The Indianapolis Colts have pretty much turned into the Jack Doyle and T.Y. Hilton show with the loss of Andrew Luk. Well actually, with the complete mishandling of the Andrew Luck injury, they’ve become more of an excrement show (to put it delicately). Jack Doyle’s had quite a decent run of games recently, and people have started to think highly of him. Unfortunately for those trying to get a ton of fantasy football weekly upside out of Doyle, he’s not exactly the most talented guy around. Can his target volume overcome his shortcomings and a difficult opponent this week as the Colts take on the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Jack Doyle has had a ton of targets since week two, averaging nine targets a game. The problem with that target volume is a lack of base yardage production. He blew up for 121 yards against Cincy, but other than that he is averaging just 46.5 yards per game with those nine targets. Sure, catching five, six, seven balls a game is killer for PPR leagues, but his inconsistent, and generally low yardage makes for a difficult proposition to play him in standard scoring leagues. You want that target volume, but the lack of yardage means you want a touchdown to be happy starting him; think a souped-up 2017 Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Well, that is an issue, too, since he’s third in ten zone targets on the Colts. His 27.3% ten zone target rate is third on the team behind Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton. While that percentage is around Sterling Shepard, the raw targets, three, are the same as Bennie Fowler and Seth Devalve.
The matchup is also going to be a nightmare, as it’s highly unlikely the Colts move the ball enough to get him more ten zone opportunities than he’s already gotten. The Steelers allow the fifth-fewest yards per game, and most of that is due to limiting the pass. They allow just 180 passing yards a game this year, which is the second fewest. The opportunity just isn’t there, and a lack of tight end production follows. They allow the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends, and only two have scored touchdowns against them. Of tight ends who haven’t scored against them, only Eric Ebron has more than 4.5 fantasy points.
Ultimately, you have no choice but to start Jack Doyle in any league that rewards for catches. In standard scoring leagues, however, he doesn’t get the yardage with his touches to merit a start this week. That, combined with the Steelers’ stifling defense, will leave Jack Doyle fantasy owners in a lurch this week in standard scoring leagues. Ben him if you don’t play in a PPR or 0.5 PPR league.
