Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 6th, 2024, 1:00 ET
Location: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Network: CBS
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
Anthony Richardson: Sit, QB2
Anthony Richardson is once again injured, and the dreaded injury-prone tag is being applied here. It is warranted, but it is important to note that Richardson is likely to suit up in Week 5. He is currently my QB13 on the week. The more concerning issue for fantasy managers is how dreadful he has been as a passer. The argument for Richardson is that his production with his legs would offset that, but it looks like the Colts are doing their best to limit his rushing to avoid injury. Well, that has not worked, and the alarm bells are ringing. He is not a sell for anything you can get, but in redraft leagues, you can find an interim option like Justin Fields or stash Drake Maye. In Dynasty, moving him for a young, unproven commodity or an unsexy vet like Jared Goff while throwing in a younger asset to receive on top may be the move. The additional asset will vary based on league and team needs, but there are options. The one thing you shouldn’t be doing is just moving on for scrubs; the upside is still there, and Richardson is younger than Jayden Daniels. Be strategic, don’t panic. Still, after a few disastrous weeks, I’m waiting until we see a solid performance from Richardson before starting him again.
If Richardson is unable to go, it’ll be NFL legend Joe Flacco leading the charge once again against a Jaguars defense that allows the most fantasy points to opposing QBs along with the Commanders. He would slide in as a mid-range QB2 for me (QB16) as an intriguing streaming option if your starting quarterback is on bye.
Running Back
Jonathan Taylor: Start, RB2
Trey Sermon: Start, RB2**
Jonathan Taylor is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. The Colts have been vague about this injury, to say the least, but there is still talk about him suiting up for Week 5. I am not confident in that, but until we are sure that he will not be playing, he is going to be included in my rankings, even if his production should dip. We are stuck in the weirdest range of Taylor suiting up this week or going on IR, and that should have fantasy managers feeling uncomfortable. Taylor is a tough player, so I would not be surprised if we get the worst of the possible scenarios where he plays this week and reaggravated his injury, leaving fantasy managers with one-half of JT before he eventually heads to IR. It is a situation to monitor throughout the week, as I don’t have the medical expertise and can’t be in the locker room. It comes at a terrible time, as Taylor was on a tear the last three weeks. If Taylor did miss time, Trey Sermon is the next man up, and he has a winnable matchup against the Jaguars, who have allowed the seventh-most points to opposing running backs. If Taylor plays, he should be on your bench.
Wide Receiver
Michael Pittman: FLEX Option**
Josh Downs: FLEX Option**
The Colts’ wide receivers are going to be a rollercoaster for most of the season. Michael Pittman should continue to lead this offense as far as target share is concerned, but ultimately, you are benching most, if not all, of these pass catchers in Week 5 if you have the ability. We need to see Richardson complete a higher percentage of passes this season; otherwise, this team and its pass catchers will be hurting you all season long. The Caveat here is if Joe Flacco is the signal caller for the Colts; in that case, Pittman and Downs would flirt with WR2 value this week after seeing strong target shares in Week 4.
Tight End
Sit All
The Colts’ tight end situation is a bit of a mess. With no single option to lead the way, it’s best to avoid them this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence: Sit, QB2
Trevor Lawrence gets further and further away from what people expected as an NFL and fantasy asset with each passing game. While I still believe Lawrence is better than what we have seen, he is completely unstartable most weeks. He is my QB16 against one of the league’s softest secondaries this season. The biggest thing to keep an eye on with Lawrence is if coach Doug Pederson gets ousted should the team continue to struggle. A change in leadership may help Lawrence turn things around in the future.
Running Back
Travis Etienne: Start, RB2
Tank Bigsby: FLEX Option
Travis Etienne has had a down start to the season, and the Jaguars as a whole have been unimpressive. He is still seeing a majority of snaps as the team’s lead back. He was dealing with an injury last week but was able to return to the game and has had limited practices this week so far. Meanwhile, Tank Bigsby continues to be one of the most improved running backs this season. He is still seeing 30% or less of the offensive snaps, but we may see that increase some this week. If he can approach closer to a 50% snap share, he could provide some FLEX appeal. So far this season, he is averaging over 8.0 yards per carry on 21 attempts.
Wide Receiver
Brian Thomas Jr.: Start, WR2
Christian Kirk: FLEX Option
Brian Thomas Jr. and Christian Kirk are not that far apart in my rankings this week, coming in at WR21 and WR34, respectively. The offense as a whole has stalled more often than not, and it is looking like a trend for the always-down Jaguars. Each of this team’s wide receivers fills a different role, but they have yet to threaten a defense. Rookie phenom Brian Thomas Jr. has been the lone bright spot of the Jaguars offense and looks to be a special talent at the position. You can fire Thomas up most weeks with the added upside that he has a nose for the end zone. Kirk has seen increased involvement in the past two games, reaching double-digit targets in Weeks 3 and 4, but is a somewhat risky FLEX option given he only had one reception in each of his first two games.
Tight End
Evan Engram: Start, TE1**
Brenton Strange: Sit
Evan Engram returned to practice and would be a low-end TE1 in this one if he were to return from injury (hamstring). He still needs to log a full practice, though, and if he isn’t able to, it is unlikely we will see Engram return until Week 6. Without Engram, you would not be looking at any tight ends for the Jaguars. Even with Brenton Strange finding the end zone, this offense is in flux, as they have looked awful.