Before their second game of the season, I shared blunt talk on the fantasy prospects of the Colts' skill players. Essentially, after Week 1, I'd seen enough to sense that managers should sell high on Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, Josh Downs, and everyone in between. It was going to be a dumpster fire, and it's hard to rack up fantasy wins while getting burned.
Now the glorious and/or heartbreaking NFL trade deadline has passed. Fantasy managers are left wondering: "Can we trust any remaining Colts WR?" The difference is based on expectations: Allen and especially Downs were viewed as fantasy-relevant in a decent offense. When the offense fell well short of expectations, Downs in particular lost much of his prior fantasy value.
With both of them
now gone, few managers truly expect Ashton Dulin, Laquon Treadwell, or seventh-round rookie Deion Burks to step up, and for good reasons. Dulin is a 29-year-old product of Malone University whose best days came before missing the 2023 season with a torn ACL. Treadwell is a 31-year-old former first-round pick whose last 71 catches have come on six teams across eight seasons.
If you want to go for broke (and if you're adding any Colts wideouts off waivers, you are by definition "going for broke"), snag Burks, whose elite speed gives him the boom that Dulin and Treadwell lack.
One could safely argue that Tyler Warren will get a boost. Jonathan Taylor and even Seth McGowan will get plenty of run. The rest depends on whether Daniel Jones settles on a preferred WR. The fantasy market seems to think it's Dulin. I think it's more complicated than that.
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This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Colts WR fantasy values after Keenan Allen and Josh Downs shipped off
