NFL futures, 2 Indianapolis Colts bets: Is Richardson the answer at QB?
The Indianapolis Colts have the third-worst odds to win the Super Bowl this coming season, and as we continue working our way through the board, they'll be next in our offseason team preview series.
Colts high-level odds
- Wins: Over 6.5 (-135) | Under 6.5 (+115)
- To Win Division: +550
- To Win Conference: +7000
- To Win Super Bowl: +10000
Indianapolis will hope that Anthony Richardson can fix the quarterback woes that have plagued this franchise since Andrew Luck retired, because the last few seasons have been tough. The Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan experiments failed spectacularly, with the lowlight being the 4-12-1 season they just had.
The Colts hired former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their new head coach this offseason after firing former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Second time's the charm?
Richardson may not be the guy to begin this season, as he's often been considered a player who needs plenty of refinement to pair with his elite athletic abilities. If it isn't Richardson, expect Gardner Minshew to be the starter in Indy.
On the plus side for the Colts, they have one of the better offensive lines in football, led by Quenton Nelson. That can go a long way to speeding up a young quarterback's development, as Steichen just witnessed with Jalen Hurts.
Unfortunately for the Indianapolis offense, their skill-position players besides Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman all feel like unknown commodities at this point.
This team has quality pieces on the defensive side, namely DeForest Buckner and Shaquille Leonard, but it's hard to envision a winning season in Indy, namely because of the growing pains that Richardson is sure to have.
Two futures bets for the Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor over 1150.5 rushing yards (-110 DK)
Found under 'Player Totals'
It's easy to see why the hype train has cooled on Jonathan Taylor. Coming off a massive 2021 season, Taylor was expected to continue right where he left off, a popular pick for Offensive Player of the Year, and the first pick in many fantasy drafts.
Instead, Taylor dealt with ankle injuries that cost him six games and parts of others, and suffered because of the overall ineptitude of the Colts offense.
The hope is that the Indianapolis offensive linemen bounce back to where they were in 2020 and 2021, and if they can, there's every reason to believe a healthy Taylor can have another big year.
In his rookie season, Taylor averaged 5.0 yards per carry en route to 1,169 yards. His sophomore campaign was his best, finishing with 1,811 yards with a superb 5.5 yards per carry mark.
Taylor remains top dog in this offense, and he would likely only benefit more if it's Richardson who ends up taking the bulk of the snaps. His presence as a rushing QB will open up more lanes for Taylor.
Even if it's Minshew, we like this bet a bit less, but Leonard Fournette was still able to surpass this line set for Taylor in 2019 when Minshew started 15 games in Jacksonville.
Under 6.5 wins (+115 DK)
Found under 'Team Futures'
This isn't the flashiest or boldest selection, but given the options available for Indianapolis, I could easily see a 6-11 year for the Colts.
They have solid players, but with a likely rookie-project QB and first-time head coach, it's reasonable to expect some growing pains. I don't want a piece of anything that is tied to Indy's success, and I'm not seeing a player beyond Taylor to confidently invest in at any form.
I'll be fading the Colts this season.
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