The Indianapolis Colts have become one of the better stories in the NFL to start this season. Daniel Jones’ resurgence has drawn some headlines, and the team holds a 2-0 record with a pair of impressive victories. With a matchup against the Titans this week, Indianapolis has a pathway to its first 3-0 start since 2009. However, some surprising injury news came to light today, with TE Tyler Warren and WR Josh Downs each missing practice with toe and ankle problems.
Daniel Jones Fantasy Football Outlook with Colts Injury Concerns:
Both Warren and Downs are players whose status is worth monitoring as Sunday gets closer. For the time being, there should not be a major sense of panic, as this is a perfectly normal timeline for a proactive rest day. But if Warren, Downs, or both are to miss, it would be a significant hit to Daniel Jones’ outlook and the Colts directly.
Indianapolis selected Warren with the 14th overall pick in this year’s draft, and the early feel is that this was a steal. The Penn State product tore it up at the collegiate level, making an impact as a receiver, rusher, and passer during his time there. Through his first two NFL games, Warren has tallied 11 receptions on 16 targets for 155 yards and has taken a pair of rush attempts. He currently ranks fifth among tight ends in fantasy production based on DraftKings scoring, with 26.8 total fantasy points tallied. Warren leads the Colts in receptions and receiving yards.
Josh Downs has also made an impact and ranks third on the team with eight receptions on the season. He has only managed to turn these into 63 yards to this point, but Downs has tallied 1,574 yards across his first two seasons with the team. The 24-year-old finished last season ranked 36th in fantasy points among wide receivers and is still averaging 7.2 fantasy points per game, even with some struggles. If he is to miss time on Sunday, it would force Michael Pittman Jr, Alec Pierce, and Adonai Mitchell to play more prominent roles.
But the bigger story here is how this impacts Daniel Jones. The former sixth overall pick looks to have found his footing after leaving the New York Giants last year and receiving an opportunity to be the Colts’ starter. Through two weeks, the Duke product has completed 45 of his 63 pass attempts for 588 yards and two touchdowns. Jones is also tied for an NFL-best three rushing touchdowns and has yet to turn the ball over. He has tallied 55.3 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring, which trails only Lamar Jackson (55.7) for the most in the NFL among all players.
Warren has the early look of serving as the safety valve in the Colts’ offense, and his status will be of the greatest concern. If Warren is set to miss, it should knock Jones down a few pegs in the fantasy rankings. Downs is an important part of the Colts’ offense and will have better games than he has to this point, but his availability does not shift the picture as notably.
Perhaps the bigger fear is the past version of Daniel Jones showing up for the Colts at some point. This is the same guy who led the NFL with 19 fumbles as a rookie and has thrown 47 interceptions in his career. Some of the decision-making in the past was beyond worrisome, and New York understandably elected to move on. But there is a lengthy track record of quarterbacks who did not find a fit in their first location, but look like a completely different player with a new system and a change of scenery. Just take a look around at guys like Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith, and Sam Darnold as some recent examples.
I, like most people, am hesitant to commit to the belief that this new version of Daniel Jones is here to stay just yet. But it is impossible not to be at least slightly moved by how he has looked in his first two weeks, with his decision-making and processing of the game looking much different. Jones and the Colts are also set to face off with the Titans this week, who are 0-2 and rank 23rd in points allowed and 27th in yards given up.
Keep an eye on the injury report as the week progresses, with Warren under high notice. But based on the level of play from Daniel Jones thus far and a friendly matchup in this game, he should be viewed as a QB1 option from a fantasy football perspective. If Warren is in the lineup, this is absolutely the case. Without the soon-to-be star tight end, it is a little less clear. The quarterback position has been fairly volatile to start this fantasy football season, and it is fair to view Jones as a worthy starting option until he proves otherwise. We are not to the point where there is a case why Jones should start over the Lamar Jacksons and Josh Allens of the world. But if you do not have one of the top QB options, Jones should be in play for Week 3 with a favorable matchup, especially if Warren is good to go.
