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The Indianapolis Colts confirmed that rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will undergo shoulder surgery, likely ending his season. The Colts will turn to Gardner Minshew in relief, at least in the short term. If Indy feels he isn’t doing a good enough job, they have Sam Ehlinger to turn to. If they choose to go with Minshew long-term, how does this affect the Colts offensive skill position players for the rest of the fantasy football season?
Indianapolis should remain a run-first team, with Minshew only passing enough to keep the defense honest or if the Colts are trailing late in games. Zack Moss has been a huge bright spot for the Indy offense and has since been joined by Jonathan Taylor, who spent the first four weeks of the season on the reserve/PUP list. Moss heads into this week as the overall RB6 in half-PPR scoring. He should take a slight step back the more snaps that Taylor gets, but both of them have upside for the rest of the season, even without Richardson.
Michael Pittman Jr. leads the Indianapolis pass-catchers He has brought in 40 of his 60 targets for 406 yards and one touchdown. Pittman most recently finished as the WR9 in Week 6, marking his first sub-WR30 finish since Week 1. He should still see a high target share and is worth keeping on your roster.
Josh Downs is worth an add in 12-team leagues or larger. Over the last two weeks, he has at least 11 fantasy points in half-PPR leagues. Downs has seen at least six targets from Minshew in that span, and the rookie wideout is starting to settle into the offense and his role.
That is where the weekly fantasy football value ends. Guys like Alec Pierce or Kylen Granson can remain on waivers until they show consistent usage. Their only value would be in DFS formats when they have a good matchup.