NFL Draft Guide 2025 Home
Go To MLB FantasyPass
Go To NBA Draft Guide and FantasyPass
Go To WagerPass
Go To DFS Pass
If you have been following along with some of these previews, you might have noticed that some of the themes repeat. The one that seems to loom largest is the tale of two seasons and I don’t care who you think went Jekyll Hyde, no one did it more dramatically then the Indianapolis Colts. They scored the second-most points in franchise history, started 8-2 and somehow finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs. Now, sure losing Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury hurts, but no one would have predicted last August that Jones going down would doom their. If anything, they might have said him getting hurt might have been the catalyst for the offense taking off. New year, new Colts and with Jones rehabbing his way back and Anthony Richardson hoping to save his career, hope remains eternal for one of the more talented teams in the NFL. If the voters voted after Week 10, Jonathan Taylor might have won every single award. He had 15 TDs and was a threat to score a hat trick every Sunday, but instead the offense spiraled and he only scored three TDs over the final seven games. As great as Taylor is/was behind a top-10 o-line, the Colts offense was hardly a one-trick pony. They were 13th in WR FPPG and 11th at TE as a deep WR room and a rookie phenom gave the IND offense versatility and unpredictability which remains priceless even in the modern NFL. a 43/57 run/pass split was fairly middle of the pack and they were only 9th in FPPG at RB, possibly due to being 24th in RB targets. Taylor remains one of the last run-heavy bell cows, but he did have a career-high 46 receptions for 378 yards. The QB situation is murky at best and a complete freak show at worst, but that’s a story that will tell itself. The real question is the receivers as they IND had the deepest stable of WRs in the NFL until they traded Michael Pittman and Adonai Mitchell. Pittman was their best WR and Mitchell is a future star, but the cupboard isn’t dry with Josh Downs and Alec Pierce. Pierce had led the league in YPC two seasons in a row and Downs might have been the most popular WR sleeper in fantasy last summer. Now the field has been cleared of Pittman’s 111 targets and Downs can hopefully fulfil his destiny to be a top-20 WR. The combo of Pierce and Downs is perfect even if neither of them profiles as a true alpha, this team is when firing is about as dangerous as any offense in the league.
Player most likely to beat ADP: QB Josh Downs (ADP 114, WR48)
I regretfully ignored the depth at WR for IND last season and thought Downs would simply rise to the occasion. The problem wasn’t the other WRs, it was the emergence of Tyler Warren, reducing Downs to a paltry 16.5% TS. With Mitchell and Pittman gone, it clears the path for Downs to have a 20% TS and finally break out after three straight seasons of finishing between the WR35 and WR44. Downs is very close to must-draft.
Player most likely to fade based on ADP: RB Jonathan Taylor (ADP 9, RB4)
Taylor is a tank and was on pace to break fantasy records last season, but every new season is a full reset. Taylor has played more than 15 games once in the last four seasons and has finishes of RB34, RB33, RB9 and RB2. The volatility is too extreme for me to take him with my first pick.
Late-round Flier that could blow up: QB Anthony Richardson (ADP ?, QB41)
Want to get access to Our Draft Guide and continue the read this article? You’ll need to have a SportsEthos NFL FantasyPass, All-Sport Pass or a Ethos 360 membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!
Premium Access Required
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
I have been crazy about fantasy sports even before I knew what it was. Some people use stats as a tool and some use the eye test. I like to believe I have the perfect blend of both and that extra special spider sense that separates me from the herd. I have been nominated for one FSWA Football Article of the Year award and am just getting started. My only fear is that I will become too good at fantasy football and have to retire early like Michael Jordan. You won’t see me leave my house without at least one of my (four) dogs and if you are lucky enough, you will catch me cruising top-down with all four in tow.
