Indianapolis

Colts

Steichen said center Ryan Kelly has a “good chance” to return after the team’s bye week but was non-committal on Downs’ return. The second-year receiver missed Sunday’s game against the Patriots due to a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 12, but may need more time to recover before returning to the field. The Colts’ passing game was slowed by the absence of Downs, as their wide receivers combined to catch just seven passes for 58 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets. Alec Pierce wound up leading the team in snaps from the slot, with eight, but that’s not where he’s been best utilized over his career. Downs’ return in Week 15 would be a welcomed one as the Colts make a postseason push. We’ll see how things look at the start of next week.

Mitchell’s first target was an end zone look that was well-defended by Pats corner Marcus Jones. His second was a deep shot late in the game where Jones again got the better of Mitchell. This time, Mitchell had the upper hand at the catch point but still couldn’t come down with the ball. It’s just not happening for Mitchell this year. He’s struggling to earn targets and fails to do anything when the occasional look comes his way. Mitchell is not on the fantasy radar as the playoffs approach.

With Josh Downs sidelined for this game, Pittman stepped up as the clear No. 1 receiver for Anthony Richardson, logging a 29 percent target share in the process. Though he seemingly did little with the increased role, his 42 yards were 20 more than any other Colts pass-catcher. He also drew two pass interference calls including a crucial one on the Colts’ final drive that kept the chains moving on third down. Pittman’s role will shrink if Josh Downs is healthy coming out of Indy’s upcoming bye. With Downs active and Anthony Richardson under center, Pittman has struggled to do more than post WR4 numbers.

Taylor remained inefficient on the ground, rushing for 3.8 yards per carry a week after being held to 3.2 yards per carry. The good news is that he saved the day early with an over-the-shoulder catch for a red zone touchdown. It was his first receiving touchdown on the year and just his second in the past three seasons. No other Colts running back saw a touch this week. Taylor is a home run hitter on a cold streak, but that won’t last forever, especially on an immense workload. He will remain in the RB1 ranks when the Colts take on the Broncos after their Week 14 bye.

Pierce and Anthony Richardson struggled to get on the same page for much of this game, as evidenced by his dreadful 33 percent catch rate. Pierce was the intended target on one of Richardson’s two interceptions, a ball thrown just behind the speedy wideout that was plucked away by Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez. However, when it mattered most, the third-year wideout came up big. Richardson hit him for a three-yard score on fourth down with 12 seconds left on the clock. The Colts converted a game-winning two-point try on the next snap. Pierce earned a quarter of the team’s targets with Josh Downs out and will be in line for another sizable cut of the opportunities if he remains sidelined coming out of Indy’s Week 14 bye.

Richardson’s yardage total was modest to say the least, but he stuffed the stat sheet with the pair of passing touchdowns, a rushing score, 48 yards on the ground, and a two-point conversion throw. Richardson bookended the game with two impressive drives. He completed all three of his attempts for 36 yards and a score on the opening drive. Richardson closed the game with a 19-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a short touchdown to Alec Pierce and a two-point conversion quarterback run. The second-year quarterback remained scattershot throughout this game and both picks were missed or ill-advised throws that fall on his shoulders. For fantasy purposes, his 9/49/1 rushing line will keep him on the QB1/2 border coming out of Indy’s Week 14 bye.

Pierce was listed as questionable on Friday but didn’t seem at risk of missing today’s game after closing the week with a full practice. With Josh Downs out, Pierce should see a slight uptick in targets, putting him in the WR4 ranks for Week 13. Inactive for the Colts are C Tanor Bortolini, WR Josh Downs, WR Ashton Dulin, QB Sam Ehlinger, FS Darren Hall, DE Isaiah Land, and OT Braden Smith.

Pierce followed consecutive no-shows in practice with a full sessions Friday, drawing the questionable tag for Week 13 against the Patriots. His status is suddenly one to follow for the Colts as both Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin have been ruled out. Pierce’s presence likely moves electric rookie Adonai Mitchell into the slot.

Raimann missed two games with the knee issue but is good to go for Week 13. Matt Gonclaves had been starting in his place and could stay in the lineup, only at right tackle. Braden Smith is out for personal reasons this week, leaving an opening for Gonclaves on the right side.

Head coach Shane Steichen called Downs a long-shot to play earlier this week, so the news isn’t much of a surprise. Downs fell hard on his shoulder in the Colts’ Week 12 loss to the Lions but played through the injury until the final whistle. Once the adrenaline wore off, it was fairly obvious that he would miss some time with the issue. Michael Pittman should pace the Colts in targets this week, putting him on the WR3 radar despite Anthony Richardson’s accuracy woes.