Indianapolis Colts' Coach Frank Reich announced Friday that wide receiver T.Y. Hilton will miss this week's match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers and possibly another three weeks with a calf injury. Reich stated that Hilton suffered the injury at practice this week.
The four-time Pro Bowl wide-out leads the team with 32 reception, 360 yards and five touchdowns. Since entering the league in 2012, the Colts are 0-5 in games without Hilton.
The Colts next four games are against the Steelers (9th vs. WRs), Dolphins (27th), Jaguars (17th) and Texans (31st). It seemed Hilton has very favorable fantasy football match-ups in three of the four games. Many fantasy teams rostering T.Y. are left wondering how do they replace the production in their lineup.
The injury to Hilton will have an effect on his teammate’s fantasy value as well. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett is averaging 227 yards a game, with 14 TDs on the season. Brissett will have to rely on other pass catchers to sustain those decent fantasy numbers. I think Colts receivers Zach Pascal (14 receptions, 265 yards and 3 TDS) and Parris Campbell (10 reception, 62 yards and 1 TD) take a hit, as they will be the recipients of better coverage with Hilton absent.
However, tight ends Eric Ebron (16 reception, 232 yards and 3 TDs) and Jack Doyle (21 receptions, 210 yards and 1 TD) should see an uptick in production as coach Reich will look to shorten the playbook. Running back Marlon Mack (138 carries, 590 yards and 3 TDs) should see a heavy workload with the absence of Hilton.
If you are a team rostering Hilton, I recommend adding Pascal if he is available. Pascal isn’t a start at the moment but he is worth rostering in deeper leagues. Depending on their record, T.Y. owners may be forced to make a trade in hopes of replacing his production.
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