Andrew Luck Spells Disaster for Fantasy Owners

Since Reggie Wayne went down, Luck has let fantasy owners down

What a disastrous year it has been for Andrew Luck. The saying “you don’t know what you got until it’s gone” really does pertain to Andrew Luck losing veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

Luck has been struggling mightily these past weeks and things are not going to get better.

Post – Reggie Wayne, Luck has thrown for 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Even over the course of the season, Luck has only managed to throw for over 300 yards twice! That’s just not going to cut it for fantasy owners, especially when the fantasy playoffs are amongst us.

Luck goes up against a not so favorable match up on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have only allowed one opponent, Mathew Stafford, to throw for over 270 yards this season.

Andrew Luck has greatly disappointed fantasy owners this year. He is facing a good Bengals defense next week. It looks like the downward spiraling roller coaster that is Andrew Luck will continue.

Season Crashes Down on Ironman Reggie Wayne

Fantasy owners have always been able to lean on Reggie Wayne

Colts veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne tore his ACL last night and is done for the season. This is a devastating blow to fantasy owners and to the Colts organization.

There’s no question that Wayne has been quarterback Andrew Luck’s go-to-guy since he arrived in Indianapolis. Since the 2012 season, Wayne has led the team in both targets and receiving yards.

The loss of Wayne will reverberate through the organization for the rest of the season. Look for the Colts to try and make another blockbuster deal with Cleveland to try and snag breakout wide receiver, Josh Gordon.

 

Giants Tight-Lipped on Victor Cruz Heel Injury

Hearts skipped a beat all around the New York area on Sunday night when the 46 million dollar man, Victor Cruz, was taken to the locker room after the team’s first possession to get his foot X-rayed. The X-rays were negative and Cruz reappeared on the sidelines shortly afterward in street clothes.

Cruz was diagnosed with just a bruised heel, and fantasy owners were finally able to breathe again.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin wasn’t exactly a fountain of information today calling the injury a “jammed heel” and said that Cruz was “sore” today.

Bruised heels are notoriously tricky injuries and can be very slow to heal. Rest assured that the Giants will take their time with Cruz during the preseason and not put him in any situation where he might aggravate the injury. Unless the injury is very minor, Sunday night was most probably the last action he will see during the preseason.

Colts Coby Fleener Sustains Another Concussion

The Indianapolis Colts up and coming tight end Coby Fleener was diagnosed with a concussion Tuesday, and will be held out of practice as a part of the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Couple this setback with Dwayne Allen’s foot injury and the Colts are left without both starting tight ends for this Sunday’s preseason game with the Giants. Coach Chuck Pagano did not specify when Fleener may have suffered the concussion, but it might have happened last week against the Bills.

Fleener now has a history of head injuries dating back to 2011 at Stanford. Last year during his rookie campaign, Fleener sustained another concussion heading into a bye week. In today’s NFL and with what science has determined about head injuries, the league will definitely keep a close eye on Fleener’s health.

Despite this week’s injury, Fleener has been excelling in training camp and has very high expectations this season with quarterback Andrew Luck. His combination of size, speed, and athleticism poses a difficult matchup for opponents. Coach Pagano even predicted that Fleener would double his reception total of 26 in 2012. Assuming he can keep his head up and healthy, Fleener might become a major component in the Colts passing attack this season.

Draft Zone: 20th Ranked Wide Receiver – Colts Reggie Wayne

Production expected to dip for Reggie Wayne in 2013

Indianapolis Colts Reggie Wayne is the 20th ranked wide receiver in this year’s 2013 fantasy draft standings. With an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 54, he’s likely to be taken sometime in the sixth round of most fantasy drafts.

Wayne hauled in 106 receptions for 1,355 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in 2012.  He was the 15th highest scoring wide receiver in standard fantasy leagues last season, and was a force in PPR leagues as he finished 6th in the NFL in receptions.

Last season, Wayne finished 2nd in the NFL in targets with 194. Quarterback Andrew Luck attempted to get Wayne the ball at every possible opportunity. Unfortunately, that may not still be the case this season.

This year Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener will reunite with former Stanford offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton, in Indianapolis. Fleener was one of Luck’s favorite targets at Stanford, so expect Hamilton to try to reinforce this connection once again.

