Daniel Jones will remain the Colts starting quarterback despite having a massive drop off in production from 2025 to 2026. His yards per attempt has dropped from 8.1 to 5.8 and his epa per play has dropped from 0.17 to -0.11. If a benching were to happen Anthony Richardson or Riley Leonard would be in line to start.
To make matters worse the Colts traded away guard Quentin Nelson this week and there have been trade rumors around Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs. Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week that Downs had requested a trade and that multiple teams are interested. If he were to be dealt, the Colts would be left with Keenan Allen, Laquon Treadwell, Deion Burks, and Ashton Dulin at wide receiver with Alec Pierce still out with an ankle injury.
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The Indianapolis Colts have officially ruled out TE Tyler Warren for Week 6 after injuring his groin in practice on Friday. He seemed to be trending on the wrong side of Questionable and with the injury occurring on Friday, there just wasn’t enough time for Warren to get healthy enough to play.
While Mo Alie-Cox is the next man up at TE, he is not nearly the threat in the passing game that Warren is. Josh Downs and Keenan Allen will be the primary receiving options for Daniel Jones in this one, but this could very well be a Jonathan Taylor game for the Colts. Laquon Treadwell and rookie Deion Burks should get some run as well. Fantasy football managers will need to monitor the Colts practice reports next week to see if Warren will be able to return in Week 7 vs. the Vikings.
The Colts have signed veteran WR Darius Slayton, reuniting him with starting QB Daniel Jones. Slayton and Jones have established chemistry from their six seasons together in New York, and Slayton with his 102.2 (78th percentile) Speed Score brings a similar skill set to this offense as injured WR Alec Pierce (heel).
Slayton fits seamlessly into Pierce’s vertical field-stretching to open things up underneath for teammates WR Josh Downs and TE Tyler Warren. Slayton isn’t a must-add for fantasy football, as he had 37 receptions for 538 yards and 1 TD in 14 games in 2025 and struggled with drops, but he will have nominal streaming value in favorable matchups as long as Pierce is OUT. ~Jason Diaz
Colts star WR Alec Pierce aggravated the heel injury that he had surgery on, and it may lead to 2026 being a lost season for him. Rapoport also reported it’s likely Pierce will head to IR while rehabbing the heel, but surgery is still possible. The 0-2 Colts will certainly miss Pierce, who was No. 1 in the NFL in Air Yards Share a season ago at 51.8.
Josh Downs, who led the Colts with 7 catches on 9 targets in Week 2, will be one of the primary beneficiaries of Pierce’s absence. Keenan Allen looks like he’s lost a step at 34 years-old and still faces a potential suspension for his DWI and while Tyler Warren has 9 catches through 2 games, those have only led to 34 yards. Fantasy football managers will need to keep an eye on updates from Pierce in his attempt to avoid surgery.
Keenan Allen faces a baseline three-game suspension under the league substance abuse policy following two Sunday morning DWI charges. The unresolved disciplinary timeline injects immediate structural variance into an aging profile built on elite Target Share and consistent Route Participation.
Even if “parked vs. driving” technicalities somehow reduces league discipline, this legal exposure forces drafters to adjust baseline projections for missed games and question Allen’s readiness for an age-34 campaign. Josh Downs would be the clear target beneficiary of any games Allen may miss in 2026.
Ian Rapoport later reported that Warren will resume practicing in “a week or so,” and he expects “Warren’s role to grow” in his second NFL season. That makes sense given Warren’s 106 targets trailed only WR Michael Pittman’s 110. Pittman left Indy to join the Steelers this offseason, clearing the way for Warren to be the team’s top target earner.
The soft-tissue injury adds some risk, but Warren should still be drafted as a mid-to-high TE1 in fantasy football for 2026. He is PlayerProfiler’s TE4 in all formats from redraft to dynasty leagues.
