Fantasy Football: Daniel Jones named Colts starter and Jonathan Taylor is primed to benefit the most

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The Colts on Tuesday named Daniel Jones their starting quarterback over Anthony Richardson, and coach Shane Steichen said this is “for the season” and not just Week 1 against the Dolphins.

“I don’t want to have a short leash on that,” Steichen said at a news conference in Indianapolis.

Jones, who signed as a free agent this offseason, was brought in to compete for the starting job with Richardson. Based on what Steichen saw in training camp and the first two preseason games, Jones has done enough to earn the job and send Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, to the bench.

“You guys heard me talk about the consistency, and that’s really what I was looking for,” Steichen said. “Really, the operation at the line of scrimmage, the checks, the protections, the ball placement, the completion percentage, all of that played a factor. I think Daniel did a great job (being consistent), and I think AR has made strides in that area. But I do feel he needs to continue to develop in those areas.”

There are two sides to this decision for Fantasy managers. At quarterback, Richardson offered more upside than Jones, and now we lose a potential high-end sleeper with Richardson on the bench.

Richardson has played 12 games in his two-year career without injury, and he averaged 18.3 Fantasy points per game over that span. He could be among the better running quarterbacks in the NFL, and last year, he was on pace for 808 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in the 10 healthy games he appeared in.

Of course, we know Richardson is flawed as a passer with a career completion percentage of 50.6. In those 10 games in 2024, he was on pace for 2,963 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions.

I was hoping to see what he could do in Year 3 after spending the offseason working with the same private quarterback coach who helped Josh Allen. Now, it will likely take Jones getting hurt or struggling before Richardson can return to the field. He’s worth holding in dynasty leagues, but Richardson should not be selected in re-draft leagues.

Jones is only worth drafting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but he does have some sleeper appeal. He has two seasons on his resume with at least 19.1 Fantasy points per game, including as a rookie in 2019 (19.4) and in 2022 (19.1), both with the Giants.

In 2022, Jones had 3,205 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions, along with 708 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He is one of only 10 quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 3,000 passing yards and 700 rushing yards in the same season, joining Randall Cunningham (1990), Cam Newton (2011, 2012 and 2017), Robert Griffin III (2012), Russell Wilson (2014), Lamar Jackson (2019, 2023 and 2024), Kyler Murray (2020), Josh Allen (2021 and 2022), Jalen Hurts (2021 and 2022) and Jayden Daniels (2024).

Jones has rushed for 2,179 yards in 70 career games, which is 529 yards per season on average. He’s only rushed for more than 500 yards once in six years, but it does show you his upside.

We also know the downside with Jones, who has scored fewer than 20 Fantasy points in 46 of 70 games. He also has 85 total touchdowns (15 rushing) and 73 total turnovers (47 interceptions and 26 fumbles).

Now, Jones starting should be better for the weapons in Indianapolis compared to Richardson, which should help Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Tyler Warren. All of them get a boost in Fantasy value.

Last season, Taylor averaged 16.6 PPR points per game in nine games with Richardson. He averaged 19.1 PPR points per game in five games with Joe Flacco, and Taylor had 11 catches on 19 targets over that span. With Richardson, Taylor was non-existent in the passing game with seven catches on 12 targets, and he had three outings where he didn’t get a target.

Jones will definitely involve Taylor more as a receiver out of the backfield. And Taylor is a solid selection in Round 2 as a No. 1 Fantasy running back in all leagues.

I have Pittman ranked slightly ahead of Downs now, with the latter dealing with a hamstring injury. Pittman battled a back injury in 2024, and he averaged just 10.4 PPR points per game, which was his lowest total since his rookie year in 2020. He also struggled with Richardson.

In 2024, Pittman played 10 games with Richardson, and Pittman averaged 7.9 PPR points over that span. In six games with Flacco, Pittman averaged 14.3 PPR points per game, including five outings with at least 12.5 PPR points. Pittman is worth drafting as early as Round 9.

I would also draft Downs in Round 9, and his value could rise when healthy. And, you guessed it, Downs was better with Flacco in 2024 compared to what he did with Richardson. Downs averaged 15.7 PPR points per game in six outings with Flacco compared to 10.7 PPR points per game in seven games with Richardson.

Both receivers will face competition from Warren, but Jones will hopefully keep all three of his main targets involved. And I like Warren as a top-eight Fantasy tight end this season.

He’s worth drafting as early as Round 8 in all leagues, and he was a star in college in 2024. At Penn State, Warren had 104 catches for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns, and he added 26 carries for 218 yards and four touchdowns. He should be a go-to option for Jones right away.

I’m not expecting much from Alec Pierce or Adonai Mitchell, but both could be waiver wire options during the season, especially if an injury occurs. Pierce, who is dealing with a groin injury, probably loses value with Jones, given that his arm strength doesn’t compare to Richardson.

In 2024, Pierce had 37 catches for 824 yards and seven touchdowns on 69 targets, and he averaged 10.1 PPR points per game. His 22.3 yards per catch was No. 1 in the NFL among receivers with at least 50 targets.

Most likely, Jones will have a lot of short-area throws, which should benefit Pittman, Downs, and Warren. Even Taylor wins with Jones under center.

While Richardson is the more exciting quarterback, the Colts are going with Jones as their starter. And, he hopefully will bring out the best of the playmakers in Indianapolis this year.

This news was originally published on this post .

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