Indianapolis Colts Preseason: Week 4 Stock Report

The Indianapolis Colts are getting closer and closer to regular-season mode.

After cutting the roster down to 75 players earlier this week, the Colts now look ahead to the fourth preseason game and the final cuts.

There weren't any surprises for the Colts' first round of cuts, but the next phase will involve the difficult moves. The Colts must figure out a few key battles, including spots like backup wide receiver, backup linebacker and backup running back.

So, looking forward, what hints have we gotten on the potential changes coming? That's what we'll take a look at in today's stock report.

Stock Up: Junior Sylvestre

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Going into training camp, it seemed like there were two main candidates for the fourth inside linebacker spot: second-year player Henoc Muamba and 2015 sixth-round pick Amarlo Herrera.

Unfortunately, neither of the leading candidates have played well throughout the preseason, leaving the spot open for a sleeper candidate.

That sleeper candidate has been Junior Sylvestre, an undrafted free agent out of Toledo University. Sylvestre got a few snaps with the first team on Saturday, and he looked good in the process. At least, he was impressive in comparison to Muamba and Herrera. Muamba didn't even get on the field and Herrera has struggled to make plays all preseason.

The Colts have some flexibility with Herrera, and could place him on the practice squad if he makes it past waivers. But the biggest point here is that Sylvestre has earned his roster spot. He'll have one more chance to solidify that spot against the Bengals on Thursday.

Stock Down: RB Josh Robinson

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After being one of the Colts' best preseason performers through the first two preseason games, rookie running back Josh Robinson was a major disappointment in the "dress rehearsal" third preseason game.

Sure, the Rams have one of the best front sevens in the league, and yes, the Colts offensive line did Robinson no favors.

But the rookie looked slow against the Rams, and four yards on five carries is a bad day no matter what the context. Then, of course, Robinson fumbled the ball on his final carry, failing to ever secure the handoff from Andrew Luck.

To top it all off, Robinson suffered a concussion in the process of attempting to recover the fumble and has missed practice throughout the week. For a player trying to solidify his roster spot, it's an unfortunate development.

While Robinson had played well enough to garner support for moving up the depth chart, his progress stalled on Saturday, while Dan Herron continued his steady, dependable play.

Stock Up: Duron Carter

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After two games of invisible play, former CFL receiver Duron Carter showed up against the Rams.

Carter played numerous snaps with the first team, especially during a two-minute drill, and finished with three catches for 25 yards. It wasn't a particularly efficient day (eight yards per catch is not good), but Carter ran a variety of routes and was targeted on a number of routes.

The upward angle on this stock, however, is not particularly steep.

Carter still hasn't shown an ability to win contested catch battles, an ability that was described as his strength in practices. While he's had an opportunity, or two, in every game, he's yet to bring one down.

As a big, long receiver, Carter's greatest addition to this receiving group is his ability to be a red-zone target.

If he can't win contested balls, his spot on the roster is a relative waste. If we're going to see his stock continue to rise, we need to see him win one of those battles.

Stock Down: C Jonotthan Harrison

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The Colts have had a battle at the center position for the last few years, and it still doesn't have a satisfying answer.

For 2015, however, it does seem to have an answer.

After Jonotthan Harrison had a difficult game against the Rams, especially in run blocking, head coach Chuck Pagano named Khaled Holmes the starting center, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com.

Holmes hasn't been impressive at all, so it's more an indication of Harrison's lack of improvement than anything else.

The second-year player has tremendous strength and raw ability, but he isn't as consistent as Holmes. For the Colts and their coaches, that consistency is critical. Harrison still could find himself in a starting role at some point, but he's not particularly close right now.

Stock Up: CB Jalil Brown

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One of the Colts' few interesting dark-horse depth players this training camp was former fourth-round draft pick Jalil Brown.

Brown has jumped around a bit, being claimed off of waivers by Indianapolis in 2013 before being cut and going to Miami. Back in Indianapolis this offseason, Brown was one of the most impressive depth defensive backs.

But, of course, that has to transfer over to game play.

Brown missed the second game of the preseason with an injury, but was back in action for the game against the Rams. He took advantage of the opportunity by grabbing an interception in the third quarter.

Watch out for that injury bug, however. Brown was injured in the St. Louis game with a minor shoulder issue. Chuck Pagano told Zak Keefer of the Indy Star that he is day-to-day, but fringe roster players can't afford to miss much time at this time of the year.