Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts ran away with a 33-13 win at home over the Jacksonville Jaguars thanks to a dominant rushing attack, as the Colts rushed for 264 yards as a team while holding the Jaguars to 29 yards rushing overall. Despite the return of starting quarterback Nick Foles, the Jaguars fall to 4-6 on the season, while the Colts jump to 6-4. With a potentially lengthy injury to starting running back Marlon Mack, Colts running backs will likely be the focus of waiver wires this week in fantasy football leagues.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
- Nick Foles: 33/47, 296 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks
Nick Foles returned to the lineup for his first action since Week 1 and looked relatively good in his first full game of the season. Foles was nearly intercepted on the opening drive of the game and had another near interception later in the game. Foles’ one interception was a bad pass toward the end of the half where he forced the ball deep into double coverage looking for D.J. Chark Jr., a common theme in this one. Otherwise, Foles stood strong in the pocket and delivered the ball while taking hits, a different style than Gardner Minshew’s scrambling play as the backup. Foles generally targeted his receivers and looked to Chark often, as most of Leonard Fournette’s catches were dump-offs in garbage time. Foles won’t be a desirable streaming option in Week 12 on the road in Tennessee but has a home date against Tampa Bay in Week 13 that should be one of the premier streaming options of the week.
Running Backs
- Leonard Fournette: 8 carries, 23 yards | 7 targets, 7 receptions, 34 yards
- Ryquell Armstead: 1 carry, 6 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
Leonard Fournette had a disappointing game, as the Jaguars offensive line failed to open holes in the running game and Fournette didn’t show much explosiveness in the opportunities that he did have. He bailed out fantasy owners by catching multiple dump-off passes in garbage time, so Fournette continues to provide a solid PPR floor. He doesn’t look particularly dynamic right now and lacks the week-winning upside to put him in the upper echelon of fantasy running backs, but his volume keeps him as a solid RB1 most weeks.
Despite a lack of touches, Ryquell Armstead was on the field throughout, mixing in as early as the second drive of the game, including on a 3rd down. He would likely be the primary option in the event of an injury to Fournette.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- D.J. Chark Jr.: 15 targets, 8 receptions, 104 yards, 2 TD
- Chris Conley: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 58 yards
- Keelan Cole: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 41 yards
- Dede Westbrook: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 32 yards
- Ben Koyack: 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards
- Josh Oliver: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
If there was any doubt about D.J. Chark Jr.’s role with a new quarterback, all questions were answered in Foles’ first game back. Chark was the clear number one option in the passing game, and Foles often forced the ball into coverage to get the ball into Chark’s hands. Chark took a pass over the middle to the house for a 34-yard touchdown to open up the scoring and scored a late second touchdown in garbage time. Chark was the target of a failed fourth-down conversion and should be the focus of the passing game going forward.
After Chark, the rest of the receiving corps was fairly indistinguishable from each other. Chris Conley, Keelan Cole, and Dede Westbrook all caught the passes that they should, but failed to make any big plays on short passes. It was good just to see Westbrook healthy and on the field, but it will be hard to trust him in fantasy lineups until he separates from the rest of the pack behind Chark. Foles did heavily target the receivers in this one, so it’s worth stashing Westbrook in hopes of an expanded role going forward. The tight ends were an afterthought in the passing game and should continue to be left on waiver wires.
Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback
- Jacoby Brissett: 15/24, 148 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks | 2 carries, 12 yards, 1 TD
Jacoby Brissett was back under center and a welcome sight for the Colts offense. Brissett was seen with a heating pad on his knee during the game on the sidelines but otherwise looked healthy and mobile. For fantasy purposes, this was a disappointing game, though a rushing touchdown helped salvage Brissett’s game. Otherwise, Indianapolis was content to hand the ball off and play defense. Brissett won’t be a streaming option as long as T.Y. Hilton is out of the lineup, and should be avoided in matchups where the Colts are favored and can focus on the run. But Brissett’s mobility and solid play certainly helps this offense as a whole.
Running Backs
- Marlon Mack: 14 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD
- Jonathan Williams: 13 carries, 116 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 31 yards
- Nyheim Hines: 3 carries, 11 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 24 yards
- Quenton Nelson: 1 carry, 0 yards, 1 keg stand
Marlon Mack dominated this game early on, including on his highlight-reel touchdown run where he spun away from Jaguars defenders and boke it outside to beat the secondary to the end zone. Unfortunately, Mack’s monster day was cut short as he exited the game early in the third quarter with a fractured hand. He will receive further testing to diagnose the extent of the injury, but will almost certainly miss several games.
Jonathan Williams filled in for Mack, as Jordan Wilkins was inactive due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 10 against the Dolphins. Williams was impressive while mixing in for Mack even before the injury and totaled 147 total yards on 14 touches. Williams took a 3rd and 19 screen pass for 31 yards, looked good in the red zone and was able to take advantage of excellent run blocking from the Colts’ offensive line. On an offense that relies heavily on the run, Williams would be a plug and play RB2 if Wilkins remains sidelined, though things would get murky if Wilkins were to return. The Colts upcoming schedule includes the Texans, Titans, Buccaneers, and Saints; not exactly the softest schedule for a running back. But regardless of the schedule, Williams has a major opportunity in front of him and should be added on waivers in almost all leagues. Even Wilkins is worth a speculative add, as he would likely sit atop the depth chart when healthy. If Mack is out for an extended period, you will want whoever the primary ball carrier is in this offense.
Nyheim Hines has a steady role in this offense but is never going to be the workhorse back, making him less of a priority add. Hines’ red zone touchdown was primarily due to Williams needing a breather as opposed to purposefully getting him into the game, and while Hines may see a bit more work with Mack injured, his role will remain more or less the same going forward.
Offensive lineman Quenton Nelson was given a carry that originally resulted in a touchdown, giving us one of the finer touchdown celebrations of the year as the Colts’ offensive line mimicked a keg stand. Unfortunately, the play was overturned after review, but the celebration will live on forever.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Marcus Johnson: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 38 yards, 1 TD
- Eric Ebron: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 27 yards
- Zach Pascal: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards
- Chester Rogers: 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards | 1 carry, 18 yards
Not a lot to see here, as the Colts had 36 rush attempts and only 24 passing attempts. Zach Pascal led the team in targets but had a dud of a performance with 17 receiving yards. He did have a near-miss long touchdown that just fell incomplete, and he drew a pass interference downfield. But Pascal saw Marcus Johnson eat into his work, and Johnson scored a fourth-down touchdown while catching all four of his targets in the game. Johnson is primarily a special teamer and in his second year in the league, though he was elevated to third receiver after the release of Deon Cain. However, with Hilton and Devin Funchess likely not far off from a return from injury, Johnson has little fantasy relevance.
The tight ends took a step back this week, with Eric Ebron making a nice sideline catch but otherwise not producing much for fantasy purposes. Jack Doyle was held off the stat sheet, and the only time he stood out was when he drew an offensive pass interference penalty on a 3rd down pick play. It will be hard to count on either tight end in games where the Colts are as committed to the run as they were today.
Overall, this passing offense is desperately awaiting the return of Hilton, as they completely lack a downfield element to the passing game. There were lots of passes right at or just short of the first down marker on third and fourth downs, and there was little after-catch playmaking from the Colts’ pass-catchers.
–Erik Smith