Nyheim Hines’ Updated Colts Fantasy Outlook After Week 10 vs. Titans

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Among a rotating trio of running backs for the Indianapolis Colts, it was Nyheim Hines’ night on Thursday in the team’s 34-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.  

The Colts entered the season with a viable option in fourth-year star Marlon Mack, who was coming off his first 1,000-yard season, which included eight touchdowns and an average of 77.9 rushing yards per game. When he tore his Achilles after playing 11 snaps in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts turned largely to rookie Jonathan Taylor. 

Taylor, who was drafted in the second round out of Wisconsin this season, showed promise in his first career start when he posted 101 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in a Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

But his production dipped in the weeks that followed, and the 21-year-old saw an average of just 11 rushes per game, culminating in six for 27 yards and a touchdown, as well as a pair of targets worth seven yards, in last week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 

With Taylor elevated to the starting role, Hines was averaging just 4.1 carries and 4.4 targets per game heading into Thursday night’s clash with the Colts, in which he provided a jolt to the Indianapolis offense from the start. During the first half, he led the team with 37 yards on six carries and five receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. 

He added another touchdown near the end of the third quarter, giving the Colts a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with his two-yard rushing score.

Elsewhere, Taylor added just 12 yards on seven carries in addition to a pair of receptions that resulted in 25 yards, while Jordan Wilkins tallied 28 yards on eight carries and missed his lone target. 

Since Hines is a strong receiver, his opportunity may have come as the Colts worked a recovering T.Y. Hilton back into the lineup after he sat out Week 9 with a groin injury. Hilton posted 40 yards on four receptions (five targets), while fellow wideout Zach Pascal posted 33 yards on as many catches. He’s a welcome addition to a quiet receiver group. 

Against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday, Hines should be given the spotlight again. The Colts will line up against a defense that has allowed a league-most 59.1 receiving yards per game to running backs, per Lineups.com, in addition to 99.5 rushing yards per game to backs, which ranks ninth-most among all NFL teams. 

Hines should factor in over Taylor at running back moving forward, and if Indianapolis finds itself thin at wide receiver, his role will be elevated further. He’s a solid RB2 start in Week 11.