Despite the addition of Andre Johnson, T.Y. Hilton remains a borderline WR1 in most formats.

Andrew Luck is one of the premier fantasy players in the league, and 2015 may see him get even better. His name is being tossed around as the top player off the board, and why wouldn’t it be after he saw his touchdown total jump from 23 in 2013 to 40 last year? If not for a lackluster three weeks to close out the regular season, Luck’s per-game statistics would be even better. The coaching staff clearly trusts their franchise quarterback to win them football games and relies on his arm to dissect opposing defenses. This pass-happy approach allowed Luck to finish third in the NFL with 297.6 passing yards per game. His receiving corps is arguably better and deeper with the addition of Andre Johnson and expected return to health of tight end Dwayne Allen. The running game was anemic a year ago, but the play-action pass should be far more effective with Frank Gore lining up behind Luck in the backfield. At the end of the day, Luck gives you a high ceiling, high consistency and high volume. He may not be the top player when the season ends, but he is probably the best bet to finish the season as a top-five overall fantasy player.

Matt Hasselbeck was resigned in the offseason to handle the backup quarterback duties. This is what happens when a team knows it has its starter for the next decade and doesn’t want to invest more resources in the position. Hasselbeck will turn 40 this year, and chances are the Colts would make a transaction if Luck was forced to miss a lengthy amount of time.

RB Frank Gore
(2014 RB Rank – No.16, 9.5 FPts/G)

Frank Gore has rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight of the past nine seasons, but he won’t be asked to carry the ball as much in Indy. One of several 49er defectors, The Colts will gladly welcome a proven veteran running back after dealing with injuries and ineffectiveness at the position throughout last season. Gore’s receiving skills and ability to pass protect make him an ideal fit to stay on the field in any situation and boost his stock in the fantasy realm. Given his age and expected decline, Gore should take a step back from his usual pace and may become more reliant on touchdowns to bolster his fantasy lines in 2015. If he can find pay dirt regularly, he’ll reward his owners with RB2 numbers. However, any dip in touchdowns would likely put him into RB3 territory and this is where you should look to take him.

RB Dan Herron
(2014 RB Rank – No.62, 5.3 FPts/G)

Aptly named “Boom” Herron was hardly known to most fantasy owners prior to the 2014 season. However, poor performances from Trent Richardson and injuries to Ahmad Bradshaw led to the former sixth-round choice getting steady reps as the season wore on. He is best used as a complementary running back, and he’ll be the best handcuff choice in the Colts’ backfield. Then again, Luck would be asked to pick up the slack in such a scenario, limiting the upside of Herron as a potential replacement. He is battling rookie Josh Robinson in training camp for the right to be the primary backup to Gore. As a handcuff-only option with limited upside outside of PPR formats, Herron is only worth considering in deep formats.

RB Josh Robinson
(2014 RB Rank – N/A)

A five-foot eight-inch, 217-pound fireplug out of Mississippi State, Josh Robinson will need some time to develop in the NFL. The coaching staff liked his raw skills enough to draft him in the sixth round. He has adequate receiving skills to be used in a change-of-pace role later in the season if something happened to Gore. Vick Ballard is still recovering from an Achilles injury and may wind up on the PUP list to open the season. He is buried on the depth chart and won’t be at full strength until midseason, making him a long shot to be an impact in the fantasy game during 2015.

WR T.Y. Hilton
(2014 WR Rank – No.10, 11.9 FPts/G)

T.Y. Hilton took another step forward as the top option in the Colts’ passing game during the 2014 season. However, he is entering the last year of his contract and lacks prototypical size for a No. 1 receiver. It remains to be seen whether the team and its star receiver will get an extension hammered out prior to the regular season, but fantasy owners shouldn’t worry too much. Hilton led the team in targets, finishing with at least eight targets in 11 of 18 games played including the playoffs (this also counts week 17 when the Colts didn’t play their starters the entire game). If there is a knock on Hilton, it is his relatively low touchdown total given his stature atop the Colts’ depth chart and high-scoring offense. This isn’t an area that is likely to improve with the addition of Johnson and the team’s preference to use the tight end position when in the red zone. For this reason, Hilton remains a borderline WR1 in most formats.

WR Andre Johnson
(2014 WR Rank – No.38, 7.4 FPts/G)

In 2014, Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks combined for 102 receptions, 1,184 receiving yards and six touchdowns behind Hilton. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Johnson get a good chunk of that production if he can stay healthy in 2015. The lifelong Texan should feel invigorated to catch passes from an elite passer for the first time in years after mediocre quarterback play undermined the Houston offense. Johnson shouldn’t see his targets decline too much even as the secondary receiving threat due to the high volume of passes thrown in the Colts’ offense. He just turned 34 years old and has never won a Super Bowl. After the first 15 or so wide receivers are gone, rolling the dice on a future Hall of Famer in one of the richest passing offenses isn’t a bad gamble to take for your WR2.

WR Donte Moncrief
(2014 WR Rank – No.73, 4.6 FPts/G)

Indianapolis continues to churn out productive fantasy wide receivers, and Donte Moncrief has the talent to emerge from a position battle that includes former Charger Vincent Brown and rookie Phillip Dorsett. This is a talented and deep pool of receivers, but Moncrief showed his playmaking ability last season and you can bet Luck and the coaching staff will get him more involved in 2015. He has nice size at six-foot two-inches and 226 pounds with deep speed, matching up extremely well against team’s nickel backs and safeties. Yet, for all of the potential, Moncrief’s fantasy value is capped by the number of quality passing options in the offense and the presence of Dorsett. The Colts probably see a lot of Hilton in the man they took with the 29th pick in the 2015 draft. Coming out of Miami, listed at five-foot ten-inches, he not only gives the team depth at the position but provides a potential long-term replacement for Hilton, who will be a free agent after the season. If Moncrief falters and Dorsett continues to shine, he would only need an injury to step into a cushy starting role within a Luck offense.

TE Dwayne Allen
(2014 TE Rank – No.24, 5.4 FPts/G)

If not for injuries over the past two seasons, Allen may be one of the top five tight ends off the board in 2015. Still the better fantasy asset over Coby Fleener, Allen continues to be bothered by an ankle injury that plagued him throughout the 2014 campaign. He has missed time during OTAs in hopes that the extra rest will allow him to be healthy once the regular season nears. When in the lineup, he exploits the holes created by the speed on the outside and can split the field up the middle. The Colts love to line up with two tight ends, so Allen’s health is certainly worth keeping an eye on as the preseason gets underway. Fantasy owners should still consider him the team’s fantasy option at the moment, but Fleener isn’t far behind. Fleener led all Colts tight ends with 92 targets and eight touchdowns a year ago but isn’t likely to see as many opportunities if Allen is at full strength. Nonetheless, Fleener will see plenty of time in two-tight-end formations and near the goal line for red zone opportunities but may not rack up the yardage like other elite fantasy tight ends.