Indianapolis Colts

The Colts enter 2026 as one of the more intriguing fantasy teams because the offense still has difference-makers, but the shape of the roster changed a lot this offseason. Indianapolis projects as a strong offense again, yet the outlook is more fragile than it was a year ago after the Michael Pittman trade, Daniel Jones is still working back from a ruptured Achilles, and the early schedule is rough enough that the first month could be shaky for fantasy managers.

The safest and best pick is Jonathan Taylor, who remains the engine of the offense and is coming off another elite fantasy season; one 2026 preview ranked him as the RB4 in early drafts after he finished fourth among running backs in PPR last year. The concern with Taylor is not talent or workload so much as team context: Indianapolis is projected for a moderate pass rate and a lower play volume than the league’s fastest-paced attacks, so his weekly ceiling still depends heavily on touchdown efficiency and game script. Even so, he remains the clear foundational Colt for fantasy.

At quarterback, Daniel Jones is a higher-variance option than many drafters may want. ESPN notes that he is expected to be returning from a ruptured Achilles at the start of the season, and that the Colts’ brutal opening stretch could make September especially difficult. Fantasy analysts still view him as the starter, but not as a high-end answer, and his value is tied to whether he looks fully healthy early and whether the offense can stay functional without Pittman as a reliable outside target. Riley Leonard is more of a stash than a fantasy option and does not have meaningful draft value in most leagues.

In the passing game, Josh Downs and Alec Pierce are the names to know, but both come with caveats. The Colts’ receiving room is thinner after Pittman’s departure, and multiple offseason previews pointed to Tyler Warren as the player who could stabilize the passing attack if he makes a quick impact as a rookie tight end. Warren is the most interesting upside play in this group because the role is available for immediate targets, while Downs profiles more as a volume-dependent PPR option and Pierce is more of a boom-or-bust weekly starter than a bankable asset. Overall, Indianapolis looks like a team with one elite fantasy anchor in Taylor, one risky but usable quarterback in Jones, and a lot of moving parts behind them, which makes the Colts a team to target selectively rather than aggressively across the board.

Updated 06/21/2026