Colts Stars Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Fantasy Trade Advice Ahead of Deadline
November 11, 2022
If any fantasy managers are still holding out hope for players on the Indianapolis Colts, here's some advice about how to handle the Nov. 30 trade deadline.
Among many stunning moves the Colts have made this season, then-head coach Frank Reich's announcement Oct. 24 that Sam Ehlinger would take over as the starting quarterback began a ripple effect that is turning into a tidal wave for the franchise.
The Colts seemed like they had a strong infrastructure around their quarterback, but that hasn't been the case. The offensive line has been a mess, which compounded issues for Matt Ryan before he was benched.
Ehlinger was an unknown taking over the offense. The 24-year-old was a sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Texas in 2021. His only regular-season experience prior to Week 8 this year came in three games last season in which he didn't throw a pass and rushed three times for nine yards.
Through his first two starts, Ehlinger looks like a second-year quarterback who was drafted in the sixth round. He has thrown for 304 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The Colts had just 43 net passing yards in a Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots as Ehlinger threw for 103 yards but was sacked nine times.
Michael Pittman Jr.'s performance has fallen off a cliff since Ehlinger took over the offense. He has 75 yards on 10 catches in the past two games after averaging 79.2 yards and 7.3 receptions with Ryan from Weeks 1 to 7.
Jonathan Taylor has missed time with an ankle injury and hasn't been nearly as effective through six games in 2022 (88.8 average yards from scrimmage, one touchdown) as he was last season (2,171 yards from scrimmage, 20 touchdowns).
Taylor was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts coming into the season. He's probably the only Colts player worth rostering in fantasy, but his value is only as an RB3/flex player because of how limited he's looked because of the ankle injury and how poor the offensive line has been.