T.Y. Hilton's, Jacoby Brissett's Fantasy Outlooks After Andrew Luck Placed on IR

The Indianapolis Colts announced Thursday that quarterback Andrew Luck will miss the entire 2017 NFL season due to lingering soreness in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder, which is going to have a direct impact on the team's fantasy football assets for the remaining weeks.

Luck's potential return was viewed as a possible saving grace for top wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who's failed to provide the expected production with Jacoby Brissett and Scott Tolzien under center. Now those hopes have gone by the wayside, further clouding his outlook.

Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports commented on the extended stretch of uncertainty for Indy:

Let's take a deeper dive into what fantasy owners can expect from Hilton, Brissett and tight end Jack Doyle during the stretch run of the regular season and the fantasy playoffs following Thursday's news.

T.Y. Hilton

Unfortunately, the update on Luck all but assures that Hilton won't come anywhere close to the type of numbers fantasy owners wanted when they selected him early on draft day. He's destined for the bust category through no real fault of his own.

The 27-year-old Miami native was a linchpin last year when he posted career-high totals in both catches (91) and receiving yards (1,448) while also scoring six touchdowns. While he's still on pace for 1,054 yards this season, he's on track to tally just 58 grabs and two scores.

His acceptable yardage total suggests he'll retain the most value in standard leagues, but his PPR stock plummets without the chance of Luck's coming back for the second half of the season.

Mike Chappell of CBS Indianapolis noted Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is attempting to find ways to get his top playmaker involved:

Alas, it's hard to trust a wide receiver with five combined catches over the past three games, regardless of talent level. So Hilton, who entered the year as a low-end No. 1 or high-end No. 2 fantasy wideout, will be relegated to the flex conversation for the time being.

Jacoby Brissett

Brissett flashed fantasy upside when he accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing and one passing) while completing 70.8 percent of his throws for 259 yards against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. The next five games have illustrated the difference between facing the lowly Browns and everybody else.

The former New England Patriots quarterback has five passing touchdowns and four interceptions through eight appearances this season. Those numbers leave little reason to consider him from a fantasy perspective aside from the deepest of leagues or those that utilize two starting QBs.

Louie Benjamin of Pro Football Focus pointed out that Brissett hasn't received much help:

Nevertheless, it would be hard to recommend starting him in the fantasy realm outside of an emergency situation in which a quarterback injury arises late in the week.

Jack Doyle

Doyle is the one player within the Colts offense who could maintain serious fantasy relevance despite Luck's absence. He's developed a rapport with Brissett and plays a tight end position with an extremely limited number of reliable options.

The fifth-year target out of Western Kentucky has racked up 25 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns across his last three games. It's a notable uptick in production after he failed to record a TD during his first four outings of the year.

Pro Football Focus spotlighted his strong effort against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8:

As a result, Doyle should be considered a borderline top-five fantasy tight end for as long as his current hot streak continues. Since the Colts are having so much trouble getting Hilton involved, there should be no shortage of targets available.