Thursday Night Fantasy Football Matchup: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

Week 14 Match-up:  Indianapolis Colts (6-6) at Tennessee Titans (5-7)

Rankings based on top 16 QBs, 32 RBs, 48 WRs and 16 TEs

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Indianapolis Colts (Colts Schedule)

Opponent Defensive Ranks

Tennessee Pass Defense – 2010: Yards Allowed/Game 23rd - TDs Allowed T-6th

Tennessee Rush Defense – 2010: Yards Allowed/Game 22nd – TDs Allowed T-7th

Indianapolis Offensive Cast

Peyton Manning (QB Week 14 Ranking: No. 5)

2010 Season: 353/534 – for 3,709 yards & 24 TDs

Peyton may be tossing up INTs like he’s Jake Delhomme right now, but he’s also putting up some massive yardage totals and multiple-TD games as well.  In fact, the worse the Colts do as a team, the better off you are with Manning as your QB (even if your league counts negative points for INTs).  Don’t even think about benching him just because his team is losing.

Joseph Addai (RB Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 93 carries for 406 yards & 3 TDs || 18 receptions for 118 yards & 0 TDs

Addai seemed like he was getting close to a return last week, but it looks like he’ll be sitting out for at least one more game.

Mike Hart (RB Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 43 carries for 185 yards & 1 TD || 6 receptions for 25 yards & 0 TDs

Hart tweaked his ankle injury in last week’s game and has been deemed a no-go by owner Jim Irsay this week.

Donald Brown (RB Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 91 carries for 293 yards & 1 TD || 16 receptions for 177 yards & 0 TDs

Brown incurred a bit of an ankle injury last week, but he’s practicing in full and will make the start against Tennessee Thursday night.  Even so, he’s hardly worth playing because not only is he taken out in goal-line situations, but he’s also been plain awful otherwise as well.

Javarris James (RB Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 28 carries for 63 yards & 5 TDs || 9 receptions for 63 yards & 0 TDs

James will get the goal-line carries again this week and is actually a better fantasy flex play than Brown is at this point.

Reggie Wayne (WR Week 14 Ranking: No. 3)

2010 Season: 90 receptions for 1,107 yards & 5 TDs

Wayne broke out of his mini-slump in a big way to put up his best numbers on the season against the Cowboys last weekend (14 catches, 200 yards, one TD).  Strangely enough, Wayne has been more of an every-other-week player so far this year, but my guess is that trend goes by the wayside against a very beatable Titans pass D this Thursday night.  Manning will also be looking to avenge his terrible play of late, so his main man Reggie could be in for another big day.

Pierre Garcon (WR Week 14 Ranking: No. 25)

2010 Season: 46 receptions for 534 yards & 2 TDs

Manning has been passing the ball a ton lately, and Garcon’s numbers have been looking up because of it.  After going three straight weeks with five catches a game, he upped his numbers to eight catches with a TD to boot last weekend.  Expect those numbers to stay around the same while Manning goes ballistic the rest of the year.

Blair White (WR Week 14 Ranking: No. 39)

2010 Season: 22 receptions for 216 yards & 4 TDs

With Collie out again, Blair should be able to fit in as a WR3 on your fantasy team this week.  Obviously he’s not nearly as dependable as Austin is, but the Colts are passing the ball a ton right now, so The Blair White Project should be able to scare up some decent numbers for you Thursday night.

Austin Collie (WR Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 50 receptions for 562 yards & 6 TDs

Owner Jim Irsay already leaked that Collie would be a scratch for Week 14, so keep him benched until at least Week 15.

Jacob Tamme (TE Week 14 Ranking: No. 2)

2010 Season: 42 receptions for 416 yards & 3 TDs

Tamme is still getting the targets from Manning, seeing another seven balls come his way last week, though his production has been a little on the light side of late.  Still, the Titans are amongst the bottom quarter of the league in allowing fantasy points to opposing tight ends, so drop-off or not, Jacob is a must-play in all fantasy formats this playoff week.

Tennessee Titans (Titans Schedule)

Opponent Defensive Ranks

Indianapolis Pass Defense – 2010: Yards Allowed/Game 4th - TDs Allowed T-6th

Indianapolis Rush Defense – 2010: Yards Allowed/Game 29th – TDs Allowed T-25th

Tennessee Offensive Cast

Kerry Collins (QB Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 76/139 – for 807 yards & 5 TDs

Collins will be getting WR Kenny Britt back this week, which immediately ups his fantasy value, just not for this particular game.  Collins will likely be used as no more than a hand-off dummy as the Titans (finally) look to take advantage of their all-world running back against a no-world Colts rush D.

Chris Johnson (RB Week 14 Ranking: No. 3)

2010 Season: 236 carries for 1,026 yards & 9 TDs || 29 receptions for 119 yards & 0 TDs

CJ2K has been complaining about the amount of carries he’s been getting in Titans games lately (just 7 and 13 the past two weeks, his two lowest totals of the year), and when Johnson complains, the Tennessee Brass listens.  Expect a whole slew of totes and yards from the speed demon this week against a Colts D that just let a third-string running back (Tashard Choice) rush for 100 yards against them last weekend.  He’s been tough to count on this year, but let CJ2K carry you through your playoffs.  You won’t be sorry.

Randy Moss (WR Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 27 receptions for 375 yards & 5 TDs

The man who used to be The Mossman can’t even be thought of for your fantasy team at this point, especially with the return of Kenny Britt.

Nate Washington (WR Week 14 Ranking: No. 35)

2010 Season: 33 receptions for 544 yards & 5 TDs

The Titans WILL have to throw the ball a bit just to keep the Colts on their toes, and there’s no other receiver more likely to be the target of those throws than Washington.  He could end up with a surprise TD and some decent yardage in this one if the Colts lose focus in trying to stop CJ2K.

Kenny Britt (WR Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 23 receptions for 434 yards & 7 TDs

Britt is all set to return this week, though it’s likely the Titans ease him back into a primary role for a week or two.  Give him a week to see how he looks before playing him again.

Justin Gage (WR Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 18 receptions for 259 yards & 0 TDs

His chances of making any sort of fantasy impact with Britt returning to the lineup are akin to your chances at a roulette table, if you catch my drift.

Jared Cook (TE Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 13 receptions for 156 yards & 0 TDs

Cook is starting to look like the stud they drafted in the third round last year and is getting more looks at this point than Scaife.  He’s just outside my rankings this week, but one more nice performance will leapfrog him in next weekend.

Bo Scaife (TE Week 14 Ranking: Not ranked)

2010 Season: 31 receptions for 291 yards & 2 TDs

Don’t bother with Bo anymore now that Cook has burst onto the scene.  In fact, go ahead and drop him for Jared if you can.