Ageless veteran Matt Hasselbeck will reassume the starting quarterback position for the Indianapolis Colts in light of a lacerated kidney and partial abdominal tear to Pro Bowl starter Andrew Luck, the team announced.
According to the team release, Luck is expected to miss two to six weeks—a wide time frame atypical in most injury prognostics, which opens the door for Hasselbeck to follow up his impressive starts earlier this season when Luck was sidelined in Weeks 3 and 4.
While Luck was the top fantasy quarterback a year ago, he’s seen significant falloff in 2015, as Hasselbeck was arguably more effective in Luck’s two-game stead.
Here is a look at the pair’s averages in 2015:
Albeit a small sample size, Hasselbeck’s 15.5 points-per-game average is above some marquee fantasy quarterbacks, such as Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford and, of course, Luck.
Luck’s fantasy downfall has been well-chronicled this year, with the Colts limping to a 4-5 record less than 10 months removed from an AFC Championship Game appearance. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Nov. 1 that Luck has playing with fractured ribs he suffered in Week 3, which could be a major root of his struggles.
Those struggles have rippled across the rest of the offense, as the Colts rank 19th in scoring (22.2 points per game) and have seen a falloff from key contributors T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen, who are each averaging fewer yards and fantasy points than this time last year.
Worse, Luck entered Week 9 with a 1-5 record as the 2015 starter to Hasselbeck’s 2-0.
Hasselbeck has been the backup since 2013 but hardly saw playing time, as Luck had never missed a start until this season since entering the league in 2012. But Hasselbeck’s considered one of the most respected backups at age 40, per Peter King of Sports Illustrated:
Some teammates even indirectly hinted they’d prefer the backup. After one of Hasselbeck’s starts in September, Allen referred to his varied distribution among pass-catchers “as a step in the right direction,” per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, for what had been a mightily struggling offense to that point under Luck.
Hasselbeck won’t light up the fantasy board the way Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady do or Luck used to, but he’d be a worthy add for owners with an average QB1 and space for a backup. If anything, owners in that scenario would also be handcuffing a potential points breakout from the competition as the playoff race heats up.
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