Sit/Start Week 8: Reviewing All the Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Broncos@Colts

 

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, October 27th at 1:00 pm EST

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Betting Odds: IND -6, 44 Total via Oddsshark

Network: CBS

Sleeper Spotlight: DeSean Hamilton

 

Denver Broncos

 

 

Quarterback:

• Joe Flacco (Sit)

 

In Week 7, Joe Flacco had the dream matchup against the struggling Kansas City Chiefs. To say he pooed the bed it too kind. Flacco finished 21/34 for 213, was sacked eight times and fumbled thrice. The Colts are pretty middle of the road when it comes to pass defense as they’ve allowed the 16th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Flacco hits the bench for the rest of the year. 

 

Running backs:

• Phillip Lindsay (Start/RB2)
• Royce Freeman (Start/RB2)

 

The Broncos one-two punch has been relatively consistent all season, which makes projecting them somewhat bearable. For the year, Phillip Lindsay has out-touched Royce Freeman 115-101, while Freeman has out-snapped Lindsay 147-109 over the last four games. The long story, short of all these statistics is basically, both backs have maintained a role in the offense, making both usable for fantasy purposes. The only differentiating feature between the two backs is that Freeman has gotten double the targets in the passing game over the last four weeks. The Colts have done a decent job against the run, as they have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. 

 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends:

• Courtland Sutton (Start/WR2)
• DeSean Hamilton (Sit)
• Noah Fant (Sit)
• Fred Brown (Sit)

 

Courtland Sutton has emerged as an every-week fantasy contributor, despite Flacco’s ineptitude. Over the last four weeks, Sutton has a 27% target share and leads the Broncos in targets, Air Yards, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Sutton’s an every-week start moving forward. With the departure of Emmanuel Sanders, DeSean Hamilton should slide into the slot as he did following Sanders’ Achilles injury in 2018. Hamilton ended 2018 with four consecutive games of 9+ fantasy points in PPR leagues, but I’m taking a wait and see approach with Hamilton. Noah Fant may also see a bump up in targets, however, as he’s only had 13 targets over the last four games, I want to see it before I start him. We’ll have to keep an eye on what receiver takes over the other outside role this week, but just know Fred Brown is a Broncos receiver and not just a local CPA. 

 

Indianapolis Colts

 

Quarterback:

• Jacoby Brissett (Sit)

 

Jacoby Brissett has done an incredible job considering the circumstances under which he was thrust into the starting role. Brissett has two or more touchdown passes in five of his six games played this year and has just four turnovers. A lot of credit goes to the Colts’ offensive line who has allowed Brissett to be sacked just seven times on the year. We saw the best version of Brissett in the Colts’ Week 6 victory over the Texans, where Brissett went 26/39 for 326 yards and four scores. However, the Colts face a tough Denver pass defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. I have Brissett as a high-end QB2 this week. 

 

Running Backs:

• Marlon Mack (Start/RB2)
• Nyheim Hines (Sit)
• Jordan Wilkins (Sit)

 

The Colts have done an excellent job of sticking to the run and controlling the time of possession this year. That pretty much sums up how they beat the Chiefs in their Week 5 matchup. Marlon Mack has carried the majority of the load for the Colts, getting 77% of the running back carries. He also has at least three targets in four of his six games this year. The weakness of the Broncos defense is against the run, where they’ve allowed the 17th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. With that type of workload and the Colts’ offensive philosophy, Mack is a safe RB2 start this week. Nyheim Hines is the Colts primary third-down back, although he’s seen his snap share reduce from 45% in Week 4 to 21% in Week 5, and then fell all the way down to 12% in Week 6. I’d expect his usage to tick up in negative game scripts. Jordan Wilkins is Mack’s primary handcuff and would see a major uptick in opportunity if Mack goes down.

 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends:

• T.Y. Hilton (Start/WR1)
• Eric Ebron (Start/TE1)
• Jack Doyle (Sit)
• Zach Pascal (Sit)
• Chester Rogers (Sit)
• Deon Cain (Sit)

 

T.Y. Hilton remains a WR1 regardless of the tough matchup. He moves around the field enough that I wouldn’t expect a shadow from Chris Harris. The Broncos have played well against wide receivers, allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points to wideouts. The Colts’ tight end situation is where things get difficult, as Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle both get a decent amount of work in this offense. Doyle has two more targets than Ebron over the Colts’ last three games, but the quality of those targets is what makes Ebron stand out. Of Doyle’s 16 targets, he has an aDOT of 4.7, leading to just 75 Air Yards. Ebron, on the other hand, has an aDOT of 12.3. This difference in the quality of targets leads me to have Ebron as a back-end TE1. For what it’s worth, if you’re in a pinch, I could see starting Doyle in a PPR league, but three catches for 20 yards is the floor. Zach Pascal had himself a day in Week 7 against the Texans, catching six of his seven targets for 106 yards and two scores. Pascal has benefitted from rookie Parris Campbell missing his second straight game with an abdominal injury. Keep an eye on Pascal’s workload while Campbell is out, as he may creep up into flex territory in a better matchup. Chester Rogers has just four targets over the Colts last two games and can be ignored for now. Deon Cain wasn’t targeted in Week 7 after receiving just one target in Week 5. Cain can be ignored for fantasy purposes. 

-Rich Holman, @nextdoorFFguru