The Colts drastically overperformed last season, especially if you consider that their two best offensive weapons (Anthony Richardson & Jonathan Taylor) played just ten snaps together last season. They finished an impressive 9-8 thanks to Gardner Minshew and the bevy of weapons at his disposal. Now, the Colts look forward to (hopefully) a full season of Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor together, and they have their eyes on the (suddenly very competitive) AFC South crown. But what of their fantasy options? Let’s dive in to find an undervalued and overvalued player, as well as a sleeper, for your 2024 Indianapolis Colts!
Overvalued: Anthony Richardson, Quarterback (QB6, Pick 55 Overall)
Now, it isn’t the pick 55 that has me rankled, it’s the QB6 that gets me bothered. Richardson played in four games last season, and finished only two of them, thanks to injuries. Now, he finished as QB2 and QB4 in those two games that he finished, so I get it. I also worry about taking Richardson, who again, has finished half of his games and is going ahead of guys who have consistently done it longer thank Richardson. I don’t doubt Richardson’s talent, I doubt his ability to finish games thanks to a lack of self-preservation. And this isn’t something I worry about, it’s something that Literally Trevor Lawrence warned him about.
Richardson won’t bust, as long as he stays healthy, but QB6, given the ups and downs he is likely to feel this season, feels like his ceiling. He has QB1 overall upside, but at QB6, I can’t swallow that pill with Dak & Murray on the board and going 2+ rounds later.
Undervalued: Adonai Mitchell, Wide Receiver (WR66, Pick 152 Overall)
Mitchell is a large, fast downfield threat. He is the same type of receiver as Alec Pierce, who the Colts already have on their roster, and who fruitlessly ran the seventh-most routes in the NFL last season thanks to a 100% route participation. He had just 65 targets last year on those routes, which ranked 64th in the NFL. So, the Colts already have that type of receiver out there, running routes. They went ahead and replaced him with a better version, and that’s a role that could be fruitful with a big-armed quarterback like Anthony Richardson out there. People want to hype Josh Downs because of his rate statistics, but having a competent receiver out there doing the same sort of things should lead to a lot of fantasy points this season.
Sleeper: Joe Flacco, Quarterback (QB40, Pick 347 Overall)
Do not draft Joe Flacco, please. The Colts, however, are a very top-heavy team. Michael Pittman, Anthony Richardson, and Jonathan Taylor all go in the top-55 picks, then Josh Downs & Mitchell go at the end of drafts, and… that’s it. Evan Hull has a 274 ADP, which means he’s barely within reach of best ball drafts. But, two things that happened last season could repeat themselves, and that would immediately put Joe Flacco on the radar in all leagues. First, there’s the aforementioned “finishing games” issue that plagued Anthony Richardson during his rookie campaign. Second, we saw Flacco wipe Cheeto dust off of his shirt and average 323 passing yards and 2.6 touchdowns per game for the Browns last season. A lot will have to go wrong for the Colts to get Flacco this opportunity, but we already saw him take advantage of it last year. If the opportunity presents itself again, he will take advantage of it yet again.
