With the NFL season right around the corner and the offseason additions mostly through, it's time to dive into teams and decipher how to handle their players for 2025 fantasy football.
The team I will be breaking down today is the Indianapolis Colts, and I will be analyzing their offseason moves, draft results, and outlook for this season. Get ready to dive right into how to handle the Indianapolis Colts for this upcoming fantasy football season.
Last Season
In the 2024 season, the Colts finished with an 8-9 record, placing second in the AFC South division.
Last season, the Colts averaged 334.8 yards per game, ranking 13th overall, while boasting the 8th-ranked rushing offense and the 25th-ranked passing offense.
This elite rushing attack was led by Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson, while the passing game struggled due to the inaccuracy and inexperience of Richardson.
Free Agency
After the disappointing season, the Colts lost some core offensive linemen to free agency, with both Ryan Kelley and Will Fries being signed by the Vikings. The team also lost leading TE Kylen Granson to the Eagles and backup quarterback Joe Flacco to the Browns.
Free Agency wasn't all losses, as the Colts also signed Daniel Jones and Khalil Herbert to the team.
NFL Draft
The Colts held the 14th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and selected Tyler Warren, a tight end from Penn State. Warren brings new fire to the room that was previously not present and adds another reliable target to the offense.
Other notable selections in the Draft were DJ Giddens, a running back from Kansas State, in the fifth round, along with Riley Leonard, a quarterback from Notre Dame in the sixth round.
Now, let's break down each position group and learn what to expect from this offense for fantasy football this season.
Quarterbacks
Let’s talk about the quarterback controversy/competition. We all know Anthony Richardson, the former fourth overall selection, is an extremely athletic quarterback who can be an elite runner, but has his immense struggles in the passing game.
His rushing upside alone offers top-20 QB production, but the rest of this offense relies on his ability to pass the ball to produce meaningful fantasy points. Without a step forward in Richardson’s passing game, the remaining pass-catchers may suffer from the quarterback play.
The other half of this quarterback room is Daniel Jones, the former sixth overall pick, who most recently played for the Minnesota Vikings.
Jones was brought in as a backup for Richardson, yet was signed to a lucrative deal to be a backup quarterback, hinting at the Colts' willingness to give Jones a chance.
Regardless of the overall playing time, Jones also offers rushing upside with his scrambling ability and is a more refined passer than Richardson currently is.
If Jones were to start for Indianapolis, the skill core is likely to have higher floors with curbed ceilings without the big-play ability Richardson offers.
This quarterback room is very risky for fantasy owners in 2025 and should be regarded as a gamble and taken with caution.
Running Backs
Leading this running back room is the former All-Pro Jonathon Taylor, who is coming off of a RB12 season, scoring 244.7 points in 14 games for a whopping 17.4 PPG average.
As I talked about in my Running Back Tiers article, Taylor easily fits into a Tier Two running back, offering a high upside for this up-and-coming season. The Colts' reliance on the run and lack of a star backup keep the competition slim and should make Taylor an elite running back this year.
Backing up Taylor are both the rookie DJ Giddens and the veteran Khalil Herbert, both of whom will see minimal work as long as Taylor is active for the team. The only way these players find fantasy relevance is a Taylor injury, and they would be week-to-week players even with that.
The Colts' running backs are set for success, and you should be targeting Jonathon Taylor with his bell-cow role and big-play ability.
Wide Receivers
The Colts' wide receiver room has been without an alpha wide receiver for a couple of years now, but it still produces solid wide receivers for fantasy.
Starting this room off, we have Michael Pittman Jr coming off a lackluster season at WR41 with 10.3 PPG.
Pittman Jr has proven he can produce at a high level in the past, putting up three top-20 performances in the three years before last year; however, he suffered from inconsistent quarterback play last season, just like the remainder of the room.
Pittman’s outlook for the 2025 season isn't bright, with the increased role of Josh Downs and the extra reliance on running the ball.
Next up, we have Josh Downs, a player who I believe is currently being undervalued and deserves more recognition for his production.
Downs is coming off a WR35 season in 14 games, averaging 13.1 points per game in 2024.
Downs was one of the most consistent players in the Colts' offense last season, being a reliable slot receiver, winning a majority of his routes, and being open often.
With his role in Shane Steichen's offense only growing more, Downs is prepped for a WR2-level season and is a player to target for your fantasy drafts.
Following Downs, we have Alec Pierce, a former second-round pick who had his breakout season last year, leading the Colts in receiving yards and leading the NFL in the yards per catch category.
Even though these numbers sound great, Pierce's inconsistency is his biggest concern, as he had six games under five fantasy points while also having five games over fifteen points.
Pierce is a boom-or-bust player who could see usage in deeper league formats or as a bye-week replacement but would struggle to produce as a top-three option for your fantasy team.
Rounding this group out is Adonai Mitchell, coming off a disappointing rookie campaign, totaling 23 receptions for 312 yards and 0 TDs.
Mitchell excelled against man coverage, boasting a 45.4% win rate in the 2024 season, just lacked the targets and accuracy from his quarterback to capitalize on his abilities.
Mitchell did struggle with dropped passes last season and is buried on the depth chart for the 2025 season, making him a factor in extremely deep leagues only holding very little fantasy value.
Tight Ends
Finally, we have the most different position group from last season. This offseason, the Colts drafted Tyler Warren at pick 14, and expect him to be a factor immediately, as summed up in this tweet from @RomeovilleKid on X.
This excitement from head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard projects well for Warren’s fantasy production, as he can do everything the Colts may ask of him in this upcoming season.
Warren displayed his do-it-all ability at Penn State as he lined up all over the field for the Nittany Lions, and he should transfer that skill set to the NFL, causing problems for the opposing defenses.
Warren is being taken as the 11th TE off the board in most redraft formats, making him a great value that should greatly outproduce those numbers heading into the 2025 season.
Outlook
The Colts organization has built a very good offensive regimen on paper, addressing their major needs in the offseason.
Add in the smart play calling from Head Coach Shane Steichen, and this team can produce at all levels this year, however, multiple pieces have to fall into place first, specifically one of the quarterbacks to take a step forward and produce at a higher level for many of these players to be upper tier options in fantasy this year.
The Indianapolis Colts are a tricky team to truly understand this year, but they can still provide major value for you in your 2025 Fantasy Football drafts.