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If you've been paying attention to our fantasy articles in the past few weeks, you'll likely have realized we're writing posts sponsored by FanDuel.
Here's the basics on FanDuel - it's a weekly fantasy football website. Basically, you have a "salary cap" and you have to fill your roster while staying underneath the cap. Each week you pick a new team, and the catch is that the players are priced at differing values depending on how many points they are projected to score.
As we approach week one, let's take a look at where some of the notable Colts rank for FanDuel this week and whether they're too high, too low, or just right.
Quarterback:
Andrew Luck is ranked as the fourth most expensive quarterback this week with a value of $9,200, behind just Peyton Manning (who's facing the Colts defense), Drew Brees, and Matthew Stafford. I think Luck is valued just right as a top quarterback this week, and here's why: odds are the Colts will fall behind at some point this Sunday against the Broncos. And we all know that they won't win by running the football. In other words, they're going to need to throw, and with the weapons he has and the likelihood of a lot of passes, Luck will be a good fantasy option this week.
Running Back:
Trent Richardson is the highest priced Colts running back with a value of $6,400, placing him as the 28th best running back option (Ahmad Bradshaw is 50th with a $5,200 value). While I mentioned above that Luck is a good option because the Colts will likely have to throw a lot, for that same reason I consider Richardson to not be a great option this week for fantasy. Well, that and the fact that we've yet to really be impressed by him.
Wide Receiver:
Valued at $6,400 and 21st among wide receivers is perhaps the biggest candidate for a "steal" this week for the Colts - T.Y. Hilton. While Hilton will be guarded by Aqib Talib, T.Y.'s numbers against Talib in the past have still been good, and we know that Hilton has the potential to have a great game no matter who is covering him. This week, as we've mentioned a lot already, the Colts will have to throw the ball a lot, and that helps Hilton's fantasy value. Even more so, however, it's likely that at some point the Colts will be behind and will be attempting to come back. Whenever the Colts have to do that, it's a recipe for a huge day for T.Y. Hilton. Don't be surprised to see Hilton have a big game against the Broncos. Additionally, Reggie Wayne is the 29th overall receiver as he's priced at $6,200 and then Hakeem Nicks is 37th, valued at $5,800. Both of them will get their opportunities this Sunday too, and especially with Nicks being 37th, he could play a big role in this game too, so don't sleep on him.
Tight End:
This week, Coby Fleener is priced at $5,400 (ranked 16th among tight ends) and Dwayne Allen is priced at $4,800 (ranked 22nd). While I wouldn't put either of the two up near the top of the tight ends this week, both of them have the potential to have a good week and exceed their projected points for the week. There's a good chance that the Broncos will focus in on the wide receivers (which makes sense), so the Colts' tight ends could end up playing a key role in the passing game.
Defense:
The Colts defense is ranked 26th this week (priced at $4,800), and basically the message it sends is to not pick them. And that's very accurate. Don't pick this Colts defense for your fantasy team this week. Last year against Manning and the Broncos, the Colts defense played very well... and still gave up 33 points. In other words, even if a defense plays well against Manning, he's probably going to get points (unless it's against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl). The Broncos offense will score quite a bit this week. Don't pick the Colts defense. Again, DON'T PICK THEM. Interestingly, the Broncos defense is ranked as the 3rd best defense to pick this week, and while I'd have my hesitations about that, this article is about the Colts players fantasy value. And with that, one more friendly reminder - in fantasy football, you don't want to play the Colts defense this week.
Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a $1,000,000 Fantasy Football Contest for Week 1's NFL games. It's only $25 to join and first place wins $100,000. Starts Sunday, September 7th at 1pm ET. Here's the link. FYI: These are just my opinions and Fanduel gave me money to play.