11 Training Camp Position Battles With Fantasy Football Implications
Indianapolis Colts' Skill-Position Players
With every positive blurb about Andrew Luck's health, the Indianapolis Colts' offensive weapons will become more expensive. And that price hike may be coming soon.
Frank Reich says he plans on playing Andrew Luck in the Colts first preseason game in Seattle. That’s big.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) July 25, 2018
When Luck is healthy, he can make an offense valuable for fantasy football. That presents a buying window when T.Y. Hilton is the only guy going within the first 6.5 rounds.
Below is the ADP of each of the team's relevant offensive pieces outside of Hilton and Luck. This would seem to be an opportunity for investment if we assume Luck's shoulder is good to go.
| Player | Position | Average Draft Position |
|---|---|---|
| Marlon Mack | RB | 6.09 |
| Nyheim Hines | RB | 10.09 |
| Jack Doyle | TE | 11.08 |
| Eric Ebron | TE | 13.12 |
| Jordan Wilkins | RB | 14.02 |
As of right now, Hilton is the only receiver who is being drafted. It makes sense when you look at their depth chart, but there's going to be value in there somewhere.
This is where we want to know who's working with the first-team offense. If those snaps to go Chester Rogers, great. Buy him. If it's Ryan Grant or draft picks Daurice Fountain and Deon Cain, then go with them. And if Eric Ebron slides outside and operates largely as a receiver, we need to get in on him, as well. Just find out who has the leg up on that competition and invest appropriately.
The same line of thinking would be true with the running backs. Marlon Mack has said himself that he expects to be part of a committee, meaning that either Nyheim Hines or Jordan Wilkins could play a significant role in the offense. Training camp should give us hints about whether or not that will be the case.
Finally, if Jack Doyle is able to maintain the role he has had the past two years, he'd be a steal in the 11th round. But now that Ebron's there, we'll need to keep tabs on what Doyle does in practices to ensure the status quo remains in place.
