T.Y. Hilton avoided serious injury, but may still be required to miss some time
On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts lost T.Y. Hilton to a left knee injury mid-way through the fourth quarter. Prior to the injury, Hilton led all Colts’ receivers with seven receptions for 88 yards and no touchdowns. Initially thought to be out “several weeks,” Hilton received the news that there is no structural damage to his knee. Still, his Week 2 status remains unclear. Let’s examine which Indianapolis Colts will fill in for Hilton while he is on the mend.
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The loss of Hilton will surely have a negative impact on a Colts team that just lost a stunner to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Last season, Hilton accounted for 1,345 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. This past offseason, the Colts brought in veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson. In 2014, Johnson appeared to have lost a step. Through 15 games, Johnson caught 85 receptions for 936 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 1 with the Colts, Johnson caught only four of his 10 targets for 24 yards. While he had a tremendous career with the Houston Texans’ partnered with a group of less than mediocre quarterbacks, Johnson will be nothing more than a mid-range WR2 while playing with Andrew Luck during Hilton’s absence. If you are the Andre Johnson owner in your league, consider him as a flex play if you have better options.
One option to fill the gap left by Hilton is in-house candidate and second-year receiver Donte Moncrief. Second in targets to Hilton this past week, Moncrief caught six of his 11 targets for 46 yards and a touchdown. Last season, Moncrief saw very little action before exploding in Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers with seven receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown. In Week 13, Moncrief reemerged with three receptions for 134 yards and two scores. While the sampling from last season is small, Moncrief was impressive in Week 1 and could have high WR2 upside against the New York Jets in Week 2.
In the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected former Miami Hurricane speedster Phillip Dorsett. At 5-foot-9, 179 lbs, Dorsett is the mirror image of Hilton, but he lacks the experience and rapport that Hilton has with Andrew Luck. During the preseason, Dorsett caught seven receptions for 72 yards. In Week 1, Dorsett caught two of his three targets and lost a fumble on a punt return. While the speed and talent are there, the trust between Luck and Dorsett are not. At this point, Dorsett would be a waiver flier with little value until he shows us something in the regular season.
While the Colts will need to start a receiver in Hilton’s place, it is possible that either Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, or both, become the recipient of Hilton’s targets. In 2014, Luck targeted Coby Fleener 92 times and Dwayne Allen 50 times. Fleener turned his targets into 51 receptions for 774 yards and eight touchdowns, while Allen had 29 receptions for 395 yards and eight scores. In Week 1, Luck targeted Allen six times while targeting Fleener only once. While it is possible that one of the two tight ends becomes more active in the offense, their numbers from last season indicate otherwise.
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Phil Falvo is a correspondent for FantasyPros. To read more from Phil, you can check out his archive or follow him @FalvoPS01.
