2025 Draft Guide: Indianapolis Colts

Coaching History: Last Three Years

Head Coach: Shane Steichen (IND ’23-24, PHI ’22)
Offensive Coordinator: Jim Bob Cooter (IND ’23-24, JAX ’22)
2024 Record: 8-9

Team Summary

The Colts were Top 10 in the NFL in rate of “11” personnel usage. While that would typically bode well for fantasy production across the top 3 WRs of a team, the QB play has been substandard, and it has greatly hindered the productivity of all the WRs. Anthony Richardson ranked dead last among 47 QBs with at least 100 dropbacks. The hope is that the young QB can continue to improve his passing to go along with his dynamic rushing talent. The Colts did draft rookie TE Tyler Warren in the hopes of providing another short area target to help boost his productivity. Warren should immediately step in as the TE1

Expect the Colts to be among the lead leaders in rushing attempts, looking to limit the number of times that Jones or Richardson needs to drop back to pass. To do that, they should lean heavily on Jonathan Taylor, while also working in designed QB runs. The idea being that as opposing teams load the box to stop the running game, the Colts will intermittently take deep shots behind the defense with play-action.

If Daniel Jones continues to struggle and/or gets hurt, the Colts could also turn to Anthony Richardson at QB, as he looks for a reboot after a more-down-than-up first few years in the league. It probably won’t make much of a difference who is taking snaps, as both options are likely to struggle to maximize the potential of the talented receiving corps around them. However, at least the team is trying something to jumpstart the passing game.

2024 Ranks (2023 Rank)

• Points: 17th (10th)
• Yards: 13th (15th)
• Passing Attempts: 27th (18th)
• Passing Yards: 25th (20th)
• Passing TDs: 25th (24th)
• Rushing Attempts: 7th (11th)
• Rushing Yards: 8th (10th)
• Rushing TDs: 7th (7th)

2024 Positional Market Share

There is very little question concerning the Colts’ rushing hierarchy. It’s 1) Jonathan Taylor around 60% 2) the QB, Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones, around 20% and 3) RB2/RB3 picking up whatever is left. D.J. Giddens has locked up the RB2 spot, and Tyler Goodson is dealing with an elbow injury as preseason winds down, so even that looks pretty clear at least to start the season.

Expect rising WR, Josh Downs, to lead the team in targets this year, surpassing veteran Michael Pittman Jr. There could also be a shift in the battle between Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell for WR3, although given the Colts’ lower passing volume, that won’t matter much for fantasy. We should also expect a shift of targets towards the TE room, where rookie Tyler Warren should command solid 10-15% target share by himself (compared to the 15% total for the room in 2024).

Depth Chart:

• QB: Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard
• RB: Jonathan Taylor, D.J. Giddens, Tyler Goodson
• WR: Josh Downs (Z/Slot), Michael Pittman (X), Alec Pierce (Z), Adonai Mitchell (Z)
• TE: Tyler Warren, Drew Ogletree, Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory

Player Breakdowns

Daniel Jones won the QB competition during the preseason. He’ll take the helm of a Colts team with a strong, but under-used receiving corps. Jones likely won’t run as much as Richardson has in previous years, but he still has some rushing upside and will likely turn to his legs at times. At his best, Jones can provide low-end QB1 upside; where he delivers the ball on time to his WRs and picks up yards with his legs when plays break down. At his worst, he can be a turnover-prone shell of himself, which would likely get him benched, despite the Colts’ claiming he will be the starter for the full year.

Richardson lost the preseason QB battle vs Daniel Jones. He has immense upside given his rushing prowess; however, his passing has been inconsistent at best. We have seen him fail to play full seasons each of the last two years. He is a strong stash option in deep leagues where bench spots aren’t particularly valuable and should be monitored everywhere else. If he does get the opportunity to run the offense this year, he has proven that he can put up serious fantasy numbers.

Taylor is one of the best rushers in the NFL, but he comes with his concerns about both his environment and whether he has already started slowing down. Indianapolis has struggled offensively with inconsistent QB play impacting the entire team. It was encouraging to see Taylor produce at the end of 2024, closing the season with three consecutive Top 5 finishes from Week 16 to Week 18. However, it was also boosted by scoring more rushing TDs over that three-game stretch than he had the entire rest of the season combined (6 vs 5). Taylor is a stronger play in STD leagues, as he doesn’t catch many passes that might boost his production in PPR scoring. However, he does have a stranglehold on his workload for as long as he can stay healthy.

Giddens is a solid rookie out of Kansas State. He has secured the RB2 role to be the handcuff for Jonathan Taylor. He won’t have much stand-alone value, as Taylor will dominate the rushing work that is available. However, he is a name to know in case of a Taylor injury. Volume alone with thrust Giddens into RB2 territory.

Downs is an exciting young WR. He is rapidly improving and continues to impress. A very good route runner, and a weapon against both man- and zone-coverage, Downs should be the most targeting Colts’ WR in 2025. He also possesses solid YAC potential, as an explosive athlete that can make people miss in the open field. Volume may be an issue, as Indianapolis is projected to be a run-heavy team as they try to mask any deficiencies at the QB position, but Downs is a player that should provide a solid floor with some spike weeks along the way.

Pittman is another talented WR, but he has failed to live up to his potential due to injuries and circumstance. Nursing a back injury last season, there are concerns growing about his longevity, although he is talented enough that he should be given another shot. He is another great route runner that should give Richardson (or Jones) a safety valve to help get the ball out quickly. Expect Pittman to be in the WR3 or high-end Flex discussion on a weekly basis, but this scoring may be a bit tough to predict.

Warren is considered one of the top TE prospects from the 2025 NFL Draft Class. So far, he has been as advertised. It appears the Colts are leaning into their new rookie weapon, having featured him in the preseason and having him work in several different roles throughout training camp. While it is always hard to trust rookie TEs for fantasy, Warren is one of the stronger bets, as his playmaking can be leveraged in a variety of ways that may be a bit less dependent on the QB position – we’ve seen him run the ball and even take snaps under center during his time at Penn State.

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