The Indianapolis Colts won both their games without starting quarterback Andrew Luck earlier this season but are now expected to lose him again for an extended period of time.
Luck will be out for two to six weeks because of a partial abdominal muscle tear and a lacerated kidney suffered in the fourth quarter of Week 9’s huge 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, per Colts.com’s Kevin Bowen and an official team statement.
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano also spoke on the matter, per the team’s release:
It’s way too early to guess how long Andrew will be out. We’re going to keep listening to the doctors and evaluating his progress on a week by week basis. We’ve got all the confidence in the world in Matt Hasselbeck and we’re not going to put Andrew back out there until he’s healed and ready to go.
Tons of questions loom about Indy’s offense as Matthew Hasselbeck prepares to take over under center. From a fantasy perspective, starting running back Frank Gore and explosive wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is worth analyzing in greater depth.
In light of the unique circumstances of Luck being out, let’s look at how Gore and Hilton fared in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively:
Despite a quick turnaround for two consecutive games in the AFC South, it’s encouraging to see Gore and Hilton improved on their debuts with the 40-year-old Hasselbeck at QB.
Gore is an anomaly and a paragon of durability at his contact-heavy position, registering 22 touches in each of his two starts alongside Hasselbeck. To take on the heavy workload he did in Week 5 against the Houston Texans with the mileage he has on his legs is nothing short of phenomenal.
It would stand to reason the Colts will lean more on the rushing attack with Luck out of the lineup, but then again, Indianapolis wasn’t afraid to air it out in Hasselbeck’s prior starts. The veteran averaged 38 pass attempts per game and didn’t throw an interception.
The fantasy forecast looks promising for Gore, who has a little more competition from Ahmad Bradshaw but should still be able to produce as an RB2.
Those who plan to deploy Hilton in fantasy should be excited at his prospects. Although Hasselbeck doesn’t have as much arm strength as Luck to capitalize on the wideout’s long speed, the Colts will likely execute their short-range passing game better thanks to Hasselbeck’s long-spanning tutelage in the West Coast offense.
Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star applauded new Colts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for letting Hilton do work in the open field on underneath routes:
Known for integrating tight ends into the game plan and taking vertical shots, Chudzinski may have to adjust slightly with Indianapolis under Hasselbeck’s direction. With how quickly Hilton can gain separation, though, he doesn’t need to be too far down the field on a double move for Hasselbeck to lay it in for him.
Since Hilton was Hasselbeck’s top target in both of his prior starts, there’s no reason the former can’t continue on as a fringe WR1 or strong WR2. Plus, bear in mind Hilton still had 88 yards in Andre Johnson‘s best outing of the year that featured two touchdown receptions at Houston.
The schedule is also favorable for Indianapolis in the coming weeks. The team travels to Atlanta to play the Falcons in Week 11, hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, plays at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars thereafter and faces the Texans again at Lucas Oil Stadium to cap off that stretch.
Best of all under these adverse circumstances is the fact the Colts are on a bye for Week 10. It provides plenty of time for Hasselbeck and Chudzinski to get on the same page, find common ground on play designs and draw up the best possible plan for attack against a Falcons secondary ranked 19th in pass defense.
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