Indianapolis Colts Week 8 Fantasy Football Team Preview

This post comes from Justin Becker of FantasyFootballOverdose.com. You can follow him on Twitter @NBAandNFLInfo or on the Fantasy Football Overdose Google+ Page, and for more Indianapolis Colts Rumors and News visit Fantasy Football Overdose.

Is there anyone hotter than Andrew Luck in fantasy football right now? Before Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers both tossed three touchdowns on Thursday Night Football, Luck was pacing the league in touchdown scores and had also been on a rampage when it comes to passing yardage.

The guy has put up six 300+ yard passing days in just seven games this year. Are we to expect him to suddenly cool off against a so-so Pittsburgh Steelers defense in week eight? Doubtful.

Instead, Luck might just heat up even more. Pittsburgh continues to be a shell of their former elite selves on defense, potentially awarding anyone that faces them with an elite fantasy day. After all, when Ryan Fitzpatrick puts up points against you, you know you’re not being all that you can be.

That’s what could be on the table for Luck and the NFL’s best scoring offense in the Indianapolis Colts this week. What some felt to be a mirage after Indy’s 0-2 start has quickly been proven to be the real deal.

While we fully are banking on the Colts marching into Pittsburgh and having their way with the Steelers, the matchup is still worth breaking down for fantasy football purposes.

Let’s take it by position and see who you specifically can trust from the Colts this week:

Indy’s Passing Game

Don’t let Pittsburgh’s stats fool you. They’ve been in the top half of the league against quarterbacks and wide receivers over the past four games, but they’ve done that against the likes of Blake Bortles, Ryan Fitzpatrick and others. That stretch really isn’t as impressive as it seems and they also haven’t had to face Andrew Luck yet.

Luck will surely be fine this week and you need to use him, regardless, but the real question is who you use out of his weapons in the passing game. Reggie Wayne (elbow) is out, so that auto-props T.Y. Hilton as a heavily targeted beast. He’s probably a lock for 5+ catches and could get 100+ yards and a score. The next guy up is probably going to be Hakeem Nicks, which gives him a shot at solid WR3 value.

You might be better off rolling with Dwayne Allen if you’re down to a wide receiver/tight end Flex spot, though, considering the Steelers are in the bottom half of the league against tight ends on the year. With almost 10 fantasy points given up to opposing tight ends per game, Allen or even Coby Fleener could be a worthwhile shot in the dark.

Indy’s Running Game

Trent Richardson ran as well last week as we’ve ever seen him run as a pro - especially as a member of the Colts. That being said, he’s usually hard to trust, shares the rushing load with Ahmad Bradshaw and happens to be at less than 100% going into week eight.

Add in that Richardson and co. are on the road (although against a soft Steelers defense), and he’s starting to shape up as a shaky play. If he plays, he makes for a solid Flex stab, but Bradshaw is easily the Colts running back to roll with. Bradshaw has six scores on the year (two last week) and has now touched the ball at least 10 times in every game except for week one.

The best part is Pittsburgh’s shaky run defense, which is merely a middle of the road unit on the year and is even worse over the past four games. Bradshaw is super involved and if Richardson sits out, could be a legit top-10 option this week.

Indy’s Defense

Pittsburgh truly played three minutes of good football last week. Had they not, the Houston Texans would have probably beaten them in their own stadium and done so with ease. That flurry of point offered promise and reiterated Ben Roethlisberger’s solid play at home.

There’s no way around it to this point, Big Ben has played three home games and three times he’s put up numbers. Doing so against what is starting to seem like a solid Indy defense won’t be easy, but that mere fact doesn’t make them some elite lock. They’ll be okay to use if you need or want them, but don’t be shocked if this turns into a shootout, either.