The Indianapolis Colts (1-1) walked away from Nissan Stadium on Sunday with a 19-17 win over the Tennessee Titans (1-1) in what was a close divisional matchup throughout the entire game.
As the season gets along, there will be changes to players’ stocks on a weekly basis. Some can see their stock rise and fall over a matter of weeks while others will see theirs change only once every few games.
Regardless, there were plenty of Colts and position groups as a whole that saw their stock change.
Here is the stock up, stock down from Sunday’s win:
Stock Up: RB Jordan Wilkins
Potentially the Colt that saw his stock rise the most, Wilkins was the best runner out of the backfield on Sunday. Though he only logged 11 snaps (15%), Wilkins wound up taking five carries for 82 yards. He had a 55-yard run that helped set up the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Wilkins saw just three fewer snaps and backfield-mate Nyheim Hines and could be on his way to seeing a bigger role in the backfield. He appears to be well over his foot injury and could factor into to some more touches if he continues his efficiency.
Stock Down: K Adam Vinatieri
It’s really sad to admit, but the greatest kicker of all time is currently a problem. That problem might resolve its own on Monday as there is immense speculation the 46-year-old is going to announce his retirement. Nothing is official, it should be noted. There is no press conference scheduled for Monday as of yet.
Vinatieri missed another pair of extra-point attempts on Sunday against the Titans, which brings his total to five missed kicks in just two games to open the season. It doesn’t appear as if anything is physically wrong with him, but his stock is driving down quickly.
Stock Up: WR Deon Cain
It still isn’t entirely clear who is going to fill the void of the WR2 role opposite T.Y. Hilton, but we are beginning to get an idea. Cain saw the most snaps at wide receiver among players not named Hilton. His 46% snap count share was second-most among wide receivers but was closely followed by Zach Pascal (44%) and Chester Rogers (40%).
Cain only registered one target and had another deep target that was eventually called defensive pass interference. The wide receiver room as a whole doesn’t appear to be playing as much of a factor right now as it did when Andrew Luck was under center, but Cain is seeing his stock gradually rise.
Stock Down: DE Ben Banogu
The Colts were without two of their top defensive ends on the right side for the contest, which led many to expect an increase in snaps for the second-round pick in Banogu. That didn’t happen. In fact, he saw fewer snaps in Week 2 than he did in the opener when Kemoko Turay was playing.
This isn’t an indictment at all about Banogu’s talent or outlook with the Colts. These things can change week to week. However, it does tell us that there will be weeks in which Banogu hardly sees any playing time—like he did with just seven snaps on Sunday.
Stock Up: DE Al-Quadin Muhammad
As the rookie Banogu saw his stock dip a little bit, it is clear that Colts have a lot of confidence in Muhammad, who manned the right defensive end spot for the entirety of the matchup. With Sheard and Turay both inactive, Muhammad played the most snaps among all Colts defensive linemen.
The third-year pass rusher played on 83% of the defensive snaps, which led all defensive linemen and was fourth-most throughout the entire defensive unit. He finished with four tackles on the day, and it’s clear the Colts don’t mind rolling with him for the bulk of the work if they must.
Stock Down: RG Mark Glowinski
For the most part, the Colts offensive line has been strong. They have had plenty of snaps in which they break down, but the unit has been a positive for the majority of plays. Glowinski, though, has had some troubling breakdowns in pass protection of the last two weeks. It should be noted his run blocking is still strong.
After struggling against the right side of the Chargers defensive line in Week 1, Glowinski struggled on a handful of pass protection snaps in Week 2. There were a few notable snaps in which Glowinski failed to maintain the integrity of the pocket. It will be much clearer after watching the coaches film, but it appeared at first-look that Glowinski struggled yet again.
Stock Up: CB Rock Ya-Sin
The Colts have worked hard over recent seasons to build cornerback depth, and one of the reasons why reared its head on Sunday. As veteran Pierre Desir suffered a knee injury, the Colts had to look to the rookie in Ya-Sin to fill the void on the boundary.
Ya-Sin wound up playing 82% of the defensive snaps in the Week 2 win and with Desir expected to miss some time with a bone bruise, the second-round pick is expected to take the place opposite Kenny Moore. He’ll have a tough matchup right off the bat in Julio Jones, but Ya-Sin should see ample playing time with Desir out.
Stock Down: Run defense
There is a bit of silver lining with the run defense that they are still yet to allow a 100-yard rusher in the regular season spanning back to the start of 2018, but that doesn’t mean the unit isn’t without its struggles. Though Derrick Henry didn’t wreck the game like he has been known to do, the Colts still allowed him to be uber-efficient on the ground.
Henry finished the day with 15 carries for 81 yards and touchdown. They allowed the Titans offense 5.1 yards per carry. The totals might not be super high, but the efficiency metrics are concerning. The Colts are allowing 5.6 yards per carry to opposing offenses this season, and it doesn’t appear it will be slowing down anytime soon.
