Steichen: Richardson’s status with team unchanged

After taking some time to evaluate his quarterback room, Steichen has decided to stick with Jones, saying he believes Jones gives the Colts “the best chance to win right now.” Jones has struggled mightily in his second season with the Colts and is now sitting on a 1,542-5-9 passing line this season, and he tossed two picks in Week 8’s 42-7 blowout loss to the Jaguars. He was pulled in favor of Anthony Richardson late in the game, but he will get at least one more start against a woeful Cowboys defense that is fresh off blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to the Cardinals in a comeback that was orchestrated by Gardner Minshew. With only two teams on bye this week, Jones is nothing more than a desperation streamer in 2QB/superflex leagues.

According to Zrebiec, Fagnano “was hobbled by game’s end, after he took a low and penalized hit” from Bills DL Ed Oliver. Fagnano said he and the team will have to wait and “see” how he is feeling in the coming days, noting that “you’re always going to have bumps and bruises” after a football game. Lamar Jackson (thumb) is already headed to injured reserve and Tyler Huntley will undergo an MRI tomorrow to assess a potential turf toe injury. Zrebiec rightly writes that the Ravens “will almost certainly have to bring in at least one quarterback, if not two,” this week. He lists Anthony Richardson and Tua Tagovailoa as potential trade targets. At this point, it is unclear who will start for the Ravens on Thursday night.

This is the first time this season that Steichen has left open the possibility of replacing Daniel Jones as the team’s official starter. Anthony Richardson replaced him in-game today, with just under 12 minutes remaining. It seems as though Richardson, or even fellow backup Riley Leonard, could end up playing next week against the Cowboys’ fantasy-friendly defense.

Always a good sign for the quarterback when the coach has to defend his plan to keep starting said quarterback in back-to-back postgame availabilities. While we empathize with the Indianapolis media that clearly has seen enough of Jones, we’re not sure what exactly they think will go differently with Anthony Richardson — who spent his press availability on Sunday noting that he doesn’t “really regret a lot of things I do” after a citation for marijuana possession — under center. Richardson’s in the final year of his rookie contract. The Colts remain a mess after firing Chris Ballard. Jones probably won’t play this poorly next week against a non-Vikings defense, but it’s hard to deny that he’s playing poorly.

According to reports, Richardson was stopped on October 12th for having a registration on his car that had expired and was assigned to a different vehicle. The officer reported noticing the “odor of marijuana” coming from Richardson’s car, and the former first-round pick admitted to smoking in the car; a “small mason jar containing a substance believed to be marijuana and an opened bag of THC-infused gummies” were found in his vehicle during a search. Richardson is scheduled to have a bench trial on January 4th, 2027. While the NFL no longer suspends players for testing positive for THC, it’s possible Richardson faces some kind of penalty from the league with this being a legal issue.

Richardson will be dressed to back up Daniel Jones in Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. Richardson tweaked his groin while lifting earlier this week, per head coach Shane Steichen, but he is good to go.

Perhaps the groin issue was just maintenance. Either way, Richardson is unlikely to be in line for any work in Week 2. The question here is simply if Richardson will back up Daniel Jones in Week 2 or if Riley Leonard will have to pick up the slack.

It’s unclear how Richardson picked up the groin injury after not playing a snap in Week 1. He earned the backup job during the summer but will now hand that over to Riley Leonard if he isn’t able to suit up this week.

Richardson spent training camp and the preseason battling it out with Riley Leonard for the backup gig. Given the arc of Richardson’s career, earning the backup gig is undoubtedly a win for the young passer. Richardson isn’t on the redraft fantasy radar, but dynasty managers can leave the light on for him.

Richardson is listed alongside Riley Leonard as the team’s QB2 for now. Either Leonard or Richardson — who struggled in the preseason — will serve as Daniel Jones’ backup this season. One of the most inaccurate passers in modern NFL history, Richardson would be a massive downgrade for all Indy pass catchers if he finds his way under center in 2026.