With wide receiver T.Y. Hilton emerging last season and showing the Colts that he can make big plays, the team might try to get the ball in his hands more often. The Colts also acquired another solid wide out in Darrius Heyward-Bey in the offseason, giving another reason for Luck to spread the ball around.

As the Colts attempt to get the ball to Fleener, Hilton, Heyward-Bey and others, this could very well eat into Wayne’s targets. Less targets will mean less yards and receptions for the veteran receiver. He will still line up as the Colts number one receiving option, but he’s not going to put up such great numbers.

Though Wayne will turn 38 years old this season, he’s still a talented wide receiver who can get it done. He has played in every Colts game since 2002, and is not much of an injury risk. Though he’s no longer a number 1 receiver in fantasy, Wayne can be a solid number 2 or a safe flex option this season.

Wideout T.Y. Hilton Ready to Impress in Indy

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Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is a possible breakout candidate going into the 2013 NFL season. Hilton finished 21^st in standard fantasy football scoring among wide receivers last season and will likely line up opposite Reggie Wayne as the Colts #2 receiver this season.

Last year, Hilton went under-the-radar with a very solid rookie season, racking up 861 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 games. Hilton recorded 50 receptions with 12 noteworthy drops, despite being targeted 91 times.

Hilton’s absurd speed and great hands allowed him to make plenty of huge plays in 2012. The young receiver was tied for 3^rd in the NFL with 5 receptions for more than 40 yards, while also recording 13 receptions for over 20 yards. It’s normally tough to rely on huge plays like these, but Hilton certainly has the skills to continue this trend.

His top-of-the-line agility is his greatest asset which always makes him a threat after catching the ball. Hilton silently averaged 7.9 yards after catch last season, ranking him 2^nd in the NFL behind only Percy Harvin in that category.

Hilton’s ability to create separation and burn defensive backs down the field was on full display last season. With more opportunities to catch passes next season, Hilton has the potential to put up excellent numbers.

Hilton spent 2012 as the Colts third receiver, behind Reggie Wayne and Donnie Avery. Avery is long gone to the Kansas City Chiefs and Wayne is pushing 35-years-old. Wayne was targeted 194 times, which ranked him second in targets behind only Calvin Johnson. If Wayne slows down this season, Hilton will certainly steal some of his targets.

This season Hilton should be the Colts starter opposite Reggie Wayne, but will have recently signed wide out Darrius Hewyard-Bey close on his tail. Hilton should go around the 8^th round in most fantasy drafts. If he’s available, snag him while you can because he definitely has the potential to improve upon last season’s already impressive numbers.

 

Wideout T.Y. Hilton Ready to Impress in Indy

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Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is a possible breakout candidate going into the 2013 NFL season. Hilton finished 21^st in standard fantasy football scoring among wide receivers last season and will likely line up opposite Reggie Wayne as the Colts #2 receiver this season.

Last year, Hilton went under-the-radar with a very solid rookie season, racking up 861 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 games. Hilton recorded 50 receptions with 12 noteworthy drops, despite being targeted 91 times.

Hilton’s absurd speed and great hands allowed him to make plenty of huge plays in 2012. The young receiver was tied for 3^rd in the NFL with 5 receptions for more than 40 yards, while also recording 13 receptions for over 20 yards. It’s normally tough to rely on huge plays like these, but Hilton certainly has the skills to continue this trend.

His top-of-the-line agility is his greatest asset which always makes him a threat after catching the ball. Hilton silently averaged 7.9 yards after catch last season, ranking him 2^nd in the NFL behind only Percy Harvin in that category.

Hilton’s ability to create separation and burn defensive backs down the field was on full display last season. With more opportunities to catch passes next season, Hilton has the potential to put up excellent numbers.

Hilton spent 2012 as the Colts third receiver, behind Reggie Wayne and Donnie Avery. Avery is long gone to the Kansas City Chiefs and Wayne is pushing 35-years-old. Wayne was targeted 194 times, which ranked him second in targets behind only Calvin Johnson. If Wayne slows down this season, Hilton will certainly steal some of his targets.

This season Hilton should be the Colts starter opposite Reggie Wayne, but will have recently signed wide out Darrius Hewyard-Bey close on his tail. Hilton should go around the 8^th round in most fantasy drafts. If he’s available, snag him while you can because he definitely has the potential to improve upon last season’s already impressive numbers.