In the 14th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Indianapolis Colts.
Key Off-Season Acquisitions
The Colts added a quarterback and two defensive players in the offseason. In is Daniel Jones of Charlotte, North Carolina, who is getting paid $14 million this season to backup Anthony Richardson Sr. Also in are cornerback Charvarius Ward of McComb, Mississippi, and safety Camryn Bynum of Corona, California. Ward is set to make $54 million over the next three seasons, and Bynum will be making $60 million over the next four seasons.
Jones has played the last six seasons with the New York Giants. He was released during the 2024 season, and was signed by the Minnesota Vikings, but did not play. In 2024, he completed 216 passes in 341 attempts for 2070 passing yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Jones also had 67 rushes for 265 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Ward spent four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs where he won a Super Bowl in 2020, and the last three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2023, Ward was selected to the Pro Bowl and led the NFL with 23 pass deflections. In 2024, he had 54 combined tackles (38 solo tackles and 16 assisted tackles), one tackle for a loss, and seven pass deflections.
Bynum spent the last four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. In 2024, Bynum had 96 combined tackles (54 solo tackles and 42 assisted tackles), two tackles for a loss, three interceptions for three yards, two fumble recoveries and 10 pass deflections. The two fumble recoveries came in a 31-29 Vikings win over the Green Bay Packers on September 29 and in a 27-25 Vikings win over the Packers on December 29.
Fantasy Star
The face of the Colts franchise remains running back Jonathan Taylor of Salem, New Jersey. He is ranked eighth among running backs. Taylor had 303 rushes for 1431 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2024. He added 18 catches for 136 receiving yards and another major score last season. The touchdown catch was for seven yards and came in a 25-24 Colts win over the New England Patriots on December 1.
Projected Finish
Yesterday we profiled the Houston Texans. The Texans are the team in the AFC South I like the most, basically because I trust C.J. Stroud more than the Colts quarterback duo of Richardson and Jones. Indianapolis is still better than Jacksonville and Tennessee because of Taylor’s skillset as an explosive running back, and I am going to pick the Colts to be second in the AFC South.
