Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, January 4, 2026, 1:00 PM ET
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Network: CBS
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
Riley Leonard: SIT
Sadly, the Phillip Rivers experiment is over, but at least we get the pleasure of hearing him mic’d up one last time.
Philip Rivers is back to being mic'd up and we're all better for it.@insidetheNFL Week 16 Mic'd Up on X pic.twitter.com/FthDIPlTL3
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2025
Riley Leonard is set to start the Colts’ final game, but with nothing to play for and facing the Texans, he’s not an advisable start.
Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End
Jonathan Taylor: SIT
Michael Pittman Jr: SIT
Alec Pierce: SIT
Josh Downs: SIT
Tyler Warren: SIT
This probably isn’t the only time you’ll see the entire group of skill position players lumped up together for Week 18’s sit/start, but with nothing to gain from a win, it’s entirely possible that even if these guys start the game, they don’t finish it. None have been declared out at the time of writing, but all things considered, I wouldn’t risk starting any Colts in Week 18.
Defense/Special Teams
Indianapolis Colts: SIT
How the mighty have fallen. Dominant early in the season, Indy’s defense has given up 117 points in its last four games.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: START, QB1
C.J. Stroud threw two early touchdowns but had an uneven game overall against the Chargers. Stroud led the Texans to a playoff-clinching victory, but completed less than 60% of his pass attempts and threw two interceptions against the Chargers. Not to take anything away from Stroud, because he dropped the ball right in their breadbasket, but the receivers simply blew past the Chargers’ secondary. The two passes accounted for nearly 50% of Stroud’s 244 yards. You can safely start your Texans per usual in Week 18, as they still have a chance to win the division, and head coach DeMeco Ryans said the starters will play. But if Indianapolis fails to put up much of a fight, the Houston offense could go on cruise control and lead to disappointing fantasy totals.
Running Back
Woody Marks: START, Borderline RB2
Jawhar Jordan: SIT
Nick Chubb: SIT
Woody Marks has at least 60 yards on the ground in every game he started and finished since Week 12, but has just one touchdown (receiving) since Week 11. I initially had Marks ranked as a FLEX, but the potential for Houston to grind the game out with the run if Indy fails to put up much of a fight is enough to push him to borderline RB2.
Wide Receiver
Nico Collins: START, WR1
Jayden Higgins: FLEX, WR4
Jalen Noel: FLEX, WR4
So Stroud throws two 40-yard touchdown passes and nearly 250 yards. Surely Nico Collins was ballistic, right?
To the chagrin of anybody who rosters Collins, one touchdown was a 75-yard bomb to rookie Jayden Higgins, and the other was a 43-yarder to rookie Jaylin Noel. It really do be like that sometimes, but there’s no doubt Collins is still the top fantasy option and WR1 on this team. Higgins and Noel are in play as FLEX options, but risky starts considering the Texans may not have to do much on offense.
Tight End
Dalton Schultz: START, TE1
The Colts are a top 10 fantasy matchup for tight ends, and Dalton Schultz caught seven passes for 55 yards the last time these two met. He’s an easy start with a dwindling number of options available due to Week 18.
Defense/Special Teams
Houston Texans: START, TE1 😏
Must start most weeks facing a team that likely doesn’t field starters the entire game.