Eifert, Howard, Njoku, Everett, Hurst.

Every guy has his question marks, but overall there are lots of guys out there who have the capacity to blow up.

 

[smbkrypt24]

This is how it has been in Indy for years. They got a bit of a bridge in Reggie Wayne, but other than that it has been Luck, Hilton, and not much else.

I'm assuming this comment is meant post M. Harrison. 

Wayne was quite impressive as a receiver and I didn't know people viewed him like you did.  1,070 receptions (10th all time), 14,345 yards (10th all time), 82 tds (56th all time).  To me Wayne was an awesome receiver and more than described here.  His last great year was 2012.  TY Hilton was drafted in the 2012 draft so I feel going from M. Harrison to R. Wayne to T. Hilton the colts have not had an issue at receiver.  TY is not a possession receiver like the other two this could be the only issue I see in receiving corps.  Sure everyone would love OBJ, Julio, and Gronk but this is not their biggest issue by far.

 

[FF Ninja]

TE is one of the deepest positions in redraft, IMO. There are a lot of high talent/high ceiling guys available late: Ebron, Eifert, Howard, Njoku, Everett, Hurst.

Every guy has his question marks, but overall there are lots of guys out there who have the capacity to blow up.

Yeah, it is a best ball wet dream... let people spend all their auction budget on Engram and Kelce, then swoop in and collect a bunch of high upside darts near the end of the draft.

 

[FF Ninja]

I hear you and see what you're saying and mostly agree.

Personally, I'm often fading the position because I think think there is a lot of potential there, not because I think it is all bad.  And because there is a lot of unknown potential, you can wait on the position and grab a guy who has that potential.  So I guess I'm saying wait on TE when there is a lot of unknown - be it good or bad.

Yeah, I'm just struggling for a game plan in my shallower leagues. If I can't afford to roster 4+ TEs to see which one will emerge, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I've been doing a lot of 12x25 leagues, but I've got some 12 team leagues with less than 20 roster spots. TE is going to be tough there. 

 

[ZWK]

This is how it has been in Indy for years. They got a bit of a bridge in Reggie Wayne, but other than that it has been Luck, Hilton, and not much else.

I'm assuming this comment is meant post M. Harrison. 

Wayne was quite impressive as a receiver and I didn't know people viewed him like you did.  1,070 receptions (10th all time), 14,345 yards (10th all time), 82 tds (56th all time).  To me Wayne was an awesome receiver and more than described here.  His last great year was 2012.  TY Hilton was drafted in the 2012 draft so I feel going from M. Harrison to R. Wayne to T. Hilton the colts have not had an issue at receiver.  TY is not a possession receiver like the other two this could be the only issue I see in receiving corps.  Sure everyone would love OBJ, Julio, and Gronk but this is not their biggest issue by far.

I'm talking about the Luck years. 2012 onwards. Wayne was good until he tore his ACL mid-2013, and since then Hilton has been their only good weapon.

 

[Judge Smails]

Is Luck winging it in camp? I want to hear how he's doing on deep throws as well as tight sideline stuff.  Saw nothing in the game that excited me.