Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 30th, at 4:25 PM EST
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Betting Odds: WAS +2.5, 40 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
Washington Commanders
Quarterback
Taylor Heinicke (Sit)
Filling in for Carson Wentz, who is on the IR with a finger injury post-surgery, Taylor Heinicke completed 20 of 33 passes in the upset victory against the Packers last week, for 201 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His 38-yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin was a beauty, but despite the win, it was an uninspiring afternoon for Heinicke, and it’s hard to find streaming value in him despite the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert both on their BYE this week.
TOUCHDOWN
38 yard DIME to Terry McLaurin.
The Commanders have the lead!McLaurin has his first TD since Week 1 of the NFL season!#HTTC | @TheTerry_25 pic.twitter.com/cPCNgLLIpF
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) October 23, 2022
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson (Start if you must, FLEX), J.D. McKissic (Sit), Brian Robinson Jr. (Start, FLEX)
Just when we thought Brian Robinson Jr. was set to clearly take over the backfield, Antonio Gibson had other plans against Green Bay. Gibson turned 10 carries into 59 yards, but also had three receptions for 18 yards and a receiving touchdown. However, Robinson did have ten more carries, turning his 20 to 73 yards. Both backs can be considered as FLEX options, with the edge going to Robinson on the weekly. J.D. McKissic doesn’t hold any fantasy value at this time, and can be left on the wire.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Terry McLaurin (Start, WR2), Curtis Samuel (Start if you must, FLEX), Logan Thomas (Sit), John Bates (Sit)
As alluded to earlier, McLaurin had a nice grab for his first touchdown since Week 1. On the day, he hauled in five of his eight targets for 73 yards and the score. One would expect him to continue to be nicely targeted with Wentz out of the picture, and can be considered the WR2 that he has been thus far in the season. Curtis Samuel also caught five of eight targets, but for 53 scoreless yards. However, he did turn five rushes into 26 yards. He too should see an uptick in targets, especially if rookie Jahan Dotson remains out with a hamstring injury, but I’d peg him more so as a FLEX-if-you-must option. The Washington tight end room is uninspiring. Even if Logan Thomas (calf) and/or John Bates (hamstring) are back, they are afterthoughts in the offense and not fantasy relevant.
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
Sam Ehlinger (Sit)
Who doesn’t love some breaking news on a Monday? News came out that the Colts are benching Matt Ryan in favor of Sam Ehlinger. At first it was relayed to the masses that it was a benching, then came clarity that Ryan is dealing with a shoulder strain. But then, head coach Frank Reich confirmed the change is not seen as a temporary fix:
This change at QB is not temporary.
Per Frank Reich: "Right now the move is for Sam to be the starter for the rest of the season."
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 24, 2022
It’s shocking knowing that Ryan is owed $35M in 2023, but through seven games, he owns a 9:9 passing touchdown to interception ratio. Ehlinger leapfrogs Nick Foles for the starting QB gig, but does not possess any fantasy value at the moment. If these stats fancy you at all, he did have a strong preseason, finishing as the QB3 with an 82.8 completion %, four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in all three games.
Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor (Start, RB1), Nyheim Hines (Sit)
Jonathan Taylor returned to action after missing two games, but wasn’t necessarily much of a factor in the loss to the Titans. Taylor only had 10 carries for 58 yards, but did have seven receptions for 27 yards; taking on all of the targets Deon Jackson saw in Week 6 (10). Gamescript didn’t allow Taylor to get going, but he’s set to face a Commanders defense that is allowing an average of 22.86 PPR points to running backs through seven games, per FantasyData. Nyheim Hines (concussion) also returned for the Colts, with most of his involvement coming in the pass game as expected. He caught all five of his targets for 41 yards, and only had two carries on the day for two yards. With Hines healthy, he’s worthy of a spot on your bench, but can’t be relied upon to start reguarly.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Michael Pittman Jr. (Start, WR2), Alec Pierce (Sit), Parris Campbell (Start, FLEX), Jelani Woods (Sit)
Michael Pittman Jr. had himself a day in Week 6 against the Jaguars, but came down to earth last week in the loss to Tennessee. He turned nine targets into six receptions for 58 yards, and a lost fumble that closed out the chance to leave with a win. His target share is being hampered by Parris Campbell and to an extent, Alec Pierce, which pegs Pittman off the WR1 fantasy radar. Campbell is coming off back to back games with at least 11 targets; he had 11 in Week 6 and 12 last week. Against the Titans, he turned 10 receptions into 70 yards and a touchdown. It’ll be interesting to see what’s to come for this offense with Ehlinger under center, but Campbell may have found himself on the FLEX radar this week. Pierce, who had a solid string of weeks between 4-6, came back to earth against the Titans, catching three of four targets for 37 scoreless yards. He won’t be a recommended start this week, and the same can be said for tight end Jelani Woods. Woods caught one of two targets for four yards last week, and it appears the Indy WR’s are going to dominate any target share of passes from Ehlinger.