2026 Team Previews: Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts 2026 Preview
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Drafted Everywhere
Jonathan Taylor, RB (ADP: 7, RB4): Taylor was getting enough respect put on his name entering last season and before Daniel Jones got hurt, Taylor was on pace for a historic 2025. He ended the year with 1,963 total yards and 20 touchdowns, and that was with the Colts offense nosediving in the back half of the season. From Weeks 1-10, just behold what Taylor did: he averaged 113.9 rushing yards, 26 receiving yards, 3.2 receptions and he scored 17 touchdowns. 17 touchdowns in 10 games!!
Now, even if Jones is ready to rock in Week 1, that’s too much to expect. That level of production was obscene, but the point is that Taylor can do that. And even if you believe that production is unsustainable, which you’d be right about, Taylor can absolutely live in that universe again. We’ve seen Taylor be the RB1 overall before, in 2021 when he surpassed 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 touchdowns, matching his 2025 total. His production did tail off once Jones was gone and the offense was run by a combination of Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard and Philip Rivers but that’s to be expected. Even in those games he remained an eminently playable RB, he just wasn’t every Avenger rolled into one RB package. This ADP isn’t a value because it’s already inside the Top 10, but I would likely draft Taylor before looking any WR’s way. So in that sense, I guess he’s still a bit of a value.
Tyler Warren, TE (ADP: 52, TE4): Warren was a beast as a rookie, putting up 76 receptions for 817 yards and five total touchdowns. He served as a steady target for whoever was taking snaps for the Colts, and was also an occasional rushing weapon in short yardage and goal line scenarios. Warren led the Colts in targets last season (112) and Michael Pittman Jr., who drew 111 targets, is now off the team. There’s a big pool of pass attempts to be spread around, and while they’ll be split among some worthy players, Warren getting a bigger share of targets can take him to the moon with his after the catch ability.
Warren isn’t a silky route runner or straight line speedster in the mold of Brock Bowers, Trey McBride or Colston Loveland, the TEs getting more hype than he is at the moment. Warren is a player who can’t be contained in the short and intermediate game and is a wrecking ball once he’s secured the rock. A TE1 season is in play for him if he can have a touchdown spike.
Alec Pierce, WR (ADP: 91, WR37): Pierce truly showed something last season as the Colts’ regular X receiver, expanding his game beyond deep shots and proving that they could move on from Pittman and trust Pierce as a featured act. While he was still mostly a downfield weapon with an absurd yards per reception mark of 21.3, the second straight season that number has gone beyond 20 yards, his Reception Perception profile shows real development in his game. He beat man at a 71% clip, a 64th percentile mark, and in addition to crushing go routes (60.4%) he also was at 82% on the dig which made up 24.1% of his routes. That development makes him a better bet for more targets, which he did see in 2025 with 84, up from 69 in 2024 and 65 in 2023. Pierce’s 16th-percentile mark against zone likely precludes him from becoming a true superstar WR, and he’s going to continue to primarily do his damage down the field through efficiency vs. high volume, but he now has the look of a genuinely fantasy relevant X receiver and not a prayer of a FLEX option.
Pittman’s departure opens up a lot of targets. The assumption for most will be targets are vacated, Pierce got paid, so let’s blow up that target projection. Pittman and Pierce did dramatically different things in this offense, so I’m not expecting some tidal wave of targets. I am expecting him to be around 90 though, and even if his yards per catch comes down a bit that’s enough for Pierce to be a winning fantasy player, especially if he’s being drafted as a WR3/FLEX.
Interesting Players
**Josh Downs, WR (ADP: 107, WR43): Downs is the player I’m expecting to get the biggest bump from Pittman leaving. He’s been the victim of two-receiver sets, as Pittman and Pierce have gotten those snaps. It’s hard to produce when you’re not on the field, and when Downs is on the field he’s getting open AF.
Statistically, he took a major step back in 2025 while the Colts were the NFL’s best offense for a huge chunk of the year. Optically, not great, and that’s reflected in his ADP right now which shows most are treating him like an afterthought. That’s a mistake, and a tremendous opportunity for those paying attention. Downs posted a 75.3% win rate vs. man last year, an 82nd percentile mark, and he crushed zone at an 81.4% clip too (76th percentile). He didn’t face much press, but if he’s out there in two-WR sets and you think you’re just going to jam up the little guy think again. Downs put up an 82.4% success rate vs. press, a 96th-percentile number. He was a slot merchant last year with an 84% success rate on slants while also stinging teams in the flats and on screens. He was above-average on the digs, so we know he can work the middle, and he didn’t get a lot of chances to prove his wares down the field but his success rates on posts (80%), corners (66.7%), outs (75%) and nines (55%) show he can do it.
It’s frustrating to see Downs be the proverbial square peg that the Colts are jamming into a round hole. But they might have seen the light, and realized that Downs can be out there much more and that’s why they allowed Pittman to walk. I’m choosing to believe the Indy coaching staff actually has interest in utilizing a potentially great player to his full capacity, and I’ll be betting big on Downs in 2026.
Deep Cuts
Daniel Jones, QB (ADP: 198, QB23): The streets are saying Jones is on track to play in Week 1 after suffering a torn Achilles, and while I have my doubts I’ll treat this information as accurate. The Colts’ success to open 2025 was really shocking, as were Jones’ elite performances. He led the Colts to an 8-2 record in their first 10 games and averaged 265.9 yards and 1.5 TDs per game in that span. Yes, Taylor was the driving force behind the success, but Jones played his role to perfection and turned Pittman and Warren into real-deal weekly plays. A healthy Jones is far and away the best outcome for the Colts’ skill players, but Jones himself was a solid play for much of 2025. In 2026…I’m out on that. A big part of Jones’ value has always been his rushing, and he’s now had multiple serious injuries to his lower body and neck over the years that will and should degrade his rushing numbers. Jones, simply put, shouldn’t be taking risks as a rusher and he scored five rushing touchdowns in 2025.
Jones has never averaged fewer than 3.5 attempts per game in his career, but I suspect 2026 will break that streak. If he becomes a pure pocket passer, you need 4,000 yards and 35+ touchdowns. Jones has never thrown for more than 3,205 yards, which happened in 2022, nor has he ever managed even 25 touchdown passes. Jones was never a weekly start even in his physical prime, and while he might be a better passer in his older age, he’s certainly on the other side of the mountain as a runner. Let’s root for Danny Dimes to be healthy and support these talented skill guys, but betting on him as more than an occasional streamer is a big mistake.
Deion Burks, WR (ADP: N/A): Searching for value beyond the big names? It might be hard to find, but Burks has a chance at relevance. He doesn’t have big numbers in college despite playing five years, but his 81.6% success rate against zone at Oklahoma last year and his solid 69.6% success rate vs. man resembles a player who can step up if Josh Downs were to get hurt, which has been an issue. Don’t draft him, just pay attention to preseason buzz about him, and maybe throw in a FAAB bid if something happens to Downs in the early going.