Week 10 - Well how about this, Andrew Luck actually has more fantasy points than his predecessor Peyton Manning heading into week 10. The only reason Luck is ranked outside the top 5 is the matchup with the Jaguars. Many times, Luck is called upon to bail out his defense and air out the ball (as evidenced by his 400+ passing yards in week 9) but against the Jags we expect a lower scoring affair, putting Luck right around 250-290 passing yards with a couple of TD’s. He still remains a top 10 fantasy QB for week 10, but don’t expect him to have to throw as often against Jacksonville.
Week 9 - Andrew Luck has officially won more games this season than Peyton Manning did his rookie season. Luck is throwing the ball well, and earning 15+ fantasy points on a regular basis. Luck should now be viewed as a legit QB1 in all formats heading into the second half of the season.
Week 6 - Luck had a huge game in week 5 against the Packers, as he threw for 362 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT while leading his team to victory. He is approaching QB1 territory and should be rostered in all formats as a backup at this time. Depending on your starter, you can give Luck a look this week against the lackluster Jets defense.
Week 4 - The colts have a bye for week 4, but Andrew Luck is very nearly playing himself to a QB1 spot on fantasy rosters as he is currently averaging just over 18 fantasy points per game.
Week 3 - Luck did just enough to get his team the win in week 2 vs the Vikings, and now faces Jacksonville in week 3. This figures to be a low scoring game, and it is very unlikely that the Colts will get blown out early by Blaine Gabbert and his offense, meaning we don’t expect big fantasy numbers to arise. Keep Luck on your bench in 1 QB formats, and give him the start in 2 QB leagues as a guy who won’t make too many mistakes, but also won’t throw for too many big plays in week 3.
Week 2 – Andrew Luck makes for a nice buy low candidate coming out of week 1, as he posted just 12.26 fantasy points, and some owners may be looking to dump him as their backup or QB2. A game against the Vikings and their weak pass defense could be just what the doctor ordered for Luck and the Colts, and we have him ranked as a solid QB2 for week 2.
Week 1 - In one of the most anticipated rookie debuts in recent memory, Andrew Luck and the Colts open up the 2012 season playing the Bears. The Bears had the 28th ranked passing defense a season ago, so there are certainly holes in their secondary that can be exploited. The question is whether the Colts will let their rookie QB throw deep routes, or check downs if the score is close. For fantasy football purposes, Luck should only be considered a starter in 2 QB formats for week 1.
Preseason Analysis
Andrew Luck was the unquestioned #1 pick of the NFL Draft as he went to the Indianapolis Colts, and experts agree that he will be a terrific pro-style QB within a few years. The question for fantasy football managers, will 2012 be that year? We think not, as the Colts still have needs to fill at WR and possibly RB, and this will be a young team that will grow together in the future. Many owners probably consider Luck a pocket passer that doesn’t run, but he actually racked up 957 yards rushing in 3 years at Stanford, so he will contribute with his feet as well.
If you play in a dynasty/keeper league, Luck will be one of the first players targeted on draft day, but in standard yearly formats he should be drafted as a solid backup or #2 QB.
Andrew Luck (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
