Frank Reich adjusted his bifocals, inhaled a deep breath filled with mile-high air, and stared endlessly into the eyes of Nathaniel Hackett. The newly-minted Denver Broncos head coach didn’t flinch. Instead, he extended his right hand, embraced Frank and whispered, “Three-pointers only. Deal.” They shook. They cackled in unison. And the rest was history: another dreadful Thursday Night Football game highlighted by zero touchdowns and a concerning brain injury on the national stage. And I’m making no joke of that last part. Once again, it was a bad look for the NFL, as Nyheim Hines sustained a hit from several Denver defenders and was unable to stand under his own power upon getting up. He was noticeably wobbly as teammates helped him off the field. His status will need to be monitored moving forward, especially since it was clear Indianapolis was going to lean on him in Jonathan Taylor’s absence — feeding him on each of the first three plays from scrimmage. But enough is enough. Here’s what else happened on Thursday night.
The Stage
Matchup: Indianapolis Colts (1-2-1) at Denver Broncos (2-2)
Line: DEN -3.0
What Happened: Not much. Not much at all. But in the end, Indianapolis kicked one more field goal than Denver to come out on top in overtime, 12-9. The Indianapolis O-Line was shaky, allowing Matt Ryan to be sacked six times. Rookie LT Bernhard Raimann was flagged four times in the first half alone. But kicker Chase McLaughlin connected on a 31-yarder to send the game into OT and hit the eventual game-winner with 5:50 remaining in extra time. Brandon McManus made 3-of-4 kicks including a 45-yarder, but his lone miss would be the difference in this game.
Colts Pregame Outcome vs. Projections (Half-PPR)
QB Matt Ryan – 6.1 (PROJ 13.5)
WR Michael Pittman Jr. – 8.4 (PROJ 11.9)
RB Nyheim Hines – 1.3 (PROJ 10.3)
WR Alec Pierce – 12.1 (PROJ 7.1)
RB Deon Jackson – 11.1 (PROJ 5.6)
TE Mo Alie-Cox – 1.2 (PROJ 5.1)
TE Kylen Granson – 2.1 (PROJ 4.1)
WR Parris Campbell – 3.2 (PROJ 3.9)
RB Phillip Lindsay – 6.9 (PROJ 3.9)
WR Ashton Dulin – 2.3 (PROJ 2.7)
Broncos Pregame Projections vs. Outcome (Half-PPR)
QB Russell Wilson – 9.1 (PROJ 17.4)
WR Courtland Sutton – 9.9 (PROJ 13.5)
RB Melvin Gordon III – 11.8 (PROJ 11.9)
WR Jerry Jeudy – 6.8 (PROJ 9.5)
RB Mike Boone – 10.0 (PROJ 6.9)
WR Kendall Hinton – 0.0 (PROJ 4.4)
TE Eric Saubert – 6.1 (PROJ 3.6)
WR KJ Hamler – 1.5 (PROJ 2.9)
TE Albert Okwuegbunam – 1.0 (PROJ 0.9)
Fantasy Studs
There were very few fantasy studs this week, unless you play in a league that utilizes kickers.
Alec Pierce – 8 receptions (9 targets), 81 yards. Pierce led all Colts receivers in targets with nine, seeing three more than Pittman Jr.’s five.Â
Deon Jackson – 13 carries, 62 yards; 4 receptions (4 targets), 29 yards. With Hines out early due to a concussion, Jackson and Lindsay shared the Indy backfield. While Lindsay looked good on a few plays, it was Jackson who took advantage of the opportunity with a team-leading 13 carries.
Fantasy Duds
This category could go on all day. For the sake of brevity, we’ll go with the biggest two disappointments, but Pittman Jr., Sutton and Ryan all significantly underwhelmed also.
Nyheim Hines – 1 carry, 3 yards; 1 reception (2 targets), 5 yards. Just like last week with Tua, this one is tough. I’m not trying to be hard on Hines, or add insult to injury, but the fact of the matter is that he didn’t come close to returning value in Week 5. Many owners likely started Hines with high expectations with Jonathan Taylor out, and he saw just two targets and one carry before being forced to exit the matchup. That’s a lineup killer.
Russell Wilson – 21-for-39, 274 yards, 2 interceptions; 4 carries, 22 yards. The Denver offense never appeared to be on the same page from start to finish, which has been a common theme this season. Wilson has now finished with fewer than 12.0 fantasy points in three of five games. You’re better off picking and choosing your spots with him moving forward.
What We Learned
1. You aren’t going to win your fantasy league with Russell Wilson as your starting quarterback.
2. Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy are going to bust far more often than anticipated during the preseason.
3. Although it will be hard to find weeks when the Colts’ offense can be relied upon, Alec Pierce has emerged as an ownable fantasy asset and a potential flex streamer in deeper formats.
4. In fact, neither of these two offenses can be trusted. Options beyond Taylor, Pittman Jr. and Sutton should be heavily scrutinized in your starting lineup each week.
5. The Colts’ offense needs Jonathan Taylor in order to function. The spillover effect was obvious: eliminate Pittman Jr. and Ryan is left for dead.
Lingering Question
1. Is Matt Ryan cooked? It’s too early to say, especially with the shaky O-Line play, but this could be another Indy experiment gone wrong at quarterback.
That’s all for this week, Razzball fam! As always, I’m happy to take this conversation into the comments section or on Twitter, where you can find me @WorldOfHobbs.
