Thursday Night Football: Colts at Texans

Alright, folks, it’s time once again for some football! Week 5 gives us an AFC South matchup with the Indianapolis Colts facing off against the Houston Texans. Both teams have ultra-talented fantasy players coming off of injuries who should put up some great fantasy numbers this week. Both Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck and Texans’ running back Arian Foster are primed to have some big fantasy outputs.

Thursday Night Football is upon us, let’s get started with my preview:

INJURIES:

• The biggest injury issue going into this game is the partially separated shoulder that Luck is dealing with. He has been throwing in practice the last few days and Colts’ coaches say he is good to play, so get him in your lineups.
• Both Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts won’t be present in Houston’s lineup. Shorts is dealing with a bum shoulder and Washington is dealing with a hamstring injury.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Andrew Luck, QB

Coming into the 2015 season, Luck was one of the overall favorite guys to draft at the quarterback position, going as high as the 1st Round in fantasy drafts. It’s been a weird start to the year for him, though. Luck not only has been dealing with this shoulder issue, he’s also had to play against two stout defenses in the Bills and Jets. So far in 2015, Luck has thrown for 753 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s only completed just 56 percent of his passing attempts and owns a treacherous 65.1 QBR. The Texans rank 22nd at defending against opposing quarterbacks, allowing an average of 22.6 fantasy points per game. I truly believe that this will be Luck’s best fantasy output thus far this season as long as his shoulder holds up.

Fantasy Prediction: 275 passing yards and 3 touchdowns

Frank Gore, RB

I truly thought a move to a higher octane Colts offense would revitalize Gore’s career, but it just hasn’t played out quite that way. This season, he has rushed 54 times for 294 yards and two scores. Gore has only managed 56.8 yards per game, but he does have a favorable matchup versus Houston. This season, the Texans rank 28th at defending against opposing running backs, allowing an average of 23.4 fantasy points per game. I don’t see Gore going absolutely wild tonight, but he will see some success.

Fantasy Prediction: 70 rushing yards

T.Y. Hilton, WR

Hilton has had a rocky start to the 2015 season, but I believe this will be his breakout week! This year, he has grabbed 22 balls for 294 yards and no touchdowns. Hilton has received 44 targets, so a lot of chances have been at his disposal. He is going up against a Texans team who rank 7th versus defending against opposing wideouts, but I fully expect him to exceed his 73.5 yards per game average. I’m without a doubt predicting Hilton to grab his first touchdown of the season and he will help to guide you toward a fantasy win in Week 5.

Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown

Donte Moncrief, WR

Moncrief has quickly become one of my favorite waiver wire adds of this young 2015 season! Coming into this season, Andre Johnson was number two on the Colts’ depth chart, but Moncrief jumped over him before we knew it. So far, he’s grabbed 23 passes for 275 yards and three scores. Moncrief has also received 37 targets and averages 68.8 yards per game. He will be going up against a Texans defense who allow an average of 18.5 fantasy points to wide receivers, so it will be a challenge for him tonight. Like Hilton, Moncrief will have similar success against a team who was torched by the Falcons last week.

Fantasy Prediction: 7 receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown

Coby Fleener, TE

Fleener is a very sneaky play this week for fantasy! This year, he has only caught 14 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Fleener has only received just 19 targets, thus far this season, but he’s the caliber of player that takes advantage of his opportunities, plus Luck and him have their Stanford connection. This season, Houston ranks 20th at defending against tight ends and allow an average of 7.9 fantasy points per game. If I was going to stream Fleener any week, it would be in Week 5.

Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown

HOUSTON TEXANS

Ryan Mallett, QB

Houston has two gunslinging quarterbacks who just haven’t been fantasy relevant this year. So far in 2015, Mallett has thrown for 720 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s completed just 51.8 percent of his passes and has a low QBR of 65.3. The Colts defense ranks 19th at defending against opposing quarterbacks, allowing an average of 21.8 fantasy points per game. I’m not sold on Mallett as a viable fantasy quarterback, so I’m once again staying away from him in Week 5.

Fantasy Prediction: 250 passing yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions

Arian Foster, RB

During the preseason, Foster ended up on the injured list once again in his career, but he made a return to the field during Week 4. His first game wasn’t quite what fantasy owners wanted to see, though. Foster rushed the ball just eight times for 10 ten yards and caught three passes for 25 yards. Indianapolis ranks 19th defending against running backs and allow an average of 18.9 fantasy points per game. This very well could be Foster’s chance to prove he was worth that roster spot he’s been taking up on your bench all year long!

Fantasy Prediction: 90 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 50 yards and 1 touchdown

DeAndre Hopkins, WR

Hopkins is a legit target monster each and every week, racking up 60 so far this year. In 2015, he has caught 31 balls for 409 yards and three touchdowns. Hopkins also averages 102.3 reception yards per game, making him a must-start in any type of fantasy football format. This season, the Colts rank 27th versus opposing wide receivers, allowing an average 27.8 fantasy points per game. Get ready for a massive fantasy output from Hopkins in Week 5!

Fantasy Prediction: 7 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown

Garrett Graham, TE

Of all the tight ends that you can play this week, Graham most likely won’t be one of them. This season, he’s only managed to catch three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown on just 13 targets. Indianapolis is solid versus opposing running backs ranking 13th overall and allowing 5.9 fantasy points per game. There are most likely much better options out there at the tight end position, so look elsewhere in Week 5.

Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions for 20 yards

WEATHER

Luckily football fans, the Texans play in a dome, so weather won’t be an issue tonight. The forecast in Houston is low 90’s temperatures with a 0 percent chance of rain. Should be a great night for some football!

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