The Indianapolis Colts will be without a major part of the offense in Week 2 as wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was downgraded to out due to a quad injury.
This is a big deal for the Colts offense. While the focal point will remain on Jonathan Taylor, it is Pittman Jr. who brings life to the passing attack. Pittman Jr. recorded 34% of the team’s receiving yards and 26.5% of the team’s targets in Week 1.
But now with this injury, and the fact that rookie Alec Pierce is out as well, the Colts have to rely on their depth.
Here are five Colts who need to step up in his absence for the Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars:
1
WR Parris Campbell
Campbell will get a chance to prove his worth this week with Pittman Jr. out. In a contract year, Campbell has been healthy thus far and will take the reins as the WR1 this week. He ran the second-most routes (44) among Colts wide receivers in Week 1 while seeing four targets. The Jaguars just allowed the Washington Commanders wide receivers to record 13 receptions for 153 yards and four touchdowns. This is Campbell’s chance to prove he belongs on the team beyond 2022.
2
WR Ashton Dulin
We shouldn’t sleep on Dulin’s potential in this game. For DFS purposes, he’s an interesting dart throw. Despite running just 14 routes in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus, Dulin still saw six targets, which were the fourth-most on the offense. Dulin has always been a big-play machine, averaging 13.8 yards per catch during his career.
3
RB Nyheim Hines
While the snap counts for Hines may not show a player that is all that involved, his usage does. Hines saw six targets in Week 1 and wound up recording the second-most receiving yards (50) behind Pittman Jr. against the Texans. With two receivers out, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hines work more out of the slot after running 22 routes in Week 1.
4
TE Kylen Granson
In a mild surprise, Granson out-snapped (51-50) and out-targeted (7-2) starter Mo Alie-Cox against the Texans in Week 1. He still only came away with two receptions, but the fact that he also ran nine more routes than Alie-Cox shows the Colts want to get him involved. Alie-Cox also will need to step up in the passing game, but Granson could be targeted at a similar rate in Week 2.
5
WR Mike Strachan
Strachan didn’t see a whole lot of work in Week 1 but after missing the majority of training camp, it was encouraging to see him catch both of his targets for 36 yards while Dezmon Patmon was a healthy scratch. We should expect Patmon to dress on Sunday against the Jaguars, but Strachan is seemingly the WR3 behind Campbell and Dulin for this game.